File an Insurance claim on roof replacement?

[Lucy Smi]

Our roof is 22 yrs old. We received the “replace roof or we will drop you in 2 months” letter from the insurance company. A recent storm led to a new kitchen ceiling leak. We have evidence of storm or wind damage on the roof according to the roofing company that quoted us.

Now we are struggling to decide if we should file an insurance claim for a new roof. Three things to note:

1. We started the insurance as “owner-occupied” when living in the house years ago. It is now an out of state “rental”. We never updated the insurance.

2. Our tree brunches are overgrown. It’s hard to tell if the brunches caused some of the damage.

3. We were told an insurance claim for a new roof takes 6 months, and that’s beyond the 2 months we are given, especially when we have an active leak.

Question: Should we file a

Claim for a new roof or should we pay for a new roof ($12k)? Will our insurance premium increase after this claim?