I will probably get a quicker response here, than waiting on the phone. I just got my application for a loan from FEMA, What the rep on the phone didnt tell me was that if I dont have flood insurance I cant get the loan. I dont have flood insurance. (Our damage was from the roof caving in), so now what? If I get flood insurance do I have to pay a premium up front (we dont have the money to do that right now) Can we file knowing we dont have the insurance and get a grant?
I am more than happy to get a loan, but Im really lost now, cant you tell LOL!
TIA Barb in Jupiter
P.s. waiting to here from home insurance still.........
Ok, I sorta need a little help...........
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i've heard from some folks up here in the panhandle that some damage is not being compensated for because it was caused (get this) by "wind-driven water". So, excuse me for being confused, but what the heck do we even buy hurricane insurance for if it doesnt cover damage caused by "wind-driven water."?!?!?!?!
What a crock of ... well, what a crock!!!
What a crock of ... well, what a crock!!!
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Is your home located in a flood zone? If not FEMA should not make you get the insurance. The rep may not even work for FEMA -- remember during a disaster the state sends (or they used to) employees in to help. They are trained quickly to work with the applications and you may have gotten someone who has the wrong information. You might try their website.
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Thanx for everyones quick replys, I think I will run over to the community ctr as soon as dh gets home from work. We have wind insurance, not flood, we are in a flood zone. So my thinking is the wind caused the roof to lift up causing the damage to the insulation, therefore letting the rain into the house, Right?!
Barb
Barb
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My husband works for FEMA...so, when you called to tele-register did you give them a bank acct. #? If so, check you acct. for direct deposit. The SBA loan package is an automatic mailing to everyone who applies. I know that they wil grant some money but have you borrow what they consider "above the threshold" Hope this helps!! Keep us posted.
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I did give my bank #s, but nothiing as of yet (since last week). At the community ctr, they (sba) said they couldnt help me, and that I probably wouldnt get a grant either. I may fill out the paperwork and send it in for the heck of it. My dh is also concerned that the insurance might not give us enough to fix the roof since it is at least 15 yrs old-Any thoughts on this?
One more thing before I forget, had a general contractor come out to look at the roof, but wouldnt give an estimate (apparently doesnt charge for them), he wanted to see what our insurance gave us first before he gave us a quote-it doesnt sound right, He is liscenced and c ame highly recommeneded.
Barb
One more thing before I forget, had a general contractor come out to look at the roof, but wouldnt give an estimate (apparently doesnt charge for them), he wanted to see what our insurance gave us first before he gave us a quote-it doesnt sound right, He is liscenced and c ame highly recommeneded.
Barb
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mf_dolphin
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If the guy is a contractor who is licensed and came recommended, I'd ask him why he does not want to give you an estimate.
We have replaced three roofs on three different houses where there was no insurance claim involved. Granted we were not in Florida but we still had specific requirements for roofs (snow load, etc.). However, having said that it had to meet state and local code, we still had a bunch of different options on both roofs...
In one case we had to do a tear-off; in the other case it was optional, but recommended (and we chose to do it). We left original decking in one case, in the other case replaced some, but not all decking. In one case we replaced a roof without a roof vent with a roof with a roof vent. In the other situations, we chose different venting options--but we did not "have to" choose any of the venting options that we did. (In the third option, by the way, we added support, as well as decking, new roof material, flashing, etc.
He might well want to see "policy provisions" (not your check) because I can guess that a bunch of insurance policies have limitations about doing any sort of "upgrading" in conjunction with an insurance repair. However, if you are going to replace a roof, it's a good idea to do any upgrading (e.g., roof vent) when you replace the roof. In that case, however, the insurance company is going to want very different stuff in the "estimate." You may need several estimates and may need to do special paperwork with your insurance company to avoid any problems.
Roofers often do not have the best "communications skills" so this may be a question of just not wording it correctly. Or, the guy may be concerned that you don't know what you are getting into in terms of cost. Roofs are pretty expensive propositions and if your roof is 15 years old, your insurance company may well do some "pro rate" situation (like those tire warranties that subtract for mileage...)
It also depends upon what kind of roof you had. You may have had a 15 year old roof that was the "Lexus" of the roofing world and he may be able to put a perfectly good, safe, leakproof "Ford Focus" roof on your house for a lot less money. However, your insurance may/may not allow this--and he needs to know the provisions.
So I agree with mf_dolphin that I'd be "concerned," but if the guy came recommended and he is licensed, etc. then I'd go back and ask him to clarify his request.
There is one other reason, of course, that he might ask and that is if he is concerned about how he would get paid. Some people can afford to "pay up front" and collect from the insurance company later. Others can't pay until they get the insurance check. He needs to know this--as a contractor, he has to "front" the money for materials, labor costs for helpers, etc. and he can't afford to "carry" customers right now because his suppliers will put him on "credit hold" and he is vying with other roofers for scarce materials, I'd bet. That he wants to "see what the insurance give you" may be shorthand for asking you how you are going to pay him--and when. If you have cash in hand from insurance or some other source, you can make this clear.
If a mutual friend introduced you to this guy, he may be very reluctant to ask about your financial situation, so this is what he thinks of as a "discreet" way of asking the question he needs the answer to. As I said, roofers often don't have the best communications skills. (By the way, all three of the roofers we used (in different states) did wonderful jobs and we paid them promptly--and I actually think they were surprised to get paid immediately and in full because we probably did not look as if we could afford it (we had saved the money.)
We have replaced three roofs on three different houses where there was no insurance claim involved. Granted we were not in Florida but we still had specific requirements for roofs (snow load, etc.). However, having said that it had to meet state and local code, we still had a bunch of different options on both roofs...
In one case we had to do a tear-off; in the other case it was optional, but recommended (and we chose to do it). We left original decking in one case, in the other case replaced some, but not all decking. In one case we replaced a roof without a roof vent with a roof with a roof vent. In the other situations, we chose different venting options--but we did not "have to" choose any of the venting options that we did. (In the third option, by the way, we added support, as well as decking, new roof material, flashing, etc.
He might well want to see "policy provisions" (not your check) because I can guess that a bunch of insurance policies have limitations about doing any sort of "upgrading" in conjunction with an insurance repair. However, if you are going to replace a roof, it's a good idea to do any upgrading (e.g., roof vent) when you replace the roof. In that case, however, the insurance company is going to want very different stuff in the "estimate." You may need several estimates and may need to do special paperwork with your insurance company to avoid any problems.
Roofers often do not have the best "communications skills" so this may be a question of just not wording it correctly. Or, the guy may be concerned that you don't know what you are getting into in terms of cost. Roofs are pretty expensive propositions and if your roof is 15 years old, your insurance company may well do some "pro rate" situation (like those tire warranties that subtract for mileage...)
It also depends upon what kind of roof you had. You may have had a 15 year old roof that was the "Lexus" of the roofing world and he may be able to put a perfectly good, safe, leakproof "Ford Focus" roof on your house for a lot less money. However, your insurance may/may not allow this--and he needs to know the provisions.
So I agree with mf_dolphin that I'd be "concerned," but if the guy came recommended and he is licensed, etc. then I'd go back and ask him to clarify his request.
There is one other reason, of course, that he might ask and that is if he is concerned about how he would get paid. Some people can afford to "pay up front" and collect from the insurance company later. Others can't pay until they get the insurance check. He needs to know this--as a contractor, he has to "front" the money for materials, labor costs for helpers, etc. and he can't afford to "carry" customers right now because his suppliers will put him on "credit hold" and he is vying with other roofers for scarce materials, I'd bet. That he wants to "see what the insurance give you" may be shorthand for asking you how you are going to pay him--and when. If you have cash in hand from insurance or some other source, you can make this clear.
If a mutual friend introduced you to this guy, he may be very reluctant to ask about your financial situation, so this is what he thinks of as a "discreet" way of asking the question he needs the answer to. As I said, roofers often don't have the best communications skills. (By the way, all three of the roofers we used (in different states) did wonderful jobs and we paid them promptly--and I actually think they were surprised to get paid immediately and in full because we probably did not look as if we could afford it (we had saved the money.)
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CajunMama
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I dealt with FEMA back in 1993 when my house flooded. I am not in a flood zone and did not have flood insurance (which I have now for about $250/year). What I understood is that FEMA is there for those who don't have insurance. They helped me out and also gave me a SBA loan packet which I didn't need to use.
My neighbor had flood insurance and also got a SBA loan.
My neighbor had flood insurance and also got a SBA loan.
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I'm just playing devil's advocate here but I wonder if...
if they give you an estimate, are they any obligation to perform the service if you call them back later?
maybe they're so inundated with work, they dont know how they can fit another job in their schedule?
maybe there arent enough supplies available to meet the workload or the prices are so up-and-down that they dont know for sure what to charge?
I.E. if they quote you a price of $5000 to replace your roof and the price of shingles and plywood and all that continues to climb, he may not be able to cover his expenses?
i'm just wondering if some of these are reasons why. I know very little about the business.
From personal experience, we had our roof replaced a little over a year ago. Our house is pretty big and I think it was like $5000 (more or less). About that time, the govt was hogging the materials for "rebuilding" Iraq and Afghanistan, thus jacking the prices up and the supply went down. He honored his agreement but didnt make a lot of money on it.
if they give you an estimate, are they any obligation to perform the service if you call them back later?
maybe they're so inundated with work, they dont know how they can fit another job in their schedule?
maybe there arent enough supplies available to meet the workload or the prices are so up-and-down that they dont know for sure what to charge?
I.E. if they quote you a price of $5000 to replace your roof and the price of shingles and plywood and all that continues to climb, he may not be able to cover his expenses?
i'm just wondering if some of these are reasons why. I know very little about the business.
From personal experience, we had our roof replaced a little over a year ago. Our house is pretty big and I think it was like $5000 (more or less). About that time, the govt was hogging the materials for "rebuilding" Iraq and Afghanistan, thus jacking the prices up and the supply went down. He honored his agreement but didnt make a lot of money on it.
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One other roofing note is that unless your roof is less than a few years old, it is probably going to have to be rebuilt under newer tougher building codes than it was originally built under. So it will be an upgraded roof in some ways. (Most/many insurance policies have specific riders about covering cost gaps between rebuilding under old and new building codes)
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I dont think they are tied to a job if they give a free estimate, youre not signing anything, right.? I want the estimate to submit to the insurance so they have an idea of how much to give us to fix the roof. We have a very low gable roof, very simple lines, my next door neighbor had his roof (same as ours)replaced 2 yrs ago and it cost them 5k, (asphalt shingle), so Im thinking in that general price range.
Sorry to get off hurricanes, its kinda related:) Anyone else having insurance problems?
Barb
Sorry to get off hurricanes, its kinda related:) Anyone else having insurance problems?
Barb
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