Hail Damage Insurance Claims

Severe weather events such as super cell thunderstorms and the destructive tornadoes that follow remind us of Mother Nature’s power and fury. Seemingly, not a year goes by that we witness communities in tornado alley being devastated by these awesome forces of nature. Communities damaged by these storms suffer significant hail damage to homes, businesses, and government property such as schools and other municipal buildings.

Filing an insurance claim and successfully recovering your financial loss from hail damage can at times be challenging given the issues involved with insurance policy coverage’s and the discretionary nature of the insurance adjusting process. Many adjusters and the insurance companies they work for may have different adjusting standards outlined in their respective claim department manuals. If the hailstorm was severe enough, visible
damages should be obvious and undisputed by the field adjuster inspecting the property and thus coverage of the loss should be confirmed early on in the process. This is the easy part.

In many claims however, there may be other issues you will face such as the scope of damages and the dollar amount your insurance adjuster says you are going to get paid given the insurance policy terms and conditions.

Often, the assigned insurance adjuster’s training, experience and knowledge of this type of adjustment process will play a very important part in how your claim is settled.
A common issue that arises is if you will be paid to replace the complete roof or if a patch job will be offered as a partial repair. The next question is if the insurance adjuster will apply deprecation to your roof and if so, is it fair and reasonable? While auguring over the scope of loss and price of the repair may seem like a good thing, (at least the insurance company acknowledges that you have a covered loss) there are many other cases where the insurance company will dispute the damages were caused by hail, claiming previous wear and tear. This is where you may need the professional help of a public adjuster that will represent your best interests.

Remember knowledge and information is power. Do you know the questions to ask as well as what you are entitled to in an insurance loss adjusting process from a hail event? Whether you a have hail damage to a modified bitumen roof, a build up roof, sprayed polyurethane foam application, metal roof, cedar shake roof or any number of tile roofs, chances are you have recoverable damages as a result of a sever hail event in your community.  Your roof is one the most important building components of your property. You need to have the damages documented and the adjustment process completed professionally to get you indemnified for your loss. A fair and honest settlement for your covered roof damages is not only important to you but also should be in the best interest of your insurance company as well.

Do not be victimized in the adjustment and repair replacement process, it just makes good sense to have a team of professionals working on your side to get you covered for your hailstorm loss. See our Frequently Asked Questions About Hail Damage to review some common questions and issues that come up in major hail events that we have been involved with over the years.