A Roof Over Your Head

Hail above pea size and winds stronger than 50mph can damage even the most well-maintained roofs and structures, and at least one such weather event often occurs annually. After storms, city inspectors typically descend on affected areas and order residents to leave any properties they deem to be unsafe, and the standards they use vary widely among jurisdictions and even among individual inspectors. In Broken Arrow, inspectors typically declare property uninhabitable if there is any short or long-term health threat, and almost any hole in the roof meets that standard.

Both residents and property owners want the situation corrected as quickly as possible. At a minimum, such corrective actions include:

•      Securing the Property: To the greatest extent possible, owners must prevent further damage from either natural or man-made sources, which means holes must be patched and trespassers must be kept off premises.
•      Damage Assessment: Sometimes a house needs a few permanent patches and sometimes it needs a new roof. However, the insurance company almost always wants the owner to patch the roof, regardless of the damage. So, the property owner needs to provide the adjuster with an evidence-based assessment of what needs to be done.
•      Remediation: The adjuster and owner both need the repair job to be completed on time and within budget.

Owners should avoid the temptation to perform do-it-yourself inspections in these conditions. For one thing, it is dangerous to climb on a damaged roof; for another, much of the damage may be hidden, especially if there are water leaks.