The collapse of roofs in the region due to snow load has brings to mind what property owners should do to protect themselves.
Brian Diel owns Diel Insurance Group in Rhinelander..
"...Especially is you have a low-pitched roof, an over-hanging porch, an awning, metal pole building, an outbuilding, something with a low pitch vs. a high pitch. If you have more than a couple of feet of snow on top, you might want to consider calling a snow removal contractor to lighten the load..."
Diel says as long as you have a normal homeowners policy or business owners policy and have the building insured, collapse because of ice and snow is a covered loss. But he says the items inside the building also get damaged and the clean up can be a nightmare to address.
Diel says if you have coverage for your belongings it becomes a pain because you need to come up with a list of the items that have been lost..
" It's a good thing to have the coverage, but again if you can avoid having to utilize it you can save premium and be less of a hassle in your life. We have enough of that now shoveling every other day..."
Diel says it matters what type of snow it is...
"..Right now, thankfully, we haven't had a heavy, wet snow. But if people don't shovel their roofs now and they think there isn't going to be a problem. This last snowfall, the 15 inch snowfall, had been a heavy, wet snow, it would pretty much be a disaster up here right now..."
Diel says one side of the roof might look ok, but the other side might have a lot more snow on it. Diel says if you have any concerns, 'when in doubt, shovel it out'. He doesn't recommend people climb on roofs as that's a safety issue, he says hire a contractor. Diel says make sure the contractor also has insurance.
