Homeowner guide
Denials are a starting point more often than an ending. This is the process we use to reopen Missouri hail and wind claims — and how we decide whether yours is worth appealing.
A denial letter is not one thing. It either says there is no covered damage, or it says the damage is real but below your deductible, or it says the loss is excluded, or it says the cause is wear rather than a storm. Those are four different arguments and only one of them is really about your roof.
Send us the letter and we will tell you which one you got. That reading is free and it takes about ten minutes.
We do not promise to overturn a denial. We promise to put the roof in front of the carrier honestly and completely, which is usually what was missing. Jeremy, Nixa Roof Co
Yes. A denial is a decision made on the information in the file, and you are allowed to add information. Most of the denials we successfully reopen were not really about the roof — they were about an incomplete inspection, a wrong date of loss, or an adjuster who never got on the slope where the damage was. You request a reinspection in writing, you supply the missing documentation, and the carrier has to respond to it.
The reasons we see most: the adjuster called it wear and tear rather than storm damage; the claimed date of loss does not match a storm at your address; the damage found did not meet the carrier's threshold in test squares; the damage was under the deductible; or the claim was filed too long after the storm to be tied to it. Each of those has a different answer, which is why the denial letter itself matters.
Public weather data. NOAA keeps hail and wind reports by location and date, and we pull the history within about five miles of your address so a date of loss can be matched to a documented storm instead of a guess. Combine that with dated photos of dented soft metal and you have something a carrier has to engage with.
You have options that do not require a lawyer. Most Missouri policies contain an appraisal clause that lets you and the carrier each name an appraiser to settle the amount of loss. You can also file a complaint with the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI), which the carrier must answer. We will tell you honestly when a denial is correct — sometimes it is, and chasing it costs you more than it returns.
Free inspection, honest scope, and a written estimate you can hand to your insurance company. No pressure, no sales theater.
