If hail or high wind has put your roof on an insurance claim, there is a Missouri statute written specifically for that situation, and most homeowners have never heard of it.
It is RSMo 407.725, it applies to every roofing contractor working an insurance funded job in this state, and three lines from it are worth knowing before you sign anything.
1. Nobody can cover your deductible
A contractor may not advertise or promise to pay or rebate any portion of your insurance deductible as an inducement to the sale. The statute closes the obvious workarounds too: allowances, discounts against the fee, gifts, prizes, bonuses, coupons, credits, referral fees, or anything else of monetary value.
Your deductible is your share of the loss, and the statute treats it that way. Plan on paying it, and build it into your budget for the job from the beginning.
2. Nobody can negotiate the claim for you
A contractor may not represent or negotiate on your behalf on an insurance claim for roof or exterior work, and may not advertise that it will. The pitch “we handle the insurance company for you” describes something a Missouri roofing contractor is not permitted to do.
What a contractor can do, and should: inspect thoroughly, document the damage the way an adjuster needs to see it, meet the adjuster on the roof, and supply detail when the approved scope misses something. That is the line, and it is a useful one. It keeps the claim in your name and your control.
3. You have a cancellation right
If you signed a contract to be paid under a property and casualty policy, you may cancel it before midnight on the fifth business day after you receive written notice from your insurer that all or part of the claim is not covered. Notice of cancellation must be in writing, and if you mail it, it takes effect when you deposit it. Your contract should tell you where to send it.
A violation of this section is treated as an unfair practice under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.
What to confirm before you sign
- A permanent local address you can look up.
- A current certificate of insurance, with the named insured matching the company on your contract.
- Who pulls the permit, and confirmation that one is being pulled.
- A contract that leaves the deductible with you and the claim in your name, as the statute requires.
- Payment terms that do not require a large cash deposit before work begins, and time to read the contract before signing.
- A workmanship warranty, and a company you can reach in five years if you need to use it.
Anvil Roofing Co is locally owned, based in Ballwin, insured, and permitted, and our contracts carry the notices Missouri requires.