My insurance company said my roof lost a few tiles. Loss adjusters found $10,000 in storm damage. How could this happen?

By Quentin Fottrell

'My house shook violently from the wind'

"I have retained recordings, written estimates, insurance documents and the unsigned check." (Photo subject is a model.)

Dear Quentin,

I have maintained homeowners' insurance continuously since 1982 (with the current company, which I'll call Acme Insurance, since 2008) and had never filed a claim before this year. During a recent storm, my house shook violently from the wind. Afterward, I discovered numerous shingles on the front of my roof had been lifted or blown off.

I contacted my Acme agent, and the company's adjuster inspected the property. He concluded that only the front portion of the roof qualified for replacement, subject to my $2,000 deductible. His estimate left me with less than $600 in payment, and I did not sign or deposit the check because I did not want it to be interpreted as accepting the settlement.

I then obtained estimates from three roofing companies. Two recommended replacing the entire roof but said I would still owe nearly $5,000 beyond ACME's payment. A third contractor found hail damage across the entire roof and gutters and concluded both required replacement. When my roofer contacted the agent, the agent said there had been no hail in the area for more than a year.

However, we gathered weather reports, government data and news coverage documenting hail. After repeated requests, Acme sent a second adjuster. The second adjuster confirmed that the entire roof and gutters had sustained hail damage from the same storm the agent had inspected for. The revised estimate increased to $10,000 before application of my $2,000 deductible.

As a disabled senior, I find it concerning that the initial assessment differed so dramatically from the final one. Many policyholders in my position might have accepted the initial payment of less than $600 and paid thousands of dollars out of pocket for repairs that should have been covered. I have retained recordings, written estimates, insurance documents.

Do you think the insurance company tried to stitch me up?

Senior Homeowner

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You can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions at qfottrell@marketwatch.com. The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually.

If "Acme" does not accept your documentation, notify them in writing that you will contact your state's insurance regulator.

Dear Homeowner,

Never attribute to malice what you can attribute to carelessness or incompetence.

Without seeing the adjusters' reports, it's impossible to know what happened, and not being a roof man myself, I don't think I'd give you a better appraisal than the loss adjusters did. But the most obvious explanation might be the correct one: Acme's first adjuster misjudged the damage, possibly with a bias toward keeping costs down for the company. Make of that what you will.

Inspecting roofs, especially distinguishing between wind and hail damage, involves a certain degree of subjective judgment. The fact that a different adjuster inspected the same property and found substantially more covered damage suggests the initial inspection was incomplete at best, and reckless at worst. As you say, it was easy to check the weather reports.

You could add a lack of experience and time pressure to the list of reasons - or excuses - that Acme's first adjuster came up with such a conservative estimate of damage, but the difference between $600 and $10,000 is enough to suggest that something went seriously awry. Studies have shown that insurers do give low estimates, even amounts that don't pay for the damage.

How insurers calculate their estimates

The People's Insurance Claim Center, a licensed public adjuster based in South Florida, has some insight into what sometimes happens when people call insurance adjusters to their home. "Insurance adjusters calculate payment according to policy language, approved pricing systems, and internal claim guidelines," it says.

Contractors, however, are focused on restoring the damaged property to working condition, the company says. "These approaches create a gap. Insurers often rely on standardized estimating software built on regional averages, while contractors price work based on current labor availability, material shortages, permit requirements, and real construction conditions."

It adds: "Insurance companies also separate covered damage from maintenance issues or prior wear. Items viewed as aging or pre-existing conditions may be removed from the scope, reducing the amount included in the initial estimate. In many cases, the disagreement is not about whether damage exists. The dispute centers on how much work is required."

Present your evidence in writing

Bottom line: You did the right thing by seeking a second opinion and, just to cover your bases, a third opinion, too. You gathered supporting evidence in writing, including local weather reports from official, verifiable sources. Had you not fought back against the insurer's original estimate, you would have been left holding the bag for the lion's share of the costs.

If Acme had not accepted your documentation, you could have notified them in writing that you will contact your state's insurance regulator, focusing on the evidence rather than the Acme adjuster's motivations. The stark difference between the original estimate and those of the independent adjusters raises enough red flags to help ensure you are made whole.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners provides a guide to reporting an insurance company. Your state department of insurance will then determine if your insurance company's estimate was fair, based on your policy. If it finds that your insurer acted improperly, it can compel it to increase the estimate and comply with your state's laws.

This is a cautionary tale - and a lesson to not accept an insurance company's first estimate.

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By emailing your questions to The Moneyist or posting your dilemmas on The Moneyist Facebook group, you agree to have them published anonymously on MarketWatch.

More columns from Quentin Fottrell:

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'I was shoveling sidewalks at 8 years old': I'm a 73-year-old boomer dad with two kids. Here's what I teach them about finance

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-Quentin Fottrell

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07-14-26 0930ET