We have a lot of customers who ask us how to handle smaller repairs on their roofs. There are several reasons we would caution homeowners against quickly handling small repairs on their own or hiring the cheapest contractor to take care of it.
Filing a claim seems like something to avoid if possible, so quickly handling a smaller repair appears to be the quickest and best option; however, we want to give you a couple of things to think about before taking that step. Our encouragement is to never repair your roof on your own. There are several reasons for this.
First, the state of Ohio has a matching law that protects homeowners from insurance companies making small repairs and leaving their home unmatched and lowers the home value. If you make a repair on your own, and the roof is already unmatched, they will assume that it’s fine for them to also leave your roof unmatched, so we won’t be able to fight for you to get a full roof replacement.
Secondly, oftentimes when a repair is done, because of the brittleness of the shingles, there is damage done to the surrounded shingles as well. If you aren’t going through the proper channels to do your repair, or if the person doing the repair doesn’t know what they’re doing, then you are going to be left with a much worse situation. We can always advise you on the best way to handle getting your roof in the best shape. We can look at your roof and let you know what route to take. If a repair is necessary, we will be able to handle it in the proper way to not exclude your home from being properly covered in the future.
Finally, the roof is not just made of shingles. There are several components that all need to be functioning properly to help keep your property safe. If you just repair your shingles that were damaged or blown off, you still may have leaking or damage inside because another component may be damaged. Hiring a professional who understands all of the different components of your roof is essential because you want to make sure that you don’t miss something.
We are here to help! Let us know if you have any questions!