| The job | When it is paid | Where help comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection | Never; it is free | — |
| Repairs, tarps, gutters | On completion, by card, check or transfer, at the written figure | Insurance only when a sudden covered event caused the damage |
| Replacement, shingle or metal | Deposit on material order as the sheet states; balance on the walk-around after completion | Insurance after hail or wind; third-party financing; Class 4 and metal discounts at renewal |
| Insurance replacement | Your deductible plus any upgrades you choose; the carrier pays the rest in two parts | Actual cash value first, recoverable depreciation after completion |
| Commercial | Progress payments by arrangement on larger jobs | Often a maintenance line in the building budget |
Repairs are paid when the leak stops
Most roof work is a repair, and a repair is paid when it is finished, at the figure written after the inspection. There is no deposit for a repair and no charge for the inspection that found it. A tarp put on in the night is paid as a tarp and credited when the permanent repair is done here.
Replacements and financing
A replacement costs $11,000 to $25,000 for most Austin houses in shingles and two to three times that in standing seam, which is the kind of number people would rather spread out. The contractors doing the work can offer third-party home-improvement financing with fixed monthly payments; the lender sets approval, rate and term, not the roofer, and the financing sheet comes with the quote so the monthly figure sits beside the cash figure. A deposit is taken when materials are ordered, as the sheet states, with the balance due after the walk-around.
How a Texas insurance claim pays
When hail or wind is a covered loss, most policies pay in two stages. First the actual cash value, the replacement cost less depreciation for the roof's age, less your deductible. Then, after the roof is finished and the invoice is submitted, the recoverable depreciation, which brings the payment up to the replacement cost. Your deductible, now commonly one or two percent of the dwelling value in Central Texas, is always yours to pay, and under Business and Commerce Code 27.02 no contractor may pay or waive it; your carrier may require proof you paid before releasing the depreciation. Anything you add beyond the carrier's scope, a Class 4 upgrade or metal in place of shingles, is yours too. If your policy carries ordinance-and-law coverage, code-required items such as Austin's Class A requirement in the WUI zones are generally covered up to its limit.
What the roofer does and does not do in the claim
The roofer documents the damage, gives you an itemized estimate, meets the adjuster at the house and answers technical questions. The roofer does not file, negotiate or settle your claim, because Insurance Code 4102.163 forbids a roofer from acting as a public adjuster. If you want representation in a dispute, Texas licenses public adjusters for a fee, and the Texas Department of Insurance takes complaints about carriers.
The discounts afterward
Many Texas carriers discount the wind-and-hail portion of the premium for a Class 4 impact-resistant roof, shingle or metal, on receipt of the manufacturer's certificate and the invoice, which the roofer supplies. Some pair that discount with a cosmetic-damage exclusion, especially on metal. Ask your agent for both numbers in writing before the roof is chosen, so the decision is made with the premium in view.
Letters and reports
When a buyer, seller, lender or insurer wants a written roof condition report, one is prepared on letterhead with photographs for $150 to $300, credited toward any work that follows. For a sale, the roofer can also price the repairs a buyer's inspector is likely to flag, so you fix or credit them rather than negotiate them at closing.