What is a Supplement on a Roof Claim? [And Why it’s Important]

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There’s nothing more stressful than having to endure a severe weather event, except for the aftermath and realizing your home has sustained storm damage. Having to deal with your insurance company to make a roof claim can compound this, leaving many homeowners feeling overwhelmed. Especially if you haven’t been through this before, it can also be confusing, which is why we wanted to take the time to explain the process to you. 

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Your insurance company will guide you through the first steps, and send someone out to inspect your roof. If your claim is approved, you will get an insurance estimate for the work your insurance company will pay for. Sometimes, however, insurance adjusters may unintentionally leave important things off of your estimate. 

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When this happens, your roofing contractor will come to the rescue and supplement your roof claim. What is a Supplement on a Roof Claim and Why is it Important? In this article, you will learn what supplementing is and why it’s crucial to your roof claim, as well as three things to do if you have an insurance claim for roof damage.

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Table of Contents

- What is a Supplement on a Roof Claim?

- Why Should I Supplement My Roof Claim?

- What to Do if You Have an Insurance Claim for Roof Damage

    - Share Your Insurance Estimate with Your Contractor

    - Don’t Stress Over Getting Multiple Quotes

    - Hire a Contractor That’s an Insurance Claims Specialist

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What is a Supplement on a Roof Claim?

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So, what is a supplement on a roof claim? A supplement on a roof claim is when your roofing contractor asks for additional materials, labor, and/or trades to be added to your insurance claim. This usually happens when the insurance adjuster didn’t include enough shingles, siding, or other materials on the scope of loss to get the job done. 

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Not only that, sometimes the items that are missing are required by local building code. When this happens, your contractor will create a new estimate that includes the necessary items and present it to your insurance company for approval. Contractors will have to include photos, measurements, local code requirements, invoices, and other documentation to support their claim and explain why the additional funds are needed. 

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Why Should I Supplement My Roof Claim?

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So now that you know what a supplement on a roof claim is, let’s discuss why this is important. As previously mentioned, unfortunately, many insurance adjusters leave line items off of the estimates that are given to homeowners. Even leaving off upgrades that are required to make sure your roof is in compliance with state regulations and up to code. 

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This can pose a problem for multiple reasons, from when it comes time to sell your home, to negatively affecting the stability and the longevity of your roof. Even further, when the insurance company leaves something off your estimate, they aren’t giving you enough money to get the job done. If this happens to you, and this happens to homeowners quite a bit, then your insurance claim needs to be supplemented. 

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A supplement on your roof claim simply means that your contractor is fighting for you, and working to make sure that every line item that your roof needs is covered and taken care of by the insurance company. It’s important to mention here that some insurance companies might fight back when it comes to supplementing. However, as long as your roofing contractor is willing to advocate for you and has experience dealing with insurance adjusters, your roof will get what it needs.

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What to Do if You Have an Insurance Claim for Roof Damage

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Now that we’ve answered the question, what is a supplement on a roof claim, and have explained why this is so important, let’s dive deeper into the insurance claims process. There are a few things that you as a homeowner can do to assist in the claims process, and ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible.

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Share Your Insurance Estimate with Your Contractor

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After hiring a roofing contractor, one of the first things you will want to do is show them your insurance claim paperwork. This is such an important step, as this paperwork has pertinent information they need in order to do their job properly and supplement your roof claim. This will also help them in the supplementing process, as they can see what exactly the insurance company may have missed. 

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This will also protect you from unintentionally committing insurance fraud by making sure everything your insurance company is paying for is within the contractor’s scope of work. Most insurance companies will actually tell you to share your estimate with your contractor in the fine print. They also recommend doing so as soon as possible, and to ask any questions you may have before your contractor begins any work on your roof. 

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Don’t Stress Over Getting Multiple Quotes

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Aside from what is a supplement on a roof claim, another common question we get asked is if customers should get multiple quotes for their insurance claim. The short answer to this is no. There is really no reason to get multiple estimates from multiple roofing companies, because it’s the insurance companies that come up with the price to repair your storm-damaged roof, not the contractor. 

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Insurance companies will use a program called Xactimate to calculate the cost of your new roof based on the average price of roofing materials in your area. So, the price is already set by the insurance company, and there’s no reason to spend the time and energy searching for the roofing company with the lowest estimate. With that being said, if the roofing company’s estimate does end up being more than the initial estimate from your insurance company, have no fear. A qualified roofing contractor with insurance experience will supplement your roof claim.

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The roofing company you choose will supplement anything left off of your roof claim, submit their itemized list to the insurance company for approval, showing their cost to complete the job. And even though you don’t need to get multiple quotes, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do your research and speak to multiple roofing companies so you can choose the one that’s right for you. Choosing a contractor you can trust is key to peace of mind when it comes to insurance claims and supplementing them.

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Hire a Contractor That’s an Insurance Claims Specialist

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Hiring the right contractor is such an important aspect to consider when answering the question, “what is a supplement on a roof claim?” As you may now see, the contractor that you choose plays such a significant role in both the roof replacement process and the insurance claims process. Working with a roofer you can trust is a great way to make the insurance process go smoother, create peace of mind, make sure your roof gets all the materials it needs, and that your claim is properly supplemented. 

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Whenever you have any work done through your homeowners insurance, you will want to be sure to hire a roofing contractor with experience in handling insurance claims. They’ll already know and understand the insurance claims process, will be able to read your claim correctly, will fight to supplement your roof claim and make sure that everything is correct, all while working in compliance with your insurance company. After calling your insurance company, choosing the right contractor with this type of experience should be one of the first things you do when sustaining damage to your roof.

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The crew at Elite Exteriors is proud to be insurance claim specialists, guiding homeowners through the insurance claims process. Customer satisfaction and the customer experience is our top priority. We take the homeowner’s stress of navigating through the claims process away, and work on their behalf to make sure nothing is missed, and that their home is brought back to pre-storm condition.

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We take pride in being able to do this for our customers, and are here to answer any roofing questions you may have about insurance claims, roof repairs, roof replacements, or solar panel installation. Elite Exteriors is the Southeast’s premier residential and commercial resource for unparalleled service, superior craftsmanship and incomparable quality; and it’s all backed by an unprecedented lifetime labor and materials warranty! We also offer FREE initial consultations and inspections, and for more information or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at 470-350-3024, or fill out our online form.

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