IMPORTANCE OF ROOF MAINTENANCE

Why is my roof leaking? There are many different reasons why this could be happening. Some of these reasons may be claimable while other reasons are due to maintenance issues that will not be covered by your insurance company. Your roof is one of the most important parts of your structure since it protects your whole house. Your home is possibly the biggest investment you will ever make so maintain your roof to keep it protected. Do not allow your roof to worsen overtime by leaving these issues untreated. Contact Rainbow International to address your property damage.

The Chicago land area seen a deep freeze this winter that caused havoc to many roofs. Storm damage issues that were not addressed after lasts falls storm have only worsened after this winter. We are expected to see a few days of rain this week which will cause many of these damaged roofs to leak.

Damages to your roof need to be addressed to prevent water from entering the home. This will continue to happen if your roof is not properly repaired. These damages will only worsen over time if your worn down roof sees severe weather. Another reason to make repairs to your leaky roof is because it can also lead to mold growth if water continues to enter the home and is left untreated. Maintaining your roof is essential in protecting your home. Many warranties can contain a clause that voids the warranty if you do not properly maintain it. Annual roof maintenance should include a roof inspection to check your shingles, flashing, chimney, skylight, roof ventilation and bathroom fan. If you have a leak then you should also be inspecting for mold growth. Having a roof inspection to identify maintenance issues can help you prevent costly repairs in the future.

Roof Damages That Are Often Covered By Insurance:

• Wind damage
• Hail damage - Hail causes an estimated $1 billion in damage every year.
• Ice dams

Please note: The insurance company will ONLY cover and pay out for the areas that were damaged. This does not mean you will receive an entire new roof if only a few shingles were damaged. This is often a misconception when people file an insurance claim. Speak with your agent before filing a claim to avoid unpaid claims on your C.L.U.E. Report. 

Roof Damages That Are NOT Covered By Insurance:

• Maintenance & neglect related issues
• Fraudulent hail damage (self-inflicted or inflicted by storm chasers)

Things To Look For:

• Curling shingles -  If the shingles are starting to curl or bubble then they are susceptible to tearing off during high winds.
• Deteriorating shingles - If notice a large amount of shingle granules in your gutters or near your down spout then this is often a sign that your shingles are nearing the end of their life span. These granules sit on the surface of a shingle see a lot of wear through years of severe weather.
• Missing shingles - Heavy storms or severe winds can pull shingles away from the roof.
• Flashing - Make sure your flashing is not rusted, damaged or missing.
• Stained shingles - If shingles are severely stained, streaked or excessively worn then they may need to be replaced.
• Attic - Check for water leakage that may be seeping in through your roof. This can cause staining as well as wood that may be rotting.
• Stained ceilings - Stains on the ceiling are often a good indicator that there is a moisture issue in that area. Moisture issues that are not addressed can lead to mold growth which can cause health concerns.
• Gutters - Gutters should be clear and free of debris. Things can build up over time that cause blockage in the gutter. If an entire gutter is blocked up then water cannot properly be directed away from the roof.  This can cause water to settle in areas that can cause damage.

BE WARY OF DOOR TO DOOR STORM CHASERS THAT ASK TO INSPECT YOUR ROOF. THESE PEOPLE WILL OFTEN INFLICT DAMAGES TO YOUR ROOF THEMSELVES BUT WILL INFORM YOU THAT YOU HAVE HAIL DAMAGE. THEY WILL OFFER TO WAIVE YOUR DEDUCTIBLE IF YOU ALLOW THEM TO FIX YOUR ROOF. FRAUDULENT CLAIMS ARE DETECTED EVERY DAY. YOUR CLAIM WILL BE DENIED AND YOU WILL BE REPORTED. This article is from 2010 but storm chasers continue to prey on people:

 http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/pressroom/2010_11/20101123.html

Rainbow International has been receiving numerous calls for inspections regarding leaking roofs and interior water damage. Insurance agents are often contact us to inspect their clients roofs. When storm chasers convince people to file an insurance claim we are often asked verify if there is legit hail damage or not. If you have a leaky roof or interior water damage contact Rainbow International to have your property inspected.

FLOOD DAMAGE vs. WATER DAMAGE

Understanding which losses are covered and which are not will help you take the necessary precautions to avoid uninsured water losses. 

"Will my insurance company cover my water loss" is what we are often asked?  The type of insurance policy you have and how the water entered your home will determine if your water loss is covered. The two types of insurance policies that deal with property damage resulting from water are a homeowner’s policy and a flood insurance policy. Often one policy may cover what the other policy does not cover.

HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE 

A homeowner’s insurance policy does not cover flood damage.  Insurance companies consider water damage has occurred when water has damaged your property before the water has made contact with the ground. Not all water damage is covered either. Depending on whether the water damage was caused by a covered peril, such as a storm, or if the water damage was a result of maintenance on the homeowner’s part can depend on whether the insurance company will choose to cover the loss. Where the water originated ultimately determines whether a loss may be covered or not.

Most homeowners insurance policies are classified as HO-2, which covers 16 types of damage, or HO-3, which covers any damage not specifically excluded, such as floods. Both types of policies cover accidental water or steam discharges or overflow from your plumbing, air-conditioning, and heating or automatic fire-sprinkler systems or from appliances.

The typical homeowner’s policy (HO-3, Special Form) covers all risks of direct physical loss to your property including water damage. There are exclusions and limitations to this policy though. Typically, your homeowner’s policy will pay for sudden and accidental water damage from an inside water source. This policy does not pay for losses caused by water that makes its way into your home from outside. In a HO-3 policy, Section I - Property Exclusions, it excludes “water damage” caused by:
(1)  Flood, surface water, waves, tidal water, tsunami, seiche, overflow of a body of water, storm surge or spray from any of these, whether or not driven by wind, including hurricane or similar storm.
(2)  Release of water held by a dam, levee, dike or by a water or flood control device or structure.

Although flood damage isn't directly covered by your homeowners insurance the damage left behind may be. An example of this would be if your home flooded and looters stole your property after your family evacuated, then the theft is covered even though it was indirectly caused by the flood.

FLOOD INSURANCE 

A standard flood insurance policy written by the National Flood Insurance Program provides coverage up to the policy limit for damage caused by flood. The dictionary defines a "flood" as a rising and overflowing of a body of water onto normally dry land. For insurance purposes, the word "rising" in this definition is the key to distinguishing flood damage from water damage. Generally, damage caused by water that has been on the ground at some point before damaging your home is considered to be flood damage.

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
If your property is located in a floodplain and your community participates in the NFIP, you can purchase flood insurance coverage. Your lender may even require flood insurance as a condition of your loan. The NFIP is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which works closely with nearly 90 private insurance companies to offer flood insurance to property owners and renters through authorized property and casualty insurance agents. No other insurance will cover flood damage.

Examples of flood damage include: 

• The river banks overflow and wash into your home.
•  Soil around the property has washed away and cannot absorb the water quickly enough to prevent water from entering the basement.

Primary reasons it is necessary to exclude “flood” from a homeowners policy are:

• Flood losses are often devastating natural disasters that cause more property losses than any individual insurance company can financially withstand.
• Most surface water losses can be prevented with proper landscaping of a property that drains water away from structures. If these losses were covered, property owners would not go to the expense of preventative landscaping for the extreme weather events that occur in long cycles – like every ten, twenty or thirty years. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON WATER DAMAGE

SUMP PUMP OVERFLOW

Nearly all policies exclude or restrict water damage caused by the backup of sewers or drains. Typically it is stated in Section I – Property Exclusions, that water damage is excluded if caused by water or water-borne material which backs up through sewers or drains or which overflows or is discharged from a sump, sump pump or related equipment. This refers to overflows of water from sewers and backups from drains. See the article: Understand Sump Pump Overflow for more information.

CRACK IN FOUNDATION

According to homeowners (HO-3) policy, under Section I – Property Exclusions, exclude “water damage” caused by water below the surface of the ground, including that which exerts pressure on, or seeps or leaks through a building, wall, bulkhead, sidewalk, driveway, foundation, swimming pool, hot tub or spa, including their filtration and circulation systems, or other structures. In order to keep homeowners policy premiums low and affordable for everyone, coverage is not afforded to losses that can be prevented by sound building practices or as a result of normal wear and tear rather than sudden and accidental events. 

Reasons it is necessary to exclude “water below the surface” from a homeowners policy are:  

• Current construction methods require the foundation to allow water to drain away from the home. Not all older homes have followed these methods. Due to the shifting of the soil and past rushes of water, water can then find a path to follow and collect underground and alongside of the home. If water intrusion, cracks in foundations, were covered by insurance then a home owner would have no incentive to correct the issue.  This would bring an abundance of repeat claims after severe weather.
• Every homes foundation settles over time. This leaves cracks and eventually the foundations starts to slowly deteriorate. Sometimes property owners have to excavate around the foundation to place drain tiles and patch or re-seal the foundation and the basements concrete walls. If these issues were covered was covered then a home owner would have no incentive to correct the issue.

Please note that the damage to your home as a result of a water loss is covered but the repair to the actual component that failed is not covered by your insurance. 

Example: Your homeowner’s policy will pay for the necessary costs to gain access to make the repair and to repair the damage caused by the water.  The actual broken pipe that failed due to wear and tear, decay, defective materials or methods of construction will not be paid for by the insurance company. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to replace these components. 

When water damage occurs, it is important that you locate a water restoration company that is well-trained and has the equipment to completely dry your home as quickly as possible. Water damage is progressive and items that could be restored within the first 48 hours of the water damage may not be restored if emergency response is delayed. Rainbow International is a IICRC certified water damage company can address any type of water damage. See photos of our work at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.211518835702126.1073741830.211496272371049&type=3

UNDERSTAND SEWER AND DRAIN BACKUP

Water backups do not only cause damage that is difficult and expensive to repair, but it also creates health hazards in your home. 

Most homeowner's insurance policies do not cover sewer backup unless specific sewer or drain water backup coverage is added to the policy. Typically it is stated in Section I – Property Exclusions, water damage is excluded if caused by water or water-borne material which backs up through sewers or drains or which overflows or is discharged from a sump, sump pump or related equipment. 

The insurance company does not insure the city against the consequences of its poorly maintained sewer lines. Clogged drains are considered a maintenance problem, not a "sudden and accidental" event. Many people may not realize that they are responsible for the maintenance and repair of their house or sewer pipeline between the city sanitary sewers main. According to many city ordinances, these lines are the homeowner’s responsibility and homeowners are responsible for making repairs to these lines. Some cities offer a sewer backup protection program that may provide financial assistance to homeowners who install systems to protect their homes from sewer backup during a heavy rain event. See if your city offers any type of program to help in the event of a sewer back up.

When sewers and drains back up into homes the damaged area must be addressed by professionals. Rainbow International addresses water damage due to sewer and drain back up by thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting the damaged area to reduce the risk of disease. If you thought all water damage problems are cleaned up the same, Rainbow International has a professional perspective to share. As IICRC certified water damage restoration professionals, our job is to identify the water source, properly categorize the water damage situation based on the water source and time frame, and from there we have a plan for clean-up, following the ANSI/IICRC S500 guide to water damage restoration. Water damage is categorized level 1, 2, or 3. See the article: Water Damage - Categories of Water Loss.  Sewer back up is considered a category 3 water loss since it is highly contaminated and could cause serious illness. Water contaminated with sewage may contain a number of bacteria and viruses that can affect your health. The major health concern is related to organisms that affect the gastrointestinal tract. Our company uses special enzyme solutions that kill bacteria in sewage. This turns contaminated water into clean water.

The cost of restoring your property after sewer backup and drain backup can be thousands of dollars. You can avoid this out of pocket expense by adding sewer backup coverage to your insurance policy. A small premium every year is a small price to pay for significant peace of mind and protection. Rainbow International handles many sewer back and drain backup losses and we often find that many of the clients we service have to pay out pocket since they did not have this additional coverage in their policy. 

Reasons for sewer and drain backup

• Combined pipelines
• Aging sewer systems
• Blockages from tree roots
• Blockage in the sanitary main
• Abundance of rainwater from heavy rain storms