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Roofing contractors play a central role in property claims, helping determine repair scope, pricing and whether damaged roofs should be repaired or replaced. As roof costs rise, those decisions have a greater effect on what insurers ultimately pay.
Key Takeaways
- Fewer roof claims do not necessarily mean lower severity. Roof claim volume declined from recent highs in 2025, while average repair and replacement costs remained well above recent historical averages.¹
- Roofing is a major part of property claims. Roofing represents roughly 30% of claim line items, making contractor estimates, supplements and repair-versus-replacement decisions important to claim outcomes.¹
Roofing Claims by the Numbers
| Indicator | Latest Finding | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Roof claim volume | Declined from recent highs in 2025 | Lower frequency does not eliminate severity pressure |
| Average roof replacement | $17,631; +33% vs. 2021–2024 average | Replacement decisions have a larger financial impact |
| Average roof repair | $4,699; +25% vs. 2021–2024 average | Even partial repairs are becoming more expensive |
| Aging asphalt-shingle roofs | 29% have less than four years of useful life remaining | Older roofs can complicate repairability and depreciation |
| Roofing questionable claims | California: +155% from 2024–2025; Florida: 3 of the 5 U.S. cities with the highest roofing questionable-claim counts; Texas: NICB has warned of contractor-fraud risk after severe-weather losses | Some markets may require more focused contractor and fraud review |
*Sources: Verisk U.S. Roof Report and National Insurance Crime Bureau.¹ ² ³
Why Roof Claims Are Becoming More Expensive
- Weather: Wind and hail below catastrophe thresholds can still produce widespread losses. Verisk reports that 16 states had at least 20% of their roofs affected by severe hail in 2025, up from 12 states the prior year.¹
- Roof age: Approximately 29% of U.S. homes with asphalt shingles have less than four years of useful life remaining. Verisk reports that roofs in this condition can sustain about 50% more damage during severe weather.¹
- Labor and materials: Higher input costs increase the price of both repairs and replacements, raising the cost impact of scope and pricing differences.
Where Contractor Decisions Affect Claim Costs
Contractors and adjusters may reach different conclusions about the same loss. The largest differences often involve scope, repair versus replacement, labor and material pricing, supplements, depreciation and supporting documentation.
Questionable Contractor Activity Adds Another Risk
Questionable contractor activity can appear in several ways, including repeated scope expansion, unusually large supplements, damage descriptions that do not match inspection findings, or consistently higher claim costs associated with certain contractors.
How Alan Gray Can Help
Alan Gray helps insurers strengthen property claims oversight through independent claims review and analysis, including:
- Reviewing claim handling, documentation and cost drivers
- Identifying patterns across contractors, vendors or claim populations
- Evaluating claim severity and other trends that may warrant closer review
Better visibility into claim costs. Stronger property claims oversight.
Citations
- Verisk. U.S. Roof Report: The State of America's Roofs. Verisk, 2026; D'Amario, Ryan. "Factors Influencing Roof Risk in 2025." Verisk, 2 June 2026.
- National Insurance Crime Bureau. "NICB Informer Brief: July 2026." NICB, July 2026.
- National Insurance Crime Bureau. "NICB Warns Texans of Increased Contractor Fraud Risk Following Severe Flooding." NICB, 31 July 2026.
