A Second Storm Hit While My Roof Claim Was Still Open. What Now?

What does an open claim mean?

An open claim is one that has not been closed. The Texas Department of Insurance, in instructions it wrote for insurers reporting 2008 Hurricane Ike claims, says a claim counts as open until all coverages tied to it have been closed (TDI). Your insurer may use its own words for status, so ask what status your file shows.

The same instructions say a claim that was closed and later re-opened counts as open if it is open on the reporting date. They also ask insurers to report payments made on claims that are still open, so open describes the status of the file, not whether money has been paid. It is a reporting rule for insurers, not advice for homeowners.

Is a second storm a separate event?

A second storm is a second weather event with its own date. NOAA's Storm Events Database collects smaller events, including hail and thunderstorm wind, by county, so two reported storms appear as two entries with two dates (NOAA). Whether your insurer treats them together or apart is a question for your policy and your insurer.

Keep the two storms apart in your notes, your photos and your talks with contractors.

How do I look up both storm dates?

Open NOAA's Storm Events Database, choose your county, pick the event types that match what you saw, such as Hail or Thunderstorm Wind, and enter a range of dates that covers both storms. NOAA says events take 3 months to appear, so a recent storm may not be listed yet (NOAA).

Our guide to finding the date hail hit your house walks through each screen. Two limits are worth knowing. NOAA says Storm Data takes approximately 75 to 90 days after the end of a data month to be added to the database. NOAA also says information from its sources may not have been checked by the National Weather Service and that the service does not vouch for its accuracy. A report describes a place and a time, not your roof. NOAA says only weather with enough intensity to cause injuries, significant property damage or disruption to commerce, or that is otherwise unusual and rare, is included, so a date with no row does not by itself show that no storm reached your home.

If you found the first damage long after the storm, our guide on finding hail damage months later covers that case.

How does my insurer handle a second storm?

This guide cannot say. Policies set their own notice and filing rules, and how a second storm is treated under your policy is a question for your policy and your insurer. This guide states no deadline. Read your policy or ask your insurer.

Otter Quotes does not work with your insurance company, so we cannot tell you what your insurer will do. The checklist further down has questions you can put to your insurer in your own words. You can also ask what the letters and portal messages about your file mean.

What should I tell a contractor who already has my scope?

Tell any contractor who holds your written scope that a second storm has happened since it was written. Ask each one to say in writing what they saw on the day they looked and what their bid covers, so the bids describe the roof as it is now and can be compared side by side.

A contractor can only describe what they see. Otter Quotes does not assess roofs, and we do not decide which storm caused what. If you already hold a bid, ask whether its price and dates still stand. If you are still collecting bids, give every contractor the same account of both storms, so no one bids on a different story than the others.

Our guide on comparing roofing bids side by side shows how to line the bids up once they arrive.

Should I pause a job that is already scheduled?

This guide cannot say. A pause can change a start date, a price that was quoted for a set period or a materials order. Ask the contractor what changes if you wait, and ask your insurer whether your policy says anything about work that starts while a claim is open.

Ask the contractor what a pause would do to the schedule. Our guide on what to do when roofers are booked up after a storm has questions to ask any contractor about start dates and written answers.

Can I put a temporary cover on the roof?

It is your decision. The North Carolina Department of Insurance says to do what you can to stop further damage and gives a tarp on the roof as an example (NC DOI, on its disaster page). Ask a roofer to do it.

OSHA's tarping fact sheet says the strength of a damaged roof should be determined before anyone works on it (OSHA). The fact sheet is written for workers, and it adds that a tarped roof is very slippery, especially when wet. Stay off the roof yourself.

Ask the roofer what a temporary cover costs and whether accepting it commits you to that contractor for the permanent work. Ask your insurer what your policy says about the cost of temporary protection. Keep every invoice and receipt for your own records; the North Carolina page says to keep receipts too.

What should I keep for my own records?

Keep dated photos of the house and roof taken from the ground, dated notes of what you noticed after each storm, every invoice and receipt, and the names and dates of any contractor visits. Store them together with your policy. These are for your own records, so you can answer your own questions later.

A phone photo carries its own date, but write the date in your notes as well. Label each note or photo as after the first storm or after the second. When a contractor or your insurer asks a question, you will have your own dates to read from.

How does getting bids on one written scope work?

Otter Quotes creates a written scope of work for your project and sends it to multiple contractors. Contractors who receive the scope can submit bids on it. Every bid is on the same scope and the same measurements, so you compare like with like, next to reviews and licensing information.

If a second storm has happened since the scope was written, tell the contractors who hold it, as described above. Their written answers about what they saw and what their bid covers are what let you compare the bids fairly.

What can I ask my insurer and my contractor?

Copy these questions and use the ones that fit.

Questions for your insurer:

• What status does my file show today, and what does that word mean?
• What does my policy say about a second storm while an earlier file is open?
• How should I tell you about a new storm, and in what form?
• What does my policy say about protecting the property from further damage?
• What does my policy say about work that starts while a file is open?

Questions for each contractor:

• What did you see on the day you looked, and where on the roof and the house?
• What does your bid cover, and which materials and warranty does it name?
• Does your price still stand after the second storm, and until what date?
• What happens to the start date if I wait, and what is due before work starts?
• Can you put your answers in writing, with the date you looked?

Where Otter Quotes fits

Otter Quotes does not find or confirm a date of loss, and we do not work with your insurance company. Once you have a scope of work, we send it to multiple contractors. Every bid is on the same scope and the same measurements. You compare the bids online, next to reviews and licensing information, and sign online without a salesperson in your home. Subcontractors bid too, so you may be able to work directly with the crew that does the work. We are not a contractor, we do not sell upgrades, and we do not offer inspections. Contractors pay Otter Quotes a fee on the accepted bid.

Sources

• Texas Department of Insurance, instructions for the 2008 Hurricane Ike claims data call: a claim counts as open until all coverages tied to it have been closed; a claim closed and later re-opened counts as open if open on the reporting date; payments on open claims are reported separately.
• NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database: smaller events, including hail and thunderstorm wind, are collected by county; events take 3 months to appear; Storm Data takes approximately 75 to 90 days after the end of a data month to be added; information from sources may not have been checked by the National Weather Service; only weather with sufficient intensity to cause injuries, significant property damage or disruption to commerce, or that is otherwise unusual and rare, is included.
• North Carolina Department of Insurance, “How To Deal With The Aftermath of a Disaster”: do what you can to stop further damage, such as placing a tarp on the roof; keep receipts.
• U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “Roof Tarping (Blue Roof) Safety” fact sheet: the strength and structural integrity of a damaged roof should be determined before work on top of it; a tarped roof is very slippery, especially when wet.