Why Getting Multiple Estimates for Storm Damage Won’t Help

With a typical roofing project, you’ll probably contact a few contractors and get several quotes before choosing the roofer that offers the best blend of quality and affordability. When it comes to storm damage repair, however, getting multiple estimates won’t help you. In fact, it might actually hurt.

With storm damage repair, your goal is to restore your home to the condition it was in prior to the storm with compensation from your insurance company. Your insurance company has to pay you their summary amount or the amount your contractor bids—whichever is lower—minus your deductible. While insurance companies are not trying to cheat you out of the compensation you deserve, they also don’t want to pay any more than they are legally required. In short, getting multiple bids makes it easier for your insurance company to pay you less.

Here are three reasons why it doesn’t benefit you to request estimates from multiple contractors for storm damage repair:

  1. Contractor estimates are typically lower than summary pricing.

Summary pricing is the predetermined market pricing of services an insurance company covers. This pricing includes labor and materials, and is updated monthly. If there is high demand due to a recent damaging storm in your local area, the summary pricing will increase. In fact, the price of roofing materials like shingles, decking and nails can increase as much as 40% in storm season, while the cost of labor can increase as much as 20%.

Your insurance company will likely encourage you to get bids from several roof repair contractors in the hopes that the bids will be lower than the summary pricing. Meanwhile, contractors will almost always bid lower than the summary pricing—because that’s how they win business.

As a homeowner, your goal is to get the most compensation possible from your insurance company. Going with the lowest bidder is not going to help you in this situation.

  1. Requesting multiple bids makes you vulnerable to shoddy workmanship.

Roofers do not need to acquire licenses to operate in Texas. This is unfortunate because it means any “Chuck in a truck” with a hammer and nails can claim to be a roofer—even though he may have limited experience or knowledge about roofing. He also might not be authorized by the manufacturer to install the roofing product you’ve chosen, which could void your warranties. Seeking out bids from multiple contractors could expose you to untrustworthy roofers.

  1. If additional damage is found during the repair, your insurer may not cover it.

When you request multiple bids and your insurance company goes with the lowest one, that’s the amount of money you will be receiving (minus your deductible)—period. But what if further damage is uncovered during the repair process (a common occurrence with storm damage repair)? Your insurance company will say that they agreed to the original bid from the roofer and are not responsible for anything the roofer failed to find when putting together that bid. When you hire a roofer who agrees to work for the summary price, however, your roofer will file a supplement for the cost of the additional repairs and your insurance company will approve it.

Trust WABO Roofing for Expert Storm Damage Repair

At WABO Roofing, our unwavering dedication to providing the highest-quality service makes us one of the most trusted roof replacement companies in the area. We will be happy to assist you with insurance claims and provide detailed documentation of the damage. Call us at (832) 304-2800. We serve residents of Cypress and Houston, TX, and nearby areas.

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