In Massachusetts a standard homeowners policy generally responds to sudden storm damage such as wind lifting shingles or a tree landing on the roof, but not to wear and tear or age. How much a claim pays depends on your roof's age and whether the policy settles at actual cash value or replacement cost. Your insurer decides coverage, and the Division of Insurance is the state regulator.
Key takeaways
- Insurers draw a line between a storm event and a roof that is simply old. Photographs and dates help show which one you have, but the insurer makes the call under your policy.
- Actual cash value subtracts depreciation for age, and replacement cost generally does not. On an older roof the gap between the two can be large.
- Wind can carry a deductible of its own, sometimes a percentage of the dwelling limit, so look at the declarations page before you decide whether to file.
- Document from the ground. You do not need to climb a wet roof to show an adjuster what happened, and the climb is where people get hurt.
- A roofer is not an adjuster. Do not sign over your claim or pay a contractor out of a deductible arrangement you have not checked with your insurer.
- The Massachusetts Division of Insurance answers consumer questions about claims and handles complaints about insurers.
Is it storm damage or wear and tear?
Storm damage is a sudden event: wind that lifts or tears shingles, a limb that punctures the roof, or the weight of ice or snow. Wear and tear is slow aging, such as granule loss, curling and brittle shingles. Standard homeowners policies generally respond to the first and not the second, and the adjuster decides which one your roof shows.
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance says that damage from wind, wind-driven rain, trees or other falling objects, and the collapse of a structure under the weight of ice or snow is covered under most standard homeowners policies. That is a general statement about standard forms, and your own policy has its own words, exclusions and conditions. Age-related deterioration is the common reason a roof claim is partly or fully declined.
Newton is a good example of why the distinction matters. The city's median home was built in 1942, and nearly half of its homes date from before 1940, according to a neighborhood data publisher's summary. Houses that old have often been re-roofed more than once, and some still carry slate. A slate roof can be sound for decades, but a storm can crack tiles on it, and a worn asphalt layer can look similar after a gust. A claim turns on the evidence of what changed and when.
Recent storms give a sense of what the region sees. A July 2014 tornado in Revere put winds near 120 mph over more than 100 homes, and the January 2018 bomb cyclone brought 17 inches of snow to Boston and a record storm tide. We have no sourced hail history for the Boston area and will not call hail a local pattern, so read your policy for how it treats hail and other causes. None of this predicts what a storm did to your roof; it is background.
| What you see | Often read as | What helps the record |
|---|---|---|
| Shingles creased or torn off in a line after a windstorm | Storm damage | Dated ground photos and debris in the yard |
| A limb or tree on the roof | Storm damage | Photos before removal, with the roof edge in view |
| Water stains that appeared after one heavy storm | Possible storm damage | Attic photos and a note of the date |
| Granules in the gutters, curling or cupped shingles | Wear and tear | Not a storm record, but note the roof's age |
| Staining that has been spreading for years | Gradual leakage | Past repair receipts, if any |
| Collapsed or bowed section under snow or ice load | Often a covered cause on standard forms | Photos of the snow load and the damage |
How do roof age and actual cash value change a payout?
An actual cash value policy pays the cost to replace the roof minus depreciation for its age, so an older roof can pay far less than a new one would cost. A replacement cost policy pays closer to the cost of a new roof, though roofs can carry limits. Check your declarations page for which one you have.
The Division of Insurance guidance says to look at the declarations page of your homeowners policy to see whether it provides replacement cost coverage; if it does not specify replacement cost, the policy likely covers only actual cash value. Its guidance also notes that even replacement cost policies may place other limits on certain surfaces, roofs among them, and that a policy settling at actual cash value can pay a small share of the cost of replacing an older roof.
Here is the arithmetic with invented round numbers, only to show the mechanism. Say a replacement costs $12,000, the roof is old enough that the insurer depreciates it by 60 percent, and the deductible is $1,000. On an actual cash value basis the payment is $12,000 less $7,200 less $1,000, or $3,800. On a replacement cost basis the same loss would pay closer to $11,000. These are not quotes and not a prediction, and insurers calculate depreciation their own ways.
Published guides give asphalt shingle roofs about 20 to 30 years and slate 75 to 100 or more, so age affects different roofs very differently. Our guide to roof lifespan in Massachusetts explains what shortens or stretches those numbers. The practical point here: know your roof's installation year, and ask your agent which settlement basis your policy uses before a storm.
Do wind losses carry their own deductible?
They can. Division of Insurance guides describe wind deductibles as separate from the standard deductible, and percentage wind deductibles are generally applied to the dwelling limit. Whether your policy has one is on the declarations page. Knowing it before you file tells you whether a claim is worth making.
The Division gives an illustration of how a percentage deductible works: five percent of a $200,000 dwelling limit is $10,000 you pay before the insurer pays anything. A mandatory wind deductible is more common in coastal counties than inland, according to the Division's annual home insurance report, so your situation in Middlesex County may differ from a house on the Cape. Look anyway, and do not assume.
A smaller roof repair can come in near or under the deductible. The Division's claim guidance says that if you believe the damage costs more than your deductible to repair, or there is a lot of damage, you may want to file. Ask your agent whether a claim would affect your renewal. That is a question for the agent and the insurer, and nobody else can answer it for you.
How do you document roof damage safely from the ground?
Photograph the whole house, then each slope, then close-ups, all from the ground, and add the attic and any stained ceilings from inside. Use your phone's zoom or binoculars instead of a ladder. Keep original files and a short dated note. Division guidance says to note and photograph all damage and losses.
A wet or icy roof is the wrong place for a homeowner. Most of what an adjuster needs is visible from the yard: missing or lifted shingles, exposed underlayment, bent flashing, a dented ridge, gutters pulled from the fascia. A phone zoom works, and so does a pair of binoculars. Take wide shots from the street so it is clear whose roof it is, then work in.
Inside, use a flashlight in the attic and look at the underside of the roof deck, the insulation and the nails that poke through. Photograph every stained or bubbling ceiling from the doorway first, then up close. Keep out of any room with a sagging ceiling, and do not poke it open. If a limb is on the roof, photograph it where it lies and leave removal to a crew with the equipment.
Write down the date and time the weather arrived and when you first noticed damage. Keep any receipts for temporary measures such as a tarp. Division guidance says essential temporary repairs to prevent further damage are expected but cautions that an insurer may not pay for repairs it did not authorize, so ask what it wants before spending much.
- Wide shots of the house and roofline from the street.
- Each slope from the ground, zoomed in.
- Fallen limbs and debris before removal.
- Attic underside of the deck, insulation and any daylight.
- Each stained ceiling, wide then close.
- Receipts and a dated note of what you did.
Can a contractor cover your deductible, and who should you hire?
A contractor who offers to cover, waive or rebate your deductible is proposing an arrangement that some states make unlawful, and we could not confirm the Massachusetts rule. Ask your insurer and the Division of Insurance before agreeing. Check that any contractor is registered, use a written contract, and read anything before signing.
Door-knockers appear after storms. A common pitch is that the contractor will absorb the deductible or find a way to pay it. Some states make that unlawful, but we have not found a Massachusetts source we can quote, so we will not say what state law is. The safe course is simple: do not enter such an arrangement, and ask the Division of Insurance if anyone proposes one. Your policy makes you responsible for the deductible, and an estimate padded to cover a promised discount is a problem you would own.
You can ask to be there. If you have had a roofer look at the roof, ask the roofer whether they can meet the adjuster to point out what they found. A roofer's written report and photographs are useful as a description of the roof's condition. They are not a coverage decision, and a roofer cannot tell you what your insurer will pay.
Ask for a copy of any estimate the insurer prepares. If its scope looks different from your roofer's quote, a detailed written explanation from your roofer, with photos, often resolves more than an argument over the phone. Get quotes in writing, as our contract and deposit guide explains.
Why shouldn't a contractor be paid out of your deductible arrangement, and who should you hire?
A contractor who offers to cover, waive or rebate your deductible is making an arrangement that may break the law or your policy terms, and we could not confirm the Massachusetts rule. Ask the Division of Insurance before agreeing. Check that any contractor is registered and uses a written contract, and read anything before signing it.
Door-knockers appear after storms. A common pitch is that the contractor will absorb the deductible or find a way to pay it. Many states make that unlawful, but we have not found a Massachusetts source we can quote, so we will not say what the state law is. The safe course is simple: do not enter such an arrangement, and ask the Division of Insurance if anyone proposes one. An inflated estimate to cover a promised discount can put a homeowner in a claim problem, not out of one.
Check the basics. Massachusetts issues no roofing licence, but contractors doing residential work register as Home Improvement Contractors with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. Our registration guide explains what to ask to see. Third-party summaries describe a written contract for home improvement work over $1,000, a deposit capped at one third and a three-day cancellation right, so confirm those points with the state before you sign.
Be careful with anything that asks you to sign over your claim or insurance payments to a contractor, or to give a contractor the right to deal with the insurer in your place. Read every page, and ask your insurer what it requires. If you hire a public adjuster, the Division says to make sure they have a license from the Division. Newton Roofing is a call line that connects you with an independent local roofer; it does not file claims or promise a payout.
Where do you go if there is a dispute?
Ask the insurer for its reasoning in writing, compare it with your policy, and send any additional documentation. If the disagreement continues, the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, part of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, handles consumer questions and complaints about insurers.
Start with the denial or payment letter and your policy. Ask which clause applies, and whether the insurer considered wear and tear, an exclusion or a deductible. If you have new evidence, such as a roofer's report or photos from the storm date, send it with a short written request to reconsider.
The Division also publishes consumer advisories. A recent one warns about mailers that claim a home was flagged over roof condition, and notes that insurers must give advance notice before non-renewing a policy. If you get such a notice, read it carefully and contact the Division if you are unsure what it means.
A dispute does not mean the roof can stay open. If water is getting in, protect the house with a temporary repair, keep the receipts and tell the insurer. Nothing on this page is legal or insurance advice; confirm deadlines and requirements in your policy and with the Division of Insurance. Our storm damage roof repair and roof inspection pages describe what a roofer can do for the repair itself.
Frequently asked questions
Does homeowners insurance cover storm damage to a roof in Massachusetts?
Standard policies generally cover sudden wind and falling-object damage but not wear and tear. The Division of Insurance describes wind, wind-driven rain and falling trees as covered under most standard forms. Your policy and your insurer decide.
What is the difference between actual cash value and replacement cost?
Actual cash value subtracts depreciation for the roof's age from the payment. Replacement cost generally pays closer to the cost of new materials. The declarations page of your policy shows which applies.
Should I climb up to photograph the damage?
No. Photograph from the ground with zoom or binoculars, and from the attic with a flashlight. A wet roof is slick, and shingles that look flat can be loose.
Can a roofer file my insurance claim for me?
A roofer can inspect and describe the damage in writing, but the claim is between you and your insurer. Be cautious about signing over claim rights. Read any document first.
Who can I contact about a claim problem?
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance takes consumer questions and complaints about insurers. Start by asking your insurer for its decision in writing.
Sources
- Massachusetts Division of Insurance: Post-Disaster Claims Guide
- Massachusetts Division of Insurance: Winter Weather and Insurance
- Massachusetts Division of Insurance: Understanding Home Insurance
- Massachusetts Division of Insurance: Consumer Advisory on Roof-Related Insurance Notices
This guide is general information for Middlesex County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.