As with all things insurance, it’s hard to give a definitive answer regarding your premiums. It all depends on your:
- Policy
- Assessor
- Property
That being said however, there is a chance that by choosing metal roof installation or replacing your old roof with a new metal roof, you could bring your insurance premiums down.
First thing’s first: metal roofing will NOT increase your insurance premiums
When assessing your insurance premiums and excess, insurers look at your risk.
The higher they rate your risk, the more you’ll have to pay and the higher your excess will be.
Many people assume that since metal roofing isn’t as thick as tile, it isn’t as strong.
For some reason, many people assume that this means that it’s weaker, and therefore has a higher risk of damage such as:
- Dents
- Wear-and-tear
- Damage
And that, they assume, means higher insurance rates!
While we don’t fault the logic, it all hinges on one false assumption: that metal roofing is weaker than tile.
Of course, that isn’t true at all!
In some cases, choosing a new metal roof installation will DECREASE your insurance premiums!
Bushfire resistance
Metal roofing has many virtues – one of these is its bushfire resistance.
Tiled roofs have countless gaps underneath each tile and ridge cap. While these gaps are small and usually blocked, the sheer number of them makes tile a riskier prospect when building in or near a bushfire zone.
Just take a look at any tile roof and you’ll understand what we’re talking about.
By contrast, metal roofs are made of large, solid sheets. These roofing sheets leave few gaps for embers and sparks to get in – when combined with effective sarking, you have a roof with a high bushfire attack level rating.
And that in turn can reduce your insurance premiums!
Just a heads up: not all providers will care about this.
If you live in the middle of the city, obviously bushfire resistance isn’t going to come into the equation. Be sure to check your policy and consult with your insurance agent for more details.
Learn more about how metal roofing can protect you from bushfire.
Less mould risk = lower premiums
Many home insurance policies include clauses covering mould-related damage. Others add it as an optional extra. In many cases, this will increase how much you’ll have to pay.
Luckily, mould isn’t really a factor when metal roofing is involved.
Thanks to its usage of sheets of metal, there are fewer ingress points for moisture to get into your roof. This directly translates to a lower risk of mould.
And that in turn can translate into lower insurance premiums.
It doesn’t hurt to ask about impact resistance discounts
We covered this last week, but honestly, we get this question so much that we feel like we have to go over it again!
We’ve all heard about the damage that follows one of Melbourne’s famous hail storms. Little wonder many homeowners are concerned about the risk of hail damage driving up their premiums.
Take it from us: metal roofing is extremely impact-resistant. The corrugated (wavy) style of most metal roofs dissipates the force that impacts your roof – instead of hitting dead-on, objects hit at an angle, reducing the damage.
Long story short: you don’t need to worry about damage to your roof. In the vast majority of cases, the damage is purely cosmetic rather than structural, and can be easily fixed.
In fact, it’s even worth checking with your insurer whether or not they offer discounts based on impact resistance. While not many policies offer this, there’s no harm in asking.
The importance of regular inspections from our roof plumbers
While inspections and maintenance work aren’t covered under most insurance policies, they’re still important if you want to avoid getting ripped off by your insurance company.
In many cases, assessors will try to make out that you haven’t been taking good care of your roof, and that therefore your claim should be denied on the grounds that it isn’t weather damage, but “neglect” on your part.
Thankfully, a long inspection history can disprove that, revealing that you take good care of your roof and protecting you from this common get-out card insurance companies like to play.
Don’t forget about your gutters!
So far, we’ve been focused on how metal roofing installation can potentially reduce your insurance premiums. What we haven’t talked about is the importance of your gutters.
Okay, so it isn’t really quite the same. Your gutters don’t directly impact your premiums – that having been said, they can certainly change whether you have to make a claim or not!
When water gets to build up on your roof, it can lead to a host of issues:
- Rot and rust
- Mould growth
- Roof leaks
- Sagging
- Collapse of internal roofing
Your gutters play an important role in your home by ensuring that water never builds up to the point where this becomes an issue, and necessitates going through the process of making an insurance claim.
Fortunately, it’s easy to fix by cleaning your gutters on a regular basis – or relying on our roof plumbers in Melbourne for periodic inspections, cleaning, and roof repairs.
Interested in new metal roof installation?
Our roof plumbers are the team to call!
With 20 years of experience performing metal roofing installations in Melbourne, our team has seen it all, and can answer all of your questions when it comes to metal roofing.
Put your trust in our experience, workmanship and quality metal roofing. At the end of the day, our Masterful team of roof plumbers will leave your home with a roof that:
- Looks beautiful
- Is strong and durable
- Requires minimal maintenance
- Will last decades
And it all starts with a single phone call!
Get in touch with the metal roofing experts today – call Watermaster Roofing on 1300 156 650, or click here to touch base online.
You can also visit us for a metal roofing in Melbourne: pop into our headquarters at 9/22 George St Sandringham, VIC 3191, if you prefer a more hands-on approach.