New house, yay! New roof, boo.
October 22, 2020 7:05 AM Subscribe
We bought a house! The roof is leaking. I have questions.
Hello! We just bought a house. We did have a pre-sale inspection (it seemed thorough at the time!). The roof was noted to be old (~15 years?) but in okay shape. But then it rained and we got some minor leaking in the attic.
We called out roofers. We are getting quotes. I think we will likely bite the bullet and get the whole roof redone (oof). My question is about the insurance side of things. Obviously if a tree had fallen on the roof, or if we were getting buckets of water pouring in, we would call the insurance company to get them to assess it and tell us what they would be willing to pay. However, this is a very small leak (some drips, really) and we are basically thinking we will move forward with the repair because we are bound to have bigger problems with the roof failing in like 5 years so why do a piecemeal thing now?
Is there any role for home insurance to play here? Will they laugh at us? Will our rates go up if we even have them come out to take a look? We are fortunate in that we can afford to pay for this whole repair/replacement out of pocket; it sucks but we have the funds.
Hello! We just bought a house. We did have a pre-sale inspection (it seemed thorough at the time!). The roof was noted to be old (~15 years?) but in okay shape. But then it rained and we got some minor leaking in the attic.
We called out roofers. We are getting quotes. I think we will likely bite the bullet and get the whole roof redone (oof). My question is about the insurance side of things. Obviously if a tree had fallen on the roof, or if we were getting buckets of water pouring in, we would call the insurance company to get them to assess it and tell us what they would be willing to pay. However, this is a very small leak (some drips, really) and we are basically thinking we will move forward with the repair because we are bound to have bigger problems with the roof failing in like 5 years so why do a piecemeal thing now?
Is there any role for home insurance to play here? Will they laugh at us? Will our rates go up if we even have them come out to take a look? We are fortunate in that we can afford to pay for this whole repair/replacement out of pocket; it sucks but we have the funds.
I am not an insurance adjuster, but I don't think your home insurance covers normal wear and tear and aging of your physical home. If your small roof leak caused some damage to items in your attic, check your policy, but if it's just a small leak... I don't think your home insurance will touch it. Mine won't.
In your shoes, I'd probably call up my insurance company and ask them, "I'm planning on replacing my roof with a nice new roof, because the current one is a little bit leaky. Will this lower my premiums? They'll likely say no, and have a nice day. It's possible that they might say yes. It's also possible that they'll say, "Leaky? Well, let me send someone out to see if anything is covered." I don't think that line of questions could hurt you in any way.
posted by juniperesque at 7:19 AM on October 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
In your shoes, I'd probably call up my insurance company and ask them, "I'm planning on replacing my roof with a nice new roof, because the current one is a little bit leaky. Will this lower my premiums? They'll likely say no, and have a nice day. It's possible that they might say yes. It's also possible that they'll say, "Leaky? Well, let me send someone out to see if anything is covered." I don't think that line of questions could hurt you in any way.
posted by juniperesque at 7:19 AM on October 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
When a tree fell on my house and punctured through the bedroom ceiling, the insurance company came out, and after a time said they'd only pay for half the roof and oh, by the way, fix your concrete sidewalk because if anyone gets hurt there, we won't cover that either.
I would not bother with the insurance company.
posted by poppunkcat at 7:21 AM on October 22, 2020
I would not bother with the insurance company.
posted by poppunkcat at 7:21 AM on October 22, 2020
Don't get the whole roof done.
Counterargument: Get the whole roof done. If the old roof is on its way out you have the means to do so, take the opportunity put this entire class of problems behind you for good.
posted by mhoye at 7:33 AM on October 22, 2020 [13 favorites]
Counterargument: Get the whole roof done. If the old roof is on its way out you have the means to do so, take the opportunity put this entire class of problems behind you for good.
posted by mhoye at 7:33 AM on October 22, 2020 [13 favorites]
Congratulations on the house and welcome to the joys of home ownership.
We were basically in a similar situation when we bought our house.
Fifteen years for an asphalt roof is around the time you would expect to start to see issues, even for shingles "rated" for longer than that. If the leak is not bad, it may be better to patch it and start to save for a new roof.
The insurance company isn't likely to do anything for you, as the roof is normal wear and tear, just like paint. If you purchased a home warranty, that might or might not help out. The age of the roof was a factor in the price you paid for the house.
If it's an asphalt roof and you are looking to stay there in the long term, be aware that there are other options, such as metal roofing. There are the cheap versions, such as standing seam, which is what most people think of when they hear "metal roofing." However, there are also high quality versions, such as Decra, which I am providing as a Google image search term rather than an endorsement. These are typically rated to last on the order of fifty years. Any metal roof is noisier in the rain or hail, but maintenance is virtually nil.
Be aware that most roofing companies are not certified to install every product, and even those that are may mess some stuff up. Our chimney wasn't flashed properly so every five years I go up and re-caulk their error. One of the downsides is that making true repairs is very complicated because it involves removing lots of panels. This is not a reflection on the manufacturer but rather the installer.
However, it is a great roof and it was a good investment. The roof is likely to outlive me. It's fun every few years when I mention it to a neighbor and they are astonished that it isn't a conventional roof. You can spot it if you know what to look for.
posted by jgreco at 7:45 AM on October 22, 2020
We were basically in a similar situation when we bought our house.
Fifteen years for an asphalt roof is around the time you would expect to start to see issues, even for shingles "rated" for longer than that. If the leak is not bad, it may be better to patch it and start to save for a new roof.
The insurance company isn't likely to do anything for you, as the roof is normal wear and tear, just like paint. If you purchased a home warranty, that might or might not help out. The age of the roof was a factor in the price you paid for the house.
If it's an asphalt roof and you are looking to stay there in the long term, be aware that there are other options, such as metal roofing. There are the cheap versions, such as standing seam, which is what most people think of when they hear "metal roofing." However, there are also high quality versions, such as Decra, which I am providing as a Google image search term rather than an endorsement. These are typically rated to last on the order of fifty years. Any metal roof is noisier in the rain or hail, but maintenance is virtually nil.
Be aware that most roofing companies are not certified to install every product, and even those that are may mess some stuff up. Our chimney wasn't flashed properly so every five years I go up and re-caulk their error. One of the downsides is that making true repairs is very complicated because it involves removing lots of panels. This is not a reflection on the manufacturer but rather the installer.
However, it is a great roof and it was a good investment. The roof is likely to outlive me. It's fun every few years when I mention it to a neighbor and they are astonished that it isn't a conventional roof. You can spot it if you know what to look for.
posted by jgreco at 7:45 AM on October 22, 2020
My first house had a fairly significant leak the night my then-husband and I moved in. It not only leaked into the crawlspace/attic but through the dining room ceiling onto our hardwood floor. Because it happened overnight and we slept through it, the water sitting on the floor caused the hardwood boards to raise a teeny tiny bit, which wouldn't have even been noticeable had we not just had them refinished so they were suuuuper smooth.
We scraped the savings barrel and got the whole roof replaced and never regretted it. We selected Energy Star rated shingles (more reflective of summer sun/heat) which were the same cost as regular ones and at the time there was a tax deduction for energy saving home improvements that we could claim.
Insurance didn't touch it; in fact, a few weeks after the roof replaced we got a letter from the insurance company insisting we replace the roof at our own expense or risk losing our insurance - it was in bad enough shape that the insurance inspector deemed it in need of full replacement. It was a relief to have already taken care of it and be able to just send proof that we had a new roof. I am not sure if all homeowner's insurance companies do post-purchase inspections like that but mine (USAA) definitely does.
We also talked to a lawyer about pursuing a case with the sellers for lack of disclosure, since this was clearly an existing leak that they had covered up on the ceiling with paint, but the lawyer advised against it as disclosure suits tend to turn into one party's word against another.
posted by misskaz at 7:54 AM on October 22, 2020
We scraped the savings barrel and got the whole roof replaced and never regretted it. We selected Energy Star rated shingles (more reflective of summer sun/heat) which were the same cost as regular ones and at the time there was a tax deduction for energy saving home improvements that we could claim.
Insurance didn't touch it; in fact, a few weeks after the roof replaced we got a letter from the insurance company insisting we replace the roof at our own expense or risk losing our insurance - it was in bad enough shape that the insurance inspector deemed it in need of full replacement. It was a relief to have already taken care of it and be able to just send proof that we had a new roof. I am not sure if all homeowner's insurance companies do post-purchase inspections like that but mine (USAA) definitely does.
We also talked to a lawyer about pursuing a case with the sellers for lack of disclosure, since this was clearly an existing leak that they had covered up on the ceiling with paint, but the lawyer advised against it as disclosure suits tend to turn into one party's word against another.
posted by misskaz at 7:54 AM on October 22, 2020
We just went through this same analysis on our house with a leaky roof of the same age. And we decided to just replace the whole thing and then be happy that we can cross that off our list for 10 years or so. Just like you said, it sucks but we have the funds.
I asked our roofers about insurance and they said what everyone up above did: if there's clear hail or storm damage you might be able to make a case but ordinary wear and tear is up to the homeowner.
posted by AgentRocket at 8:11 AM on October 22, 2020
I asked our roofers about insurance and they said what everyone up above did: if there's clear hail or storm damage you might be able to make a case but ordinary wear and tear is up to the homeowner.
posted by AgentRocket at 8:11 AM on October 22, 2020
Does it hail where you live? If it does, patch for now and wait for a solid hail storm to come through and then call them. You may find this slightly scammy, but consider that you will pay them approximately $1000 (mine is $1800) a year and get basically nothing in return, so if they pay for part of the repair, then consider it a prepayment for the many years when you pay and get nothing.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:38 AM on October 22, 2020
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:38 AM on October 22, 2020
Any metal roof is noisier in the rain or hail, but maintenance is virtually nil.... These are typically rated to last on the order of fifty years.
You should consider a metal roof, but where I live, a standing seam metal roof is 3X the cost of a asphalt shingle roof (or in concrete terms, my cost was $14k for a asphalt shingle roof vs $42k for a standing seam roof), which you will not make back in costs, since 50 years is 2 shingle roofs, not close to $42k, and neighbors who have them had sections repaired for aesthetic reasons when we did ours.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:42 AM on October 22, 2020
You should consider a metal roof, but where I live, a standing seam metal roof is 3X the cost of a asphalt shingle roof (or in concrete terms, my cost was $14k for a asphalt shingle roof vs $42k for a standing seam roof), which you will not make back in costs, since 50 years is 2 shingle roofs, not close to $42k, and neighbors who have them had sections repaired for aesthetic reasons when we did ours.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:42 AM on October 22, 2020
Your house inspector should have tested the roof, but I don't know if there's any relief there. A 15 year old leaky roof sounds like age, not accident, insurance is unlikely to cover it. But. You might be able to get a home warranty that might cover it? worth investigating.
Mostly, roofers hate to do a partial roof. You should have it diagnosed in case there's a simple obvious fix, but you're likely looking at a new roof. So think about any projects, like a dormer or solar panels, you might want, while you're at it.
posted by theora55 at 9:12 AM on October 22, 2020
Mostly, roofers hate to do a partial roof. You should have it diagnosed in case there's a simple obvious fix, but you're likely looking at a new roof. So think about any projects, like a dormer or solar panels, you might want, while you're at it.
posted by theora55 at 9:12 AM on October 22, 2020
I would not call the insurance. They log even those inquiry calls, and it could count against you. Home insurers are .... not really on your side.
posted by Dashy at 10:12 AM on October 22, 2020
posted by Dashy at 10:12 AM on October 22, 2020
I think there’s some confusion about your insurance - homeowners insurance is not going to cover normal wear and tear. Home insurance is typically purchased for a year or two after home purchase and is *for* random home problems that crop up / weren’t apparent before the home purchase. Unfortunately, home insurance companies are also often scammy and generally don’t have the best repair companies working with them. If you’re expecting the roof to fail soon anyhow and can afford to replace, I’d just do that rather than bring the home insurance into it and potentially have a larger leak that damages more of your house in a year or two.
posted by momus_window at 5:01 PM on October 22, 2020
posted by momus_window at 5:01 PM on October 22, 2020
Roofing contractors are similar to doctor's offices in that they work with insurance companies in the daily course of their work so you can pretty much rely on them to handle that part. In fact, a good roofing sales rep will have close relationships with local insurance adjustors to the point where they can influence whether your claim will go through or not. In other words, if you have an experienced sales rep representing a reputable roofing company, listen to their advice re. your insurance. I just filed 3 claims, one for my primary residence and two for my rental properties, and my sales rep knew which inspector to ask for and what evidence to provide to get my claims approved.
However, with a 15-year old roof, you may be disappointed in how much you get based on depreciation. If your roof is of a type that fully depreciates in 15 years, you may not get very much, if anything at all. But you never know - one of my claims was for an old roof and I did get quite a bit of money towards repairs.
posted by cyberian at 7:22 PM on October 22, 2020
However, with a 15-year old roof, you may be disappointed in how much you get based on depreciation. If your roof is of a type that fully depreciates in 15 years, you may not get very much, if anything at all. But you never know - one of my claims was for an old roof and I did get quite a bit of money towards repairs.
posted by cyberian at 7:22 PM on October 22, 2020
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posted by parmanparman at 7:18 AM on October 22, 2020