The first thing that insurance companies do following a loss is to ascertain the “cause of the loss”.
Once the cause of loss is identified, the adjuster will determine if it is covered by the policy in question.
If covered, the amount of the claim will be established by the damage directly attributed to the covered cause.
That may sound convoluted, but it is the high-level sequence for an insurance company to determine the damage for any kind of loss.
On a practical level, once the above steps are complete, an insurance adjuster will work with the contractor of your choice to calculate a dollar amount that will repair/replace the damaged portion of your roof caused by the covered loss.
If you don’t choose to work with a contractor early in the process the adjuster will attempt to calculate the scope of the loss using the tools at their disposal.
It is nearly always advisable for an insured to employ the services of a roofing contractor and have them interface with the insurance adjuster directly. Most reputable insurance companies will attempt to come to terms with a reasonable contractor of your choice.
Clients of the Ryan Agency have a well trained team of people who are willing to help facilitate the claims process. Give us a call if you have any questions or concerns - (607) 324-7500