Insurance claim question

Hopefully someone out there works for an insurance company and can give their input on my situation. I put in a roof claim 2 1/2 years ago for hail damage. After going back and forth, getting 2 different adjusters to come out they finally just cut me a check after 18 months. The problem is the check is not enough to cover the cost of a new roof (check was $5000).

After a period of about 5-6 months (not totally sure on the time-frame) after being paid out we switched insurance companies without getting the roof fixed. We had every intention of getting it fixed we just didn't get to it. We told the new company that there was no existing damage because we were already paid out. 2 months after switching companies we got another hail storm and now have more than just roof damage. The hail also damaged our paint and other wood on our property.

My question is, how do I go about making a new claim considering I was paid out by a different company and did not fix the damage of the first storm? I don't want to be dishonest and make a new claim without telling them about the previous payout. In my opinion that's insurance fraud, but maybe I'm wrong. Thoughts?

 

Be honest with the second company...they will probably just subtract the last payout amount from the claim and make a note for existing damage to avoid further payout.

 

I'm pretty sure...when they come to look at the damage, they'll know there was older pre-existing damage.

Be honest and tell them about the pre - existing damage & claim. That's all you really need to tell them. If they need or want to get information about your previous claim, they can find the information themselves. I wouldn't volunteer any other information.

 

If the adjuster knows what he is doing I think he would be able to tell between old and new, but there actually is new damage from the most recent storm so that's what makes this so complicated.

Thanks for the responses!

 

The adjuster will prorate the new to the old. It's not really complicated at all. If you don't tell him upfront about the previous storm damage to the roof only, he may resent the dishonesty, and would likely prorate the entire car as being previously damaged. The previous payout is not a factor, and need not be disclosed.

 

I may not have been completely clear in my initial post. This is a claim on my house, not my truck.

 

That actually may work in your favor. Same principles apply, but you'll be dealing with a freelance adjuster due to the number of claims in your vicinity from the storm. Freelancers may be more lenient, prefering simple writeups, but may also be just the opposite, in which case you may request a redo.