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It’s Hard To Deny That Your Roof Is The Most Important Part Of Your Home. After All, It’s The Part That Gives You The Most Shelter From The Elements. It Shields You From Rain, Snow, And Hail, All While Helping Keep The Interior At An Acceptable Temperature.
Most roof leaks begin in fairly predictable locations. They can occur in ventilation components, or in structural components that are damaged by weather events. Touch a spot to learn more about how leaks can form there.
Although these vents are angled to prevent water from getting in, the strong winds in a rainstorm can sometimes blow water into them.
Commonly, exhaust vents include a damping system that is supposed to keep water from channeling in. However, dampers can sometimes leak and often fail over time.
Roof overhangs are not very aerodynamic, and can take significant damage in a strong storm. They’re often the spark that causes a roof to detach. Most eaves leaks occur when flashing or gutters are damaged, allowing moisture to soak into the trusses beneath.
Gables go against the regular slope of a roof, creating angles that capture, rather than deflect wind and rain. This makes them more susceptible to having cracks or seams open that can allow water into the roof.
Like any ridge or valley on a roof, hips are more susceptible to leaks because they represent a change in the direction of roof tiles or shingles. That requires a seam to be formed between the angles. Hips are also more exposed because they must take winds from more directions than flat areas.
Like hips and valleys, tiles and shingles must be seamed at ridges. Weakness in the seam or exposure to winds from various directions can weaken the ridge and allow water into the seam.
In addition to requiring a seam in the tile or shingles like ridges and hips, valleys are also natural channels for both rain and wind, making them prime locations for roof leaks to occur.
For angled roofs, shingles are usually the least expensive option. Shingles are made of a variety of materials which vary in strength and durability. While shingles are relatively easy to install or replace, they are also easily damaged by extreme weather, and are therefore susceptible to leaks.
Tile is both more durable and more expensive than shingles. The heavy, concrete tiles are interlocked to each other, making them more weather-resistant, but they are still subject to breakage and are susceptible to leaks that form at seams, such as ridges and valleys, or at any points where water can make its way under the tiles.
Generally more common in commercial rather than residential buildings, flat roofs are built with a variety of different materials and techniques to make them waterproof. While flat roofs are not as vulnerable to high winds, they are not able to quickly shed water, which often makes them more susceptible to leaking. And because there are no focus points of vulnerability (see above), it is often difficult to determine where the point of the breach is located.
Metal roofs are durable and relatively expensive. The metal sheeting is generally better at absorbing impacts from hail or windborne debris than shingles or tile, but seams between the sheets are still vulnerable to ingress by water. And because water can channel the length of seams and get beneath the metal sheets, it can be difficult to trace the location of the leak on a metal roof.
The good news is that roofs are so essential that they are usually well-covered by homeowners or business insurance policies.
The bad news is that insurance companies don’t make money by paying out on claims, which means they are going to do their best to reject as much of your claim as possible.
That’s why you need roofleak.com when your roof starts leaking. We make insurers pay you the maximum that your claim deserves.
TIME PERIOD | BILLION-DOLLAR DISASTERS | EVENTS/YEAR | COST | PERCENT OF TOTAL COST | COST/YEAR | DEATHS | DEATHS/YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1980s (1980-1989) | 29 | 2.9 | $178.1B | 9.5% | $17.8B | 2,870 | 287 |
1990s (1990 - 1999) | 53 | 5.3 | $274.0B | 14.6% | $27.4B | 3,045 | 305 |
2000s (2000-2009) | 62 | 6.2 | $519.0B | 27.7% | $51.9B | 3,091 | 309 |
2010s (2010-2019) | 119 | 11.9 | $810.5B | 43.2% | $81.1B | 5,217 | 522 |
Last 5 Years (2016 - 2020) | 81 | 16.2 | $606.9B | 32.3% | $121.4B | 3,969 | 794 |
Last 3 Years (2018 -2020) | 50 | 16.7 | $234.3B | 12.5% | $78.1B | 553 | 184 |
Last Year (2020) | 22 | 22.0 | $95.0B | 5.1% | $95.0B | 262 | 262 |
All Years | 285 | 7.0 | $1,876.6B | 100.0% | $45.8B | 14,485 | 353 |
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2021). https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/, DOI: 10.25921/stkw-7w73
Rooftop fungus that can leave dark stains on roofing.
Roofing nails and staples driven into decks at angles not parallel to the deck.
A bituminous waterproofing agent used in various types of roofing materials.
The American Society for Testing and Materials. Organization that sets standards for a wide variety of materials, including roofing.
Bubbles or pimples in roofing materials. Usually moisture related. In shingles blisters are caused by either moisture under the material or moisture trapped inside the material
When shingles are subjected to high winds, and are forced off a roof deck.
When a wrinkle or ripple affects shingles or their underlayments.
When shingles are improperly installed over an existing roof or are over-exposed, they may form a curl or cup. May also be due to a manufacturing defect.
The substrate over which roofing is applied. Usually plywood, wood boards, or planks.
A raised roof extending out of a larger roof plane.
An installed lip that keeps shingles up off the deck at edges, and extends shingles out over eaves and gutters, and prevents.
When installing rolled products in roofing, the area where a roll ends on a roof, and is overlapped by the next section of rolled material.
The area on any roofing material that is left exposed to the elements.
Nails or staples used to secure roofing to the deck.
Fibers condensed into strong, resilient mats for use in roofing materials.
Metal pan extending up or down a roof slope around flashing pieces. Usually at chimneys and plumbing vents.
Materials used to waterproof a roof around any projections.
Traditional roof style; two peaked roof planes meeting at a ridge line of equal size.
Crushed rock that is coated with a ceramic coating and fired, used as top surface on shingles.
When shingles are nailed or fastened above the manufacturer’s specified nail location.
The down-slope ridges on hip roofs.
A roof with four roof planes coming together at a peak and four separate hip legs.
Continuous metal flashing consisting of several feet of metal. Used at horizontal walls, bent to resemble an “L”.
Shingles made from two separate pieces that are laminated together. Also called dimensional shingles and architectural shingles.
The area where roll roofing or rolled underlayments overlap one another during application (see also side laps and end laps).
A roof design with a nearly vertical roof plane that ties into a roof plane of less slope at its peak.
The general term for the base material of shingles and certain rolled products.
Rolled roofing membrane with polymer modified asphalt and either polyester or fiberglass reinforcement.
Mixture of sand, mortar, limestone and water used in bonding a chimney’s bricks together.
Painted line on laminated shingles, to aid in the proper placement of fasteners.
When a nail is not fully driven, it sits up off the roof deck.
The National Roofing Contractors Association. Respected national organization of roofing contractors.
Shingles made from organic (paper) mats.
Oriented Strand Board. A decking made from wood chips and lamination glues.
The term used for fasteners driven through roofing material with too much force, breaking the material.
The vertical edge of gable style roof planes.
Hard plastic ridge vent material.
Rooftop rectangular shaped roof vents. Also called box vents, mushroom vents, airhawks, soldier vents.
A roofing area defined by having four separate edges. One side of a gable, hip or mansard roof.
A material used for sealing something so as to make it airtight or watertight.
Roof design of a single roof plane. Area does not tie into any other roofs.
The area on rolled material where one roll overlaps the rolled material beneath it. Also called selvage edge on rolled roofing.
Intake ventilation installed under the eaves, or at the roof edge.
Generally all slopes higher than 4/12 are considered steep slopes.
The bottom portion of traditional shingle separated by the shingle cut-outs.
Removal of existing roofing materials down to the roof deck.
When a roof plane ties into another roof plane that has a different pitch or slope.
Term used to describe a fastener not fully driven flush to the shingles surface.
Asphalt-based rolled materials designed to be installed under main roofing material to serve as added protection.
Area where two adjoining sloped roof planes intersect on a roof creating a “V” shaped depression.
Term used to describe moisture laden air.
The written promise to the owner of roofing materials for material related problems.
Modified bitumen based roofing underlayments. Designed to seal to wood decks and waterproof critical leak areas.
A Public Adjuster (PA) is a state-licensed insurance professional who manages claims on behalf of the policy holder. PAs are claim specialists who are able to negotiate directly with insurance companies in advocating for their clients to ensure that the claim is settled in a fair and timely manner.
Not necessarily. Most policies don’t specifically cover a leaking roof. But they do commonly provide coverage for weather events like hurricanes or hail, and any damage that results. This is one of the primary reasons you need a Public Adjuster. Often roof leaks won’t appear until some time after damage occurs, which allows insurers to deny claims. A Public Adjuster like RoofLeak.com works to substantiate the cause of the damage and impel the insurer to accept and pay out the claim.
Under Florida law, an insurance company has 90 days from the date the claim is made to either pay or deny that claim unless “factors beyond their control” impede them from doing so. These “factors” are not clearly defined under the law, which gives insurers a loophole to avoid paying claims promptly. A Public Adjuster like RoofLeak.com is able to legally question the validity of insurer stall tactics and impel them to pay out claims promptly.
Policies vary between insurers, but generally you can expect your policy to cover everything that is not specifically excluded in the text of the policy. Commonly, this includes severe and sudden catastrophic events while excluding damage that occurs due to long-term neglect or poor maintenance.
Under Florida law, an insurance company has 90 days from the date the claim is made to either pay or deny that claim unless “factors beyond their control” impede them from doing so. These “factors” are not clearly defined under the law, which gives insurers a loophole to avoid paying claims promptly. A Public Adjuster like roofleak.com is able to legally question the validity of insurer stall tactics and impel them to pay out claims promptly.
If the insurance company denies your claim wrongfully, you can file a lawsuit against them. If you win, you are entitled to receive compensation from the insurer for any legal fees you may have incurred. However, before you retain an attorney, you should contact a Public Adjuster such as RoofLeak.com to determine whether you should instead retain them to re-file the claim on your behalf.
Under Florida law, you have 5 years from the date of your loss to file a suit against your insurer. It does not matter how long it takes for your insurance company to deny your claim, the statute of limitations begins on the date that damages occur.