Roof Insurance Claims in Metairie, LA

No, and no Louisiana roofing contractor can. La. R.S. 37:2159.1 prohibits a person performing contracting services from interpreting policy provisions regarding coverage, from adjusting a claim as a public adjuster, and from advertising or soliciting either service. What we do is inspect the roof, photograph the damage and write a good faith itemised and detailed repair estimate. Coverage is decided by your insurer.

Four things. Inspect and photograph the damage with dates. Write a good faith estimate of the itemised and detailed costs, which R.S. 37:2159.1 requires before any repair agreement. Explain what the building code requires for the repair. Then meet your insurer's adjuster at the property and show them the physical damage and our own pricing. That is the technical half of the job and it is the half a roofer is qualified to do.

That is a question for your insurer, and Louisiana law does not allow us to answer it. A homeowners policy usually carries more than one deductible and the figures are printed on the declarations page at the front of your policy. Your insurer or a licensed public adjuster will tell you which applies to your loss. It is worth finding out early, because it affects what you decide to do.

La. R.S. 22:1892 requires an insurer to pay the amount of any claim due within thirty days of receiving satisfactory proofs of loss, and to start adjusting a property damage claim within fourteen days of notification, or thirty days in the case of a catastrophic loss. Where a failure to pay is found arbitrary, capricious or without probable cause, the statute provides a penalty with attorney fees and costs. Whether that applies to a particular claim is for an attorney to say.

Two different clocks get confused here and neither is ours to advise on. La. R.S. 22:868 says a policy covering property in this state cannot limit your right of action against the insurer to less than twenty-four months after the inception of the loss on a first party claim, so that is the floor a policy may impose. A separate rule governs property damage actions generally, and Louisiana moved that one from one year to two for losses on or after 1 July 2024. Which applies to your situation, and when the clock started running, is a question for an attorney. Neither is the same as your policy's deadline for notifying the insurer, which is usually far shorter.

Yes, if it is safe to do from the ground. Photograph wide shots first so the whole elevation is identifiable, then close ups, then any interior water entry, and leave the timestamps alone. If a tarp has to go on before we arrive, photograph the damage first where conditions allow and photograph the tarp afterwards, so the work done is on the record as well.

Waiting days with water running into the house is rarely the right answer. Document the damage first if it is safe, then get the roof covered, and keep the receipts for any emergency work. What your policy requires of you after a loss, and how emergency costs are treated, is set out in the policy itself, so check it or ask your insurer.

Often not on the first pass, and that is normal rather than sinister. The two documents are built for different purposes and usually differ on scope items and on unit pricing. Big Easy Roofing writes line by line specifically so any difference can be identified and discussed on its technical merits. R.S. 37:2159.1 also makes clear that a contractor does not breach the estimate rule where the actual cost ends up differing because of how the insurer adjusted the claim.

A public adjuster is licensed by the state to handle an insurance claim on a policyholder's behalf, which is exactly what a contractor may not do. Whether you need one depends on the size and the difficulty of the claim, and that is your call. Louisiana law also prohibits a public adjuster from carrying out the construction or roofing work on a claim they have processed, so anyone offering both roles at once is offering something the law does not allow.

The Louisiana Department of Insurance consumer services division takes complaints about claims handling on 1-800-259-5300, or through ldi.la.gov. Filing costs nothing and creates a record. Beyond that, a licensed public adjuster or an attorney is the route. Big Easy Roofing will supply the photographs and the itemised estimate to whoever ends up handling it.