“My roof is fine.”
- According to someone I see every week.
- He said all the roofs around him are getting replaced but his is fine (even though he hasn’t had a proper inspection).
Why it matters: When you live in one of the top insurance markets for roofing like DFW, cynicism is easy.
- Sometimes it’s appropriate.
🥊 Reality check: Roofing is an unlicensed trade in Texas, which means we have more than our share of shady contractors trying to game the system.
- Insurance companies have endured lots of large losses and are becoming more bold in their willingness to tell homeowners something equivalent to, “Your roofer is just being greedy.”
⚙️ How it works: Here are some helpful guidelines for you and your friends to keep in mind.
👉 If you see several roofs in your neighborhood being replaced, have a trusted roofer inspect yours.
- Hail damage on shingles is hard to see from the ground — sometimes impossible to see.
- Legitimate hail damage rarely results in immediate leaks — but the damage reduces the life of the shingle and leads to leaks in time.
👉 Insurance carriers have started reducing coverage for roofs that are older than 12-15 years.
- A client recently got a letter from insurance stating his roof coverage was going to decrease by 50% once the roof hit 12 years old on August 8.
- He had enough damage to file a claim, and the roof is approved for replacement.
👉 The likelihood of hail damaging your roof is based on 2 main factors:
- The size of the hail —> Must be at least golfball size.
- The age of the roof —> 10 years old or newer is probably ok unless the hail was baseball size or bigger.
✅ For your Smart Homeowner list
- Please educate yourself on the type of policy you have.
- Putting all the pieces together —> We’re going to see lots of roofs 12-18 years old that have been totaled by hail but don’t have full coverage.
Best,
Travis