Almost every homeowner we meet after a storm has the same experience. The adjuster comes out, the claim gets approved, and then a check shows up that is thousands of dollars short of what the roof actually costs — and it has the mortgage company’s name printed on it next to theirs. Nobody explains why. The carrier assumes you know the vocabulary, the lender assumes the carrier told you, and the homeowner is left holding a check they cannot even cash.
We have walked Port Orange, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and Ormond Beach homeowners through this a lot. This guide explains where the money actually goes, why the first check is short on purpose, how to get the rest of it, and what Florida law says about your deductible. We are roofers, not public adjusters or attorneys — we cannot negotiate your claim for you, and by law nobody who is not a licensed adjuster or lawyer can. But we can tell you how the plumbing works so you are not guessing.
Step one: the approval letter is a scope, not a bill
When the carrier approves a roof claim, what you receive is an adjuster’s worksheet or estimate of record. It is a line-item breakdown — squares of shingles, underlayment, drip edge, pipe boots, tear-off, disposal — with a replacement cost value (RCV) at the bottom. Under that number there are usually two subtractions, and those subtractions are the entire reason your check looks wrong.
- Your deductible. Subtracted first, always. In Florida this is often a percentage rather than a flat dollar amount — more on that below.
- Depreciation. The carrier ages your old roof and withholds that value. A 17-year-old shingle roof depreciates a lot more than a 4-year-old one.
What is left is the actual cash value, or ACV. That is check number one. On a replacement-cost policy the withheld depreciation is not gone — it is recoverable, and it comes back to you as check number two after the work is done. On an actual-cash-value roof policy, which is increasingly common on older Florida roofs, it is gone for good. Your declarations page will tell you which one you have, usually under a roof surfacing payment schedule endorsement.
A Port Orange example, with real numbers
Say a 2007-built home off Dunlawton has a hail-and-wind claim approved after a named storm. The dwelling is insured for $400,000 and the policy carries a 2 percent hurricane deductible.
- Replacement cost value of the roof: $21,000
- Hurricane deductible (2% of $400,000 Coverage A): − $8,000
- Depreciation withheld on an 18-year-old roof: − $4,600
- First check (ACV): $8,400
- Second check (recoverable depreciation, after completion): $4,600
- Homeowner’s true out-of-pocket: $8,000 — the deductible, and only the deductible
That $8,400 check is what shocks people. It looks like the carrier only agreed to pay 40 percent of the roof. It did not. It agreed to pay $13,000 of a $21,000 roof, in two installments, and the $8,000 gap is the deductible you agreed to when you bought the policy. Understanding that difference is the whole ballgame — homeowners who do not understand it often assume the claim was lowballed and give up on a perfectly good approval.
The Florida hurricane deductible trap
This catches more Volusia County homeowners than anything else on this page. Your policy has at least two deductibles. The all-other-perils deductible is the familiar flat number — $1,000, $2,500. The hurricane or named-storm deductible is a percentage of Coverage A, your dwelling limit, and it is usually 2, 5 or 10 percent.
On a $400,000 dwelling limit that is $8,000, $20,000 or $40,000. A 10 percent hurricane deductible can exceed the entire cost of the roof, which means a wind claim after a named storm pays you nothing at all. The named-storm deductible only triggers when the National Hurricane Center has actually named the system — damage from an unnamed summer thunderstorm or a straight-line wind event falls under your lower all-perils deductible. That distinction is worth real money, and it is worth checking the date of loss against the storm name before you assume anything.
Before you file, pull your declarations page and find both numbers. If your hurricane deductible is larger than the likely repair, filing may not be in your interest at all. We cover that decision in more depth in our guide on storm damage repair versus filing an insurance claim.
Why your mortgage company is on the check
If you have a mortgage, your lender is listed on your homeowners policy as a mortgagee or loss payee. The house is their collateral, and a damaged roof is a threat to that collateral. So when the carrier issues a claim check above a certain threshold, it is made payable jointly — your name and the servicer’s. You cannot deposit it alone. The bank is not being difficult; it is doing exactly what the mortgage contract says it will do.
What happens next is called a loss draft process, and every major servicer runs one. The general shape is the same:
- You endorse the back of the check and mail or upload it to the servicer’s loss draft department.
- You submit a packet: the adjuster’s worksheet, your signed contract with a licensed roofing contractor, the contractor’s W-9 and license number, and sometimes proof of the contractor’s insurance.
- Small claims — many servicers set the line somewhere between $10,000 and $40,000 — are often endorsed back to you in full with no further steps.
- Larger claims go into a restricted escrow account and are released in draws: commonly a portion up front, a portion at roughly 50 percent completion, and the balance after a completion inspection.
- The completion inspection is usually done by a third-party inspector the servicer sends, or sometimes satisfied by dated photos and the closed county permit.
Two practical consequences. First, start the lender packet the day you get the check, not the day the roofer is ready to start. Two to four weeks is normal for the first release and it runs in parallel with scheduling, so there is no reason to do them in sequence. Second, ask your roofer whether they can start on the draw schedule your servicer uses. A contractor who demands the full amount before the first nail goes in either does not understand loss drafts or has a cash-flow problem, and neither is your problem to solve.
One more thing worth knowing: your closed Volusia County roofing permit is often the cleanest proof of completion you can hand a loss draft department. Keep the final inspection paperwork.
Getting check number two: recoverable depreciation
This is the money most homeowners leave on the table. The withheld depreciation is released only after the work is genuinely complete and documented. Typically the carrier wants:
- A final invoice from the contractor showing the actual amount charged
- Proof the work was completed — photos, a certificate of completion, or the closed permit
- Sometimes proof you actually paid
Three ways people lose it. They take the ACV check, do nothing, and let the policy’s deadline pass — commonly 180 days to two years from the date of loss, so read yours. They hire an unlicensed handyman who cannot produce a real invoice or pull a permit. Or the final invoice comes in below the approved RCV because they shopped for the cheapest possible roof, in which case the carrier only reimburses what was actually spent, not what was approved. The claim will never pay you more than the job cost.
That last one is worth sitting with. Chasing the lowest bid on an insurance job does not put money in your pocket — it puts money back in the carrier’s pocket and puts a cheaper roof on your house. If you are comparing bids, our guide on how to read roofing estimates line by line shows what actually differs between them.
Supplements: the scope the first adjuster missed
Adjusters estimate from the ground and from photos. They miss things — and in Florida, some of what they miss is legally required. When a roofer finds additional scope, they document it and the carrier is asked to approve a supplement. Common legitimate ones in Volusia County:
- Rotten or delaminated decking found at tear-off, which nobody can see until the shingles come off. This is why estimates say plywood is not included.
- Drip edge, which is code-required on every re-roof and is frequently omitted from the original scope.
- Deck re-nailing to current fastening standards, required when the old sheathing does not meet code.
- Secondary water barrier where required.
- Full replacement under the 25 percent rule when repairs would exceed a quarter of the roof area within 12 months — though since SB 4-D (2022), a roof built or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later only has to bring the repaired portion up to code, not the entire roof.
These are usually paid under the ordinance and law coverage in your policy, which exists precisely because building codes change and a repaired structure has to meet the current one. If you do not carry ordinance and law coverage, code upgrades come out of your pocket — check your declarations page and consider adding it at renewal. Our Florida 25 percent roof rule guide explains the trigger that turns a repair into a replacement.
Florida law and your deductible: the one red flag that ends the conversation
Florida Statute 489.147 makes it illegal for a contractor to pay, waive, rebate or offer to absorb your property insurance deductible. It is not a gray area and it is not a negotiating tactic. A roofer who offers to “take care of your deductible,” “build it into the price,” or write you an invoice for a number they know is inflated is proposing insurance fraud — and the homeowner who signs it is a participant, not a bystander.
Same statute, related point: Florida law requires a written notice on roofing contracts about deductibles, and prohibits contractors from interpreting policy provisions or advising on coverage unless they are a licensed adjuster or attorney. When we say we cannot negotiate your claim, that is not us being unhelpful. That is the line the license sits behind.
If a company knocking doors after a storm offers to cover your deductible, they have told you everything you need to know about how they will handle the parts of the job you cannot see. Our guide on avoiding roofing scams and storm chasers in Volusia County covers the rest of the pattern.
What if the approved amount genuinely will not cover a proper roof?
Sometimes the adjuster’s numbers are simply low, or the deductible is so large the claim is not worth pursuing. You have real options:
- Ask for a re-inspection with your roofer present so the missed scope gets documented on site rather than argued over email.
- Hire a licensed public adjuster if the gap is large. They work for you, not the carrier, and they typically take a percentage. We do not refer or receive anything from any of them.
- Finance the difference. On an insurance job the financed amount is usually just the deductible and any upgrades, not the whole roof.
- Skip the claim entirely if the damage is below your deductible. A denied or withdrawn claim still sits on your CLUE report for years and can affect renewal pricing.
A realistic timeline
- Day 0: Date of loss. Document everything and cover active leaks.
- Days 1–7: File the claim. Florida carriers must acknowledge promptly and inspect within statutory windows.
- Weeks 1–4: Adjuster inspection, then the approval worksheet and the ACV check.
- Weeks 2–6: Loss draft packet to the mortgage servicer, first funds released.
- Week 4–8: Permit pulled, materials ordered, roof installed. Most residential re-roofs are a one to three day job.
- Weeks 6–12: Final inspection, closed permit, final invoice, supplement resolution, recoverable depreciation released.
If any stage stalls for more than a couple of weeks, something is sitting in somebody’s queue waiting on a document. It is almost never a decision — it is almost always paperwork. Call and ask what is missing.
How we handle insurance jobs
Affordable Roofing & Construction has been working in Volusia County for more than 20 years, licensed as CCC 1327602 and CGC 1509441. On an insurance job we do what a licensed contractor is allowed to do, and we say so plainly:
- We inspect and document the damage with dated photos and a written scope you can hand to your adjuster.
- We meet the adjuster on site when you want us there.
- We provide a line-item estimate that maps to the adjuster’s worksheet so the two can be compared honestly.
- We document and submit supplements for scope found at tear-off, with photos.
- We work with mortgage loss draft draw schedules and provide the W-9, license, insurance certificate and completion documentation your servicer will ask for.
- We collect your deductible, because the law requires it and because a contractor who will break that rule will break others.
- We include a wind mitigation inspection with every roof we install, which typically lowers your premium going forward.
- We back our work with a five-year labor warranty, on top of the manufacturer warranty.
What we do not do: interpret your policy, tell you what is covered, negotiate with your carrier, or promise a claim outcome. That is adjuster and attorney territory.
If a storm has hit your roof and you want somebody to look at it honestly — including telling you when the damage is not worth a claim — call 386-392-8952 for a free inspection and estimate in Port Orange, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach, Edgewater, DeLand, Deltona and the surrounding Central Florida area.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my roof insurance check less than my estimate?
Most Florida policies pay a roof claim in two parts. The first check is actual cash value (ACV) — the replacement cost minus your deductible and minus depreciation for the age and wear of the old roof. The withheld portion is called recoverable depreciation, and your carrier releases it in a second check after the work is finished and invoiced.
That is the story when the carrier agrees to replace the whole roof and the only question is when the money arrives. A different problem starts when the carrier agrees to pay for part of it — one slope — and the new shingles will not match the old ones. Florida has a statute on that, and it is not the guarantee most homeowners are told it is. See Florida’s roof matching law and what 626.9744 actually says.
Why is my mortgage company’s name printed on my insurance check?
Your lender holds a financial interest in the house, so it is listed as a loss payee on your policy. Any claim check large enough to affect the collateral is made payable to you and the servicer jointly. You have to endorse it and send it to the lender’s loss draft department, which then releases the funds — often in draws as the work progresses.
How long does the mortgage company take to release roof insurance funds?
Most loss draft departments take two to four weeks for the first release once they have the endorsed check, the contractor’s signed contract, a W-9 and the adjuster’s worksheet. Larger claims are usually released in draws — a portion up front, a portion at roughly 50 percent completion after an inspection, and the balance at completion.
Can my roofer pay or “absorb” my hurricane deductible?
No. Florida Statute 489.147 makes it illegal for a contractor to pay, waive, rebate or offer to absorb an insurance deductible on a property insurance claim. Any roofer who offers to do it is telling you they break the law when it is convenient. Walk away.
What is recoverable depreciation and how do I actually get it?
It is the money your carrier held back on the first check. You get it by completing the work and submitting a final invoice, proof of payment and often a certificate of completion. Most policies give you a deadline — commonly 180 days to two years from the date of loss — and if you never do the work, you never collect it.
My Florida hurricane deductible is a percentage, not a dollar amount. How is it calculated?
Named-storm and hurricane deductibles in Florida are a percentage of Coverage A, your dwelling limit — typically 2, 5 or 10 percent. On a home insured for $400,000 a 2 percent hurricane deductible is $8,000, not the $2,500 all-other-perils figure on the declarations page. It only applies when the National Hurricane Center has actually named the storm.
What is a supplement, and why did my roofer file one?
A supplement is a request to the carrier for scope the original adjuster’s estimate missed — rotten decking discovered at tear-off, code-required drip edge, re-nailing the deck to current fastening standards, or a secondary water barrier. In Florida these are usually paid under the ordinance and law portion of your policy, because code compliance is not optional.
Do I have to use the roofer my insurance company recommends?
No. In Florida you choose your own licensed contractor. A carrier’s preferred vendor list is a convenience, not a requirement, and using a local licensed roofer does not reduce your claim payment.
Should I just keep the ACV check and not replace the roof?
You can, but there are consequences. You forfeit the recoverable depreciation, most carriers will exclude the roof or non-renew at the next inspection, and you will have to disclose the unrepaired damage when you sell. You also still have the damaged roof.
This article is general information for Florida homeowners, not legal, insurance or tax advice. Affordable Roofing & Construction is a licensed roofing and general contractor (CCC 1327602, CGC 1509441). We are not licensed public adjusters or attorneys and cannot interpret or negotiate your insurance policy. Coverage, deductibles and deadlines vary by policy — read your declarations page and speak with your carrier or a licensed public adjuster.