In Texas, a law has taken effect making it illegal for roofing contractors to waive deductibles for roofing repairs.
These insurance deductibles are often written into insurance contracts. And since the insurance company often pays the roofing contractor based on a property insurance claim, avoiding the deductible would be a huge selling point for a wary homeowner.
The roofer is not allowed to pay that deductible himself (or herself), and it not allowed to waive that amount or offer it as a debate. The homeowner must pay the insurance deductible in order to get the work done.
Understanding The Roofing Insurance Deductible Controversy
The controversy surrounding these deductibles first arose when hail storms damaged many homes across Texas. In the wake of the recovery from those storms, many roofing companies were competing to sweeten the deal for Texas homeowners.
With this new law, however, that practice is outlawed. This will help insurance companies, in part, as they will continue to collect the deductible from the homeowner, and “unnecessary” repairs are less likely to take place. Insurance companies can now ask the property owner for proof that the owner has paid the required deductible.
According to a trade organization based there, the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas, homeowners should be on the lookout for roofing contractors trying to win business by offering this discount.
Will such controversies come to Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana? It is impossible to predict, but it is safest to avoid these matters altogether, and accept that homeowners must cover their own insurance deductibles whenever they apply to roof repairs and roof replacement.