State Farm recently denied my roof claim, despite the fact that I have been with them for over 20 years and have a perfect driving record. Now I don’t know what to do and am worried about how long it will take me to get my roof replaced and how much it will cost me if I have to seek out another insurer to help me out. What should I do? What would you do in this situation?
Demolish before replacement
I was devastated when State Farm denied my roof claim. I had just paid off the house and didn’t have the money to replace the roof myself. I considered appealing the decision, but decided it would be quicker and easier to just demolish the old roof and start from scratch. The process of demolition helped me deal with some of the disappointment from State Farm denying my roof claim. It also made me realize that what I really wanted in a home was something that wasn’t so expensive or hard to maintain. When I found an affordable duplex with no mortgage payments and no need for maintenance like my last place, I jumped on it. When State Farm denied my roof claim, I realized that it’s time for me to put down roots where I can live without financial anxiety and where people don’t reject me because of who they think they know me as.
Get an inspection from a licensed contractor
If your insurance company denies your roof claim, don’t despair. You have options. The first thing you should do is get an inspection from a licensed contractor. This will give you a professional opinion of the damage and will help you determine your next steps. Depending on what you find out, there are a few different routes to take:
- I) File a lawsuit against State Farm for breach of contract II) Get another appraisal III) Ask State Farm for more documentation on why they denied your claim IV) File with the Illinois Department of Insurance. I went with option I and filed a lawsuit against State Farm for breach of contract. It cost me $400 to file the suit, but it was worth it because in March 2018 my case was settled in my favor and I received full payment! In April 2018, State Farm sent me a check for $31,663.00 and I got my house fixed right away.
Stay in contact with your agent
If you’re in the process of filing a claim with State Farm, it’s important to stay in close contact with your agent. I learned this the hard way when my roof claim was denied. I had to call and follow up multiple times, but eventually I was able to get the situation resolved. If you’re in a similar situation, here are a few tips for staying on top of your claim:
1) Contact Your Agent- Just like I did, contact your agent as soon as possible if you think there might be an issue with your policy or coverage.
2) Follow Up- It may take a while for State Farm to investigate, so keep following up until they come back with their decision about whether or not they’ll approve your claim.
3) Ask for Help- The staff at State Farm is really helpful and friendly; if you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to ask them for help or clarification on anything.
4) Make Copies- Make copies of any correspondence between yourself and the insurance company just in case anything ever gets lost.
Use State Farm’s online tools
If you’re a State Farm customer and your roof was damaged in a storm, you may be wondering what to do next. State Farm offers a few different online tools to help customers with the claims process. You can start by logging on to their website and filling out an application for insurance benefits. You’ll need your policy number and the name of your insurance agent or agency representative (if applicable). Once that information is entered, they will ask you some questions about the incident.
In addition to filing your claim through their website, you should also contact your local office and file a claim there as well. The process is usually much quicker than using the online tools. Once you’ve filed your claim, State Farm will review it and either approve it or deny it within 48 hours. Your policy should cover up to $1 million worth of property damage from windstorms, so if your request for payment has been denied then appeal the decision!
Keep receipts from repairs
I was absolutely livid when State Farm denied my roof claim. I had just shelled out over $5,000 to have my roof replaced, and now my insurance company was telling me that it wasn’t covered. I knew I had to do something, so I started by gathering all of my receipts and documentation from the repairs. Turns out, I should’ve read the fine print on my policy more closely! There was a clause in there about how if you did a major renovation within five years, your policy would be voided. The construction company who installed my new roof had been working for less than a year before they were hired by me. So after showing them this information and writing a letter explaining what happened and how upset I was about being told that this wasn’t covered, they approved my claim.
Escalate the issue if you are unhappy with the outcome
I was not happy with the outcome of my roof claim being denied, so I decided to escalate the issue. I called the customer service number and spoke to a representative. I explained the situation and asked to speak to a supervisor. The representative put me on hold for a few minutes and then came back on the line and said that the supervisor was not available but would call me back within 24 hours. I asked for the supervisor’s name and contact information, but the representative said that they could not give out that information. That evening, I received a phone call from someone who identified themselves as the supervisor for State Farm and wanted to talk about my roof claim.
I went over the issue again with them, going into more detail about what happened when their inspector came out to inspect the property. They listened carefully and agreed that it sounded like there had been water damage inside due to a leaky roof. They agreed that this should be covered under their policy, so they issued an order letter approving my claim.