What can you do when the insurance company says your roof damage is just an old roof?
Short answer. An old roof can still have new storm damage, and age by itself does not cancel coverage for a covered hail or wind loss. Ask for the denial reason in writing with the policy language quoted, get an inspection that separates fresh storm marks from normal weathering, and request a reinspection if the evidence supports you.
Why adjusters blame age
Most policies exclude wear and tear, deterioration and maintenance problems. On an older roof, granule loss, curling and cracking are everywhere, so an adjuster may decide the marks he sees are aging rather than hail. Sometimes that is right. Often the roof has both, and the storm damage gets lost in the background.
What separates storm damage from wear
- Hail: random hits with a soft or fractured mat underneath, dark exposed asphalt, matching dents on gutters, vents and screens.
- Wear: uniform granule loss, blisters, thermal cracking along the tabs, curled edges, and damage that is worst on the sunniest slopes regardless of storm direction.
- Wind: creased tabs and missing shingles after a dated wind event, not brittle pieces that broke off over years.
Our guide to wear and tear versus hail damage goes deeper.
Steps that work
- Ask for the decision in writing, citing the exclusion they relied on.
- Check whether your policy has a roof payment schedule. If it does, age changes how much you are paid, not whether the damage is covered. See roof age and insurance.
- Gather dated photos, the storm date and collateral damage, then request a reinspection.
- If the dispute is over the amount of loss, the appraisal clause may apply. If you believe the claim was handled unfairly, the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner takes complaints.
Robust Roofing documents these disputes with close photos of each hit next to the matching collateral dents, which is the kind of evidence a second adjuster can actually change a decision on.