The Aftermath of a Roof Leak
Identifying a roof leak isn’t always as easy as it seems. Timing, however, can be the difference between major and minor damages resulting from a leaky roof. For pitched roofs, a leak may enter your home at one part of the roof, but present its effects only after trickling down to another part. When this happens, identifying the source of the leak is not always straightforward. Once you notice dripping or water stains on your ceiling, the leak could be coming from a source far from the original hole.
To identify the source of the leak, you should inspect your roof for possible points of entry the liquid may have initially come from. Examine each shingle on your damaged roof– look for irregularities, raised hardware, warped edges, misplaced gutters, and cracks. Since climbing onto your roof is a pretty dangerous endeavor, please consider hiring a professional to do this work for you. On a rainy day, examine the ceiling of your attic to identify moist wood, drips, or mold to help you pinpoint the entry point. If no source of entry can be identified, the leak may be a result of a plumbing issue, which will present different challenges and needs.
After you’ve discovered a leak in your roof, you may soon discover other issues that have resulted as a result of the said leak. Mold and fungus may have grown in a damp room that has been subject to a roof leak. Standard homeowners insurance policies won’t cover mold or fungus if they’ve grown in a room that is damp or moist as a result of negligence unless it’s been added as an endorsement. But if mold or fungus grows as a result of a covered roof leak, your policy should cover the damages, as long as you’ve filed your claim in a timely manner so that the problem does not worsen.
Whether or not you need to replace a portion of shingles or get an entirely new roof altogether, your insurance provider should cover damage caused to your roofing by windstorms, hail damage, or an accident resulting in roof damage. Since a leaking roof can lead to many more issues inside your home, this is the type of issue you’ll want to nip in the bud, otherwise more issues will mount, and the cost of repairs will only increase.