Your residential roofing is meant to keep you and your family safe against all kinds of weather. However, it can still be damaged over time either by extreme weather events or natural deterioration. If you have homeowners’ insurance, they won’t always provide coverage even if your roof suffers damage, as it will mainly depend on what caused it. While most policies cover extensive weather damage, damage caused by natural wear and tear isn’t. In other words, you’ll have to shoulder the roof repair costs yourself.

Roof Wear and Tear

No Coverage for Natural Roof Deterioration

Normally, insurance providers won’t provide coverage for damage caused by wear and tear. Since your roofing system makes up a big part of your home’s exteriors, it’s always exposed to different weather conditions. Natural wear and tear can cause other types of damage, which your insurance provider won’t pay for since it wasn’t caused by extreme weather conditions.

As a homeowner, you should know that while regular care and maintenance help in ensuring your residential roofing system’s performance against the elements, it only extends its effective lifespan. It will still gradually deteriorate depending on your local climate. This is why it’s the responsibility of the owner to minimize damage as much as possible through routine maintenance checks.

Understanding What Your Policy Covers

Although your insurance policy will only provide coverage for extensive repairs and replacement of your roof if it suddenly suffers damage from extreme weather or natural disasters, you won’t get the full coverage unless you pay your policy deductible. Some examples include wind-driven objects causing your shingles to loosen or a tree falling onto your roof during a storm and causing active water leaks. Your insurance policy also covers damage that must be addressed immediately to prevent more costly repairs. This includes:

  • Ice Damage

Snowstorms can be unpredictable during the winter months and will push even well-built roofs at their limits. Even if your roof looks intact despite getting through a recent winter storm, you need to have it inspected by a trusted residential and commercial roofing contractor early this spring, as there’s still a chance that your roof may have some of its inner components severely affected due to ice damage.

Ice damage happens when snow from your roof melts and seeps through the layers. The melted snow then refreezes after flowing down to the eaves, which can repeat until after the season changes. The water will still be trapped beneath your roofing layers, causing rust and rot to the structural components and leads to a compromised roofing system.

  • Damaged or Missing Roofing Materials

This type of damage won’t always be visible unless a contractor does a routine inspection of your roof. Some examples include damaged or missing shingles, flashing, and gutters, which are vital components that protect your home from weather damage. As such, they must be addressed as soon as possible to keep the rest of your roofing system intact.

If your area was recently hit by a severe storm, you can be sure that it has affected your roofing system in some way. Even if your shingles and flashing look intact, other less visible components may still be damaged, such as the underlayment and roof deck. Avoid band-aid solutions when addressing roof damage, as it can void the warranty and insurance while also making the damage worse. Your policy should cover the repair costs if it’s been determined after inspection that it was damaged by severe weather. As long as you’re covered by your policy, your roof can still be restored properly.

Understanding Your Roof’s Wear and Tear

It helps to have a keen eye and check in case you notice something unusual on your roof surface so you can save money on extensive repairs. You’ll also need to check your attic once in a while for any sign of damage, moisture buildup, rot, or mold growth. The following are some of the factors that expedite wear and tear on roofing systems, according to roof repair companies:

  • Wind-Driven Objects

This is often one of the biggest factors behind general roof wear and tear, as it can contribute to more significant roof damage. Most roofs can handle moderate to strong winds over time, but wind storms can sometimes be unpredictable, as they may carry small debris that can cause cracks and gaps on your shingles. If you already have cracks in your shingles, strong enough winds can lift the edges off and expose the underlying roofing structure.

  • “Bald” Spots

These are caused by roof granules falling off your roof. Roof granules are the pieces of grit on your shingles that provide a layer of protection to your roofing system. They fall off naturally as excess material from when it was manufactured, shipped, and installed on your home. If your roof was recently installed, excess granules can sometimes fall off over the next few months. This will also happen little by little over your roof’s effective lifespan due to its constant exposure to rain, wind, and other weather conditions, which lead to lightened spots across the areas where the granules used to be.

However, if you’re already seeing some of them in large sections of your roof a few years after it was installed recently, the material could be defective and will need immediate replacement. Be sure to call in your trusted roof repair and replacement contractor to check your roof to determine the cause.

  • Ultraviolet Rays

Direct sunlight has ultraviolet rays that can cause the colors of your shingles to fade over time. It isn’t covered by your insurance since the faded colors only affect your roof visually. Faded colors are more apparent on the south-facing side of a shingle roof due to how it’s more direct it receives sunlight, which means they deteriorate at a much faster rate. However, if you find faded shingles throughout the rest of your roof, it may be near the end of its lifespan and will require an immediate replacement.

If you’re looking to get a full roof replacement this spring, make sure to work with a trusted contractor who has a good reputation in the local community. Whether you need residential or commercial roofing services, DePalma Construction gets the job done with your best interests in mind! Call us at (717) 638-1131 or fill out our convenient contact form.