The Number one thing that you want to look for when picking a roofing contractor is to make sure they are licensed, insured, and bonded. Ask your contractor if they have a document they can show you that displays the number they're insured for and that they're licensed and bonded. 

The second thing you should do is talk to your friends and neighbors that have used a roofing contractor in the past. You can also talk to your insurance agent, or local realtors to see if they have any good recommendations. 

Lastly and most importantly, I would check out online reviews. You can find these reviews on different websites such as Google, Facebook, BBB, and most roofing companies' websites. 

There are three ways to file a claim with an insurance company. 

1. Call your local agent: Let them know that you had storm damage on your roof and that you would like to get a claim started. 
2. File a claim online: Go to your insurance company's website and look for the 'File a Claim' button. It will guide you through the steps on what to do. 
3. File a claim through your insurance carriers app: Most bigger insurance carriers have an app that has a portal for you to file a claim through. 

When it comes to filing the claim itself be prepared to answer a few questions from your insurance provider such as:

• Was your roof inspected by a contractor?
• What day did the storm occur?

The short answer is no. A claim regarding a storm is deemed an 'act-of-nature' claim. You can't specifically have your rates raised by your insurance carrier as you couldn't do anything to prevent it event from occurring.

Something to keep in mind is that if enough claims come out of a certain zip code, everyone's rates may go up short-term.  

The process is pretty simple, have your property evaluated, and see if you did have damages and if you do, it is in your best interest to file a claim. That is why you have insurance on your property. 

There are many reasons you will want a contractor with you when an adjuster comes to assess the damages to the exterior of your home.

A lot of times when major storms come through local adjusters cannot handle the volume of claims coming through. They will reach out to other states, and people around the country to come in and help. They are called independent adjusters. 

They come in and write claims for these local carriers but since they are not local to the area's building codes. They might identify hail damage and the scope of repairs correctly but might be missing a lot of the items that are required in Minnesota due to our harsh winter conditions such as ice and water shields.

From there the adjuster is going to look for signs to see if there is marginal damage or if it is on the border of the damages being able to be covered by insurance. Keep in mind that the adjuster for the insurance company is the insurance company's representative, they're told to mitigate or minimize the loss where they can. 

That is why having a contractor on your side is important as they will advocate the damages that should be covered for you. Here at Capital Construction, we are your proponent. We're doing everything that we can to make sure that you are getting coverage for the damages that we see. 

We will have a conversation at that time with the adjuster and try to get you covered for a roof or siding replacement. 

It's great to have two sets of eyes. A contractor on your side and an adjuster working for the insurance company meet at the same time to talk about the damages and come to an agreement on the scope of repair damages to the property.

The next step after receiving approval for your roof to be replaced is you will receive a summary of loss from your insurance provider. It is a small paragraph detailing the benefits of the loss. 

The second thing you're going to get from your insurance company is a scope of loss. This is what you will provide to your contractor when reviewing the project details. This covers what parts of the roof got approved and if there are any additional damages to the gutters, pieces of siding, or a window. 

The last thing is that you will receive your first check which is the ACV  (Actual Cash Value) check and the term that insurance companies use. You will give this to your contractor as well.

How you can expect to receive this information in two ways. First, it will come via email to make sure to give the adjuster the correct email address. The second way you can receive this information is through your mail.