In most cases, homeowners insurance covers all hail damage roof claims.
Nevertheless, many homeowners insurance plans have coverage limitations for superficial roof damage in states where wind and hail damage are frequent.
Sadly, this is the case for Texas, as according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, it was the state with the most hail damage claims over the past few years,
If your roof exhibits damage after a hailstorm, call your home insurance provider to verify if your policy covers the loss.
You might not be reimbursed for repairs or replacement if your insurance believes that the damage to your roof resulted from improper roof care.
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Should I File a Hail Damage Claim on My Roof?
Consider how many hail damage claims you’ve made during the previous three to seven years before filing a hail damage insurance claim.
Your homeowners insurance company documents the number of hail damage claims you’ve filed.
Therefore, your premiums may increase if you’ve made more than two hail damage insurance claims in the last five years.
Still, filing a hail damage insurance claim is always worthwhile if the damage is significant.
The cost of increased premiums is often much less than rebuilding a roof.
It’s in the best interest of a roofing contractor to urge you to submit hail damage claims every time there is a hail storm, but this doesn’t mean it is always the right thing to do.
Questions You Need to Ask Before Filing Hail Damage Insurance Claims
Before opting to submit an insurance claim, you should consider asking the following questions to your roofing contractor:
- How old is the roof?
- What can be deducted from the insurance company policy?
- What is covered by my insurance?
- Are these shingles still being produced?
- Do my roof slopes have vents that divide them, or is my roof one continuous roof?
- How bad is the damage to your roof?
- Is the damage confined to a single location?
- What kind of roof damage have I sustained?
- Can the damage be fixed?
- Will my homeowner’s insurance cover hail damage claims?
- How different is the cost of repairing versus replacing the roof?
How Do Insurance Adjusters Determine Hail Damage Claims?
The things that insurance companies look for when evaluating a property after a hailstorm are often unknown to the general public.
However, the following indicators are the main things they check when determining if they need to cover hail damage:
Significant Granule Loss
This indicator does not call for repair or replacement but suggests that the roof’s lifespan was affected.
Damaged or Missing Asphalt Shingles
The shingle’s surface must have significant damage for the insurance to consider paying out hail damage insurance claims.
Broken Vents
Dents in metal roofing vents can be used to support insurance claims by providing evidence of the magnitude and frequency of hail.
Corroded Gutters
Damage to the gutters could mean that the roof is no longer functionally useful.
Other Damages
The outside of the house and any damage to your personal property will also be assessed.
This is meant to gather and preserve trustworthy evidence to help the insurance claim department determine the nature and extent of damage to your property.
Proof of Leakage
A claim adjuster will look for signs of leaks such as deterioration, peeling, curled or collapsed roofing, and damage or corrosion.
How Do You Calculate the Actual Cash Value of a Roof?
Actual cash value (ACV) is the cost of lost or damaged goods at the moment of the loss.
You can calculate the actual cash value of a roof by estimating how much it is meant to last and comparing it to how much time you’ve had it installed.
In the case of ACV coverage, the insurance provider will retain a percentage of the roof’s value rather than paying the total amount.
This is called depreciation.
One good practical example of this is the following:
A brand-new roof may cost $20,000 and last for 20 years.
This would indicate that it loses 5% of its value annually.
If your roof is ten years old, it has lost half its worth, making its actual cash value $10,000.
In addition, the insurance company could depreciate more money depending on how well-maintained your roof is.
This is because although some roofs that are ten years old could still be in excellent shape, others might be affected by unrepaired wind or hail damage.
What Not to Say to an Insurance Company
Usually, your homeowners’ insurance covers these events.
However, everything you say to an insurance adjuster should not be interpreted as an admission of fault.
You must prove that something else caused the damage to be compensated.
If you say you were guilty of what happened, even if you argue that you were only partially to blame, the value of your claim can be significantly lowered or wholly rejected.
You must be careful while discussing the damages with a public adjuster, as you could make them seem less severe than they are.
The opinions expressed during this meeting might cast doubt on the validity of your whole case and lessen your chances of receiving compensation.
However, it would be best to consider the severity of your home’s damages.
Never tell an insurance adjuster anything other than what you know when telling them about the event.
It is OK for you to respond “I don’t know” if you are unsure of what happened or cannot provide a firm opinion about a certain aspect of the hail damage insurance claim.
Let Us Help You with Your Hail Damage Roof Claim
Dealing with an insurance company can be complicated for many property owners if they have never done it before.
Luckily, here at Austin Roofing & Water Damage | WDR, we can choose the right roofing contractor for you.
We will ensure they have enough experience dealing with insurance claims so that your insurance policy covers the damage to your roof caused by weather events.
This will significantly lower the replacement cost after a hail storm.