Tips on Preventing Winter Roof Damage to Your NYC Condo/Coop

Condo and cooperative living offers many benefits for their residents, including performing all outside maintenance tasks. If you own or rent a condo or coop unit, that does not mean that you should not be vigilant and not oversee’ that all public spaces are properly maintained. During the winter months, especially, with snow and ice removal a top groundskeeping priority, your maintenance workforce may be stretched thin. This means they could possibly overlook minor issues that in cold weather can become more serious and impact the structural integrity of roofing. Making a point of being on the lookout for potential issues can help yourselves and other unit residents to avoid a condo roof leak or more serious breach and subsequent property damage insurance claims. Be your Maintenance team’s eyes and ears.

1. Review your handbook and check how often routine maintenance is performed on the roof and its ancillary structures. Urge your Board to require the Maintenance Department to thoroughly check and maintain this structure throughout the winter season, especially after a blizzard, when drifting snow may put additional strain on the structure. Also, during a thaw to eliminate the possibility for roof leakage that may create reciprocal damage to both the structure and interior units. 
2. Who is responsible? Check your homeowner’s policy and the coop/condo handbook to review what damage is covered by your monthly maintenance fees and what damages must be borne by unit residents. As your public insurance adjuster in NYC, United Public Adjusters & Appraisers will be glad to review your policy and make suggestions as to changes you can make to be fully prepared in the event your unit sustains property damage due to a coop/condo roof leak.
3. When you take a walk around the premises, look at your roofline to see if gutters and down pipes are in working order. That means attached to the building, and not sagging. If you notice birds alighting in the gutters, this could mean these are hosting nests or are clogged with twigs, leaves, and debris. If the gutter system is not fully operational, snow and ice will build up on the roof, especially a flat roof, and could easily void the roof membrane. 
4. Upper floor units: take notice of any interior ceiling issues. Is the drywall sagging, or does it appear to hang lower than surrounding sections of the ceiling? Is there any staining that, due to its location, cannot be an interior plumbing issue? This could be a sign of a coop or condo roof leak as there may be a slight crack in the roofing membrane or shingles if it is a sloped roof. If not remediated, these issues can create thousands of dollars of damage as well as cause mold to develop.
5. Downed trees may be promptly removed at the ground level. But what if these are tall enough so that branches may have fallen on the flat roof? Contact your Maintenance department and suggest they perform a roof inspection to ensure that no potential for additional storm damage has been overlooked.

United Public Adjusters & Appraisers staff live in the communities we serve. When you need a public insurance adjuster in NYC, give our team a call. We’re the local firm best qualified to serve your needs. We’ve helped thousands of your neighbors to prepare and submit property damage claims caused by a coop or condo roof leak. Our ample experience as your public adjuster for a roof claim means that you’ll avoid receiving a low-ball offer from your insurance company.

At United Public Adjusters & Appraisers, we serve your best interests, not your insurance company’s. Once your claim has been submitted, we’ll negotiate with your carrier to make certain that the settlement is the maximum your policy allows. While an ounce of prevention is often worth a pound of cure, if you have already submitted a claim on your own and received a settlement that is out of line with your needs, give us a call. At any stage of your property damage claim, our team will go the distance for you. Learn more by calling us today!