Storm Damage Documentation for Insurance in Hempstead, NY

What did the DFS advise about documenting damage?

To take photographs or video of the damage before cleaning up, and to make only the repairs needed to stop further damage until the insurer inspects. The advice is from the New York DFS guidance issued after Sandy.

The New York Department of Financial Services issued guidance after Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Its documentation advice was to take photographs or video of the damage before cleaning up, and to make only the repairs needed to stop further damage until the insurer inspects.

That advice is still the right starting point. A homeowner who follows it has the evidence the insurer will ask for, and a roofer who documents before repairing is working in the same order.

What should a photograph show?

The damage, its place on the roof or in the room, a scale object and the date. A wide shot and a close shot of each area give the adjuster both the context and the detail.

A wide photograph shows where the damage is on the roof, the house or the room. A close photograph shows the damage itself, such as a lifted shingle, a cracked flashing or a stain. A coin or a ruler in the frame shows the scale, and the date and the time should be recorded.

The photographs should be kept in their original form, with the date stamp, and not edited. The report refers to each photograph by number, so the adjuster can match them.

• A wide shot showing where the damage is
• A close shot of each area of damage
• A scale object in the frame
• The date and time kept with the original file

Why does the report separate storm damage from wear?

Because an insurer covers sudden storm damage under the policy, and generally does not cover wear that was already there. The report makes the difference visible.

A policy is written to cover sudden losses, and most homeowner policies generally exclude damage that develops over time from wear, lack of maintenance, or the ordinary ageing of the roof. An honest report records which damage looks recent, which looks older and what the roofer thinks caused each.

The report does not decide the claim. It gives the insurer and the homeowner the evidence to discuss the claim, and it says where the roofer is not sure. A report that claims more than the evidence supports will not help the homeowner in the end.

What about the timeline?

A short timeline from the storm to the first call, the inspection, the temporary cover and the permanent repair. The timeline is the thread that connects the photographs and the report.

The timeline lists the storm date, the time the damage was first seen, the call to the roofer, the inspection date, the temporary cover if one was fitted and the permanent repair date. Gaps in the timeline should be stated as gaps rather than filled with guesses.

A clear timeline is one of the most useful parts of a claim file. It shows that the homeowner acted promptly, and it shows what was done to stop further damage.

Who decides the claim, and what does the roofer do?

The insurer and its adjuster decide the claim under the policy. The roofer documents the damage, meets the adjuster if asked and does the repair.

Your insurer and your policy decide what is covered. The roofer cannot decide whether a claim is paid, and a roofer who promises that a claim will be paid should be questioned. The adjuster may visit the roof, and the roofer can meet them to show the damage.

The homeowner should keep copies of every document and every letter, and should ask the insurer for its decision in writing. The file is the homeowner's record, and it should be kept safely.

What should the homeowner keep in their own copy of the file?

The whole file, in date order, with a second copy kept somewhere other than the house. A file lost in a storm is a file the homeowner cannot use.

The homeowner should keep a complete copy of the file: the photographs, the report, the timeline, the receipts and the correspondence. The copy should be kept outside the house, since a storm that damages the roof may also damage the papers. A digital copy stored in a second place is a simple protection.

The homeowner should also keep a note of every call and visit, with the date, the person spoken to and what was agreed. That log is useful if the claim is questioned later.