Need storm damage claim advice

[mpb185vs]

I had pretty major hail damage in a storm a couple of weeks ago. Adjuster came out and gave what I thought was a pretty fair estimate, they went ahead and wrote me a check and I still have money available for depreciation. Looking at at new roof and most if not all exterior of the house replaced, siding, gutters ect.

Question is when contractors come out to give estimates should I disclose the detailed insurance report with them or not? I know ins. Companies probably do not want you to but it seems like it would be much easier to let them work their estimate off of that. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks

[Hardhead1]

I wouldn't think the contractor needs to know how he's going to get paid as long as he get paid upon finished job approval by you.

[Trent_in_BG]

Let the contractor know what the adjuster said needed to be replaced/repaired. When the contractor does his assessment, just make sure there was nothing missed when adjuster scoped the job. If something wa accidentally overlooked, your insurance company can adjust the claim amount. I would NOT give the amount of check unless the bids come in higher than claim amount. I own a SERVPRO franchise and work with insurance companies every day. Most of the adjusters do an outstanding job of being very fair and reasonable. Most insurance companies are using Xactimate as their estimating software. If your contractor is using same software their will be no difference in charges and payouts.
IM me if you have any questions.

[East TN Basser]

Just got done dealing with the exact same situation from the April storms last year. There is a reason they want to see your insurance report. Don't show it, they don't need it. They should be writing up their own estimates/reports and letting you compare. I would have 3-5 companies come out and give you estimates so you can compare. Also I would stick with companies local to your area instead of the out of towners that have im sure made there way into your area. I'm sure they can do fine work but if you have an issue 6 months down the road who is going to repair under warranty? Some dude 300 miles away? Doubt it. I would also consider having another insurance adjuster come out and redo the estimate, we did and it worked to our favor BIG time!!! Atleast make sure the first person who did your report has worked with the company for a few years.

[BassinBarrister]

I would not give them the insurance info. I would use it to see how thorough the contractor's estimate is. Then negotiate, negotiate, and negotiate.

[mikepags]

just lie and say your check is for 20% and that is all there is to do the job

[NASCAR]

You guys who don't want to show the report do know it is insurance fraud to profit from your claim, you will not get your depreciation if you can't provide a receipt for an exact match. This is why I hate working for people, the insurance company has a calculation for what it costs, and it is pretty accurate, but you beat the contractors up by not revealing paperwork then and want to put money in your pocket and wonder why rates go up and insurance companies have made it so hard to file a claim.

[Buccaneer]

Don't lie, don't try to profit. The contractor's do not need to know what your insurance has "initially" estimated the cost to be. If you get actual bids higher than what the adjuster estimated, call your insurance company and explain the details of what you have received in writing. They will adjust the claim.

[mikepags]

I was joking as I have filed plenty of claims and know the procedure........but wouldn't it look bad if a homeowner returns 40% of their payout and says the adjuster gave him way to much money

[Bass Team Tackle]

I would recommend providing your paperwork to the contractor you want to do business with. This will allow the contractor to go over the estimate and make sure nothing was missed by the original adjuster. When you get into a big hail storm material prices magically start increasing each month from suppliers. Your contractor can go back to your insurance company to get your settlement adjusted to reflect the current market price or any items missed. just cause you get a higher bid doesnt mean your insurance company will pay that difference...the price has to be justified through xatimate (what insurance uses for pricing). I spent most of last summer on the phone negotiating with insurance companies or doing reinspections to get adjustments done on little things they missed (like the type of shingle that was on the roof currently...they bought a 30 yr shingle when you actually had a 50 yr shingle) Trust me it happens all the time!! And dont do the work before you get the approval from the insurance company if you have supplements or price increase request....that needs to be settled before any work is completed. All of this leg work can be completed by your contractor but they need your insurance paperwork so they can properly deal with your insurance company.

And dont worry about the insurance companies worrying about you giving your paperwork to your contractor...they dont mind. Actually American Family gives you two copies, one for you and one that says contractor copy. If you have any questions dont hesitate to ask...I have been in the roofing business for 10+ years now and have dealt with insurance work the entire time. Definitely take the advice about using local companies...storm chasers come charging in and brings crews from all over and suck up a lot of the work...they just wont be around to do warranty work if you have problems done the road. We had a major storm last April and all the storm chasers left town once winter got here and they havent been back since and I get calls to go fix problems that their customers are having with there roofs now.

[billius]

I would tell them that I have an insurance check. I would not tell them the dollar amount. They will be able to tell that it's storm damage anyway. And I can assure you, they will not miss anything when the write up their estimate.