Homeowner guide
The insurance side of a roof confuses good people every day. Here is what the words mean, why the first check is small, and how the rest of the money actually reaches the job.
Everything about your payout comes down to which of these your declarations page says. Find the dwelling section and look for the words replacement cost or actual cash value. If you cannot find it, photograph the page and send it to us.
| RCV | Pays what a new roof costs today. Paid in two parts: actual cash value up front, held-back depreciation released after the work is finished and invoiced. You pay your deductible. |
|---|---|
| ACV | Pays today's cost minus depreciation for the age and condition of the old roof, and that is the end of it. The gap is yours. Older roofs on ACV policies can leave a large gap. |
Your deductible is your part of the job. Missouri law requires you to pay it, and a contractor who offers to waive it, eat it, or hide it in the paperwork is asking you to take part in insurance fraud — and putting your claim, and your coverage, at risk. We will never do it, and we would rather lose the job than pretend otherwise.
You should understand your own claim well enough to check my work. That is the goal of this page. Jeremy, Nixa Roof Co
Replacement cost value pays what it costs to put the roof back today. Actual cash value pays that amount minus depreciation for the age and condition of the old roof, and you cover the difference. Same damage, same roof, very different check — the deciding factor is one line in your policy, not the severity of the storm.
On an RCV policy the carrier normally pays in two parts. The first check is the actual cash value: the full replacement cost minus depreciation and minus your deductible. After the work is completed and invoiced, you claim the held-back depreciation and the carrier releases the rest. That second payment is yours by contract, but it is not automatic — somebody has to send in the completion paperwork.
A supplement is a request to add to an approved claim when the original scope missed something real — code-required items, drip edge, ice-and-water shield, an extra layer found at tear-off, a damaged elevation nobody looked at, or steep and multi-story access. It is a normal part of how claims work, not an argument. It does need photos and measurements attached, which is why documentation during tear-off matters.
No. In Missouri you choose your own contractor. A carrier can recommend a program contractor and can tell you what it will pay, but the choice of who does the work is yours, and it does not change your coverage.
Free inspection, honest scope, and a written estimate you can hand to your insurance company. No pressure, no sales theater.
