What To Do After A Hail Storm

3 Key Items to Remember

1. Keep all receipts of repairs until you sell your house.
2. Make sure all contractors provide you a current certificate of insurance for general liability and workers’ compensation.  If they don’t and an accident occurs on your property, you will be responsible for the injuries.  Your homeowners policy may or may not cover.
3. Report the new roof material to your insurance agent when the roof has been replaced so they can update you homeowners insurance for possible new roof discounts. 

How to File an Insurance Claim for Roof Hail Damage
Claims for hail or wind damage to roofs are on the rise. If you’re not sure whether your home has been damaged by hail or wind, start by examining other objects around your house for signs of damage before calling Avalue Insurance or pulling out your ladder. Hail or wind that are strong enough to damage a roof will also cause damage to nearby cars, wood fences, shutters, gutters, and/or exterior siding. Also, a significant amount of shingle granules appearing at the end of downspouts may indicate potential damage; however, granule loss, in and of itself does not prove hail damage. If you’ve just been through a hail storm, be careful and follow these tips:

Be Safe: Make Personal Safety Your First Priority

• Watch out for broken glass, sharp objects, and exposed electrical wires.
• Wear proper shoes and gloves.
• Don’t use rain-soaked electrical equipment.

Safeguard Your Home: Prevent Further Damage
A hail storm may be accompanied by heavy rain and wind. The longer your home is exposed to water, the more damage you’ll see to your roof, ceiling, walls, and floors, as well as any personal belongings you have inside.

Hail Damage to Your House

• Clean up any broken glass and remove debris.
• Board up broken windows and doors.
• Cover roof damage with tarps or plywood.
• Move any wet items to a dry location.
• If possible, place any damaged items in a safe, secure area where they can be inspected later.
• Save all receipts from any temporary repairs. 
• Debris removal generally is not covered under insurance.

Making a Hail Storm Damage Claim

• Get a qualified opinion. If you suspect you have damage to your roof or property from a hail or wind storm, get several opinions from qualified roofing or restoration companies. Make sure to check their references and the BBB. If you are in an area susceptible to hail, you will most likely find several that list themselves as hail damage specialists. Simply tell them that you suspect you have damage from a recent storm and they’ll be more than glad to come and give you a FREE estimate. Make sure you get the roofing or restoration company to separate what is damaged and what is just worn and needs to be replaced due to wear and tear. Remember, roofing companies want to make the most money they can and will want to replace the whole roof even if the insurance company will only pay for what is damaged. Please wait until a claims adjustor assesses the hail damage to your home before starting permanent repairs.
• Meet the roofing or restoration companies. When the roofing or restoration companies come, spend some time getting to know them and ask about the service they provide. Most will spend about 10-20 minutes on your roof assessing the damage. Get business cards and any information they provide about the roofing process that they use. Ask them all if they’d be willing to be there when the insurance adjuster comes to assess the damage. As a general rule, if they are not willing to be there, then they really don’t think you have much of a chance in getting your claim approved.
• Filing the claim. This is the easy part. If the damage appears to be covered and the cost will be over and above your deductible and worth turning in, then just call your insurance company and tell them you want to file a claim for roof damage. They will probably also ask if you have any interior damage.  Also know this—in most states you have up to one year to file a claim for damage. Although it’s not recommended to wait that long, make sure you know the date or dates of the storm or storms.
• Meeting the insurance adjustor. When the claim professional comes to your home, there will not be much for you to do. He or she will determine whether your damage is covered under your insurance policy. Hopefully you’ll have a contractor who agreed to meet the adjustor with you. The adjustor will take about a half hour to assess and take pictures of any damage and then explain the next steps to you. Some companies may give you a settlement quote right then, but many can take up to a couple of weeks. Repair cost estimates are calculated using software that takes into account local material prices and labor rates. This is the same software used by many building contractors to write their estimates.  When the adjustor is done, your contractor or contractors will probably compare notes with the adjustor mainly to see if the total roof measurements are about the same. In a case where the adjustor states they didn’t think there was any significant damage, ask your contractor to debate it with them.  Insurance carriers will replace damaged items and materials with the same type and quality of materials you had before the hail storm. For example, if you had a fiberglass roof, carriers will pay to repair or replace the damaged area with fiberglass, but they won’t pay to replace it with more expensive slate tile. If you decide to upgrade your house with better or more expensive materials, you’re welcome to do so, but you’ll need to pay the additional expense out of your own pocket.

Any time you make improvements to your property, be sure to talk to us at Avalue Insurance to find out if your coverage is still adequate and if you’re eligible for any discounts.

For property losses, depending on the size and type of your loss, we may need to include your mortgage company as a co-payee on your check, meaning the mortgage company or bank will have to endorse the check. If this is the case, you should contact your mortgage company as soon as possible to find out how to properly handle the payment.

• Schedule the Repair.  When the adjustor leaves, the next thing you want to do is make sure you get written quotes from the roofing companies you’ve been working with. Start thinking about which one you are going to select, and make sure you take into consideration a company’s reputation and not just the price or discounted rates they’re offering you. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CONTRACTOR HAS GENERAL LIABILITY AND WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE. HAVE THEM PROVIDE YOU WITH A CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE AND MAKE SURE THE DATE IN THE UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER AND THE POLICY DATES ARE CURRENT. INSURANCE POLICIES ARE TYPICALLY FOR A YEAR, BUT CONTRACTORS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CANCEL THEIR INSURANCE. THE CURRENT DATE HELPS TO VERIFY THEY STILL HAVE INSURANCE. After you have the certificate, you can go to https://www.ewccv.com/cvs/?ref=https:%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F to verify if they have workers’ comp insurance. You will need the information on the certificate to verify. This protects you against any loss on your property by the contractors. Also make sure the roofer obtains a permit from the city. This will give you a second set of eyes on the completed work to make sure all is done correctly.
• Getting the work done. If your insurance company approves your claim, you will most likely get enough, less your deductible, to complete the work. If it’s not enough, your contractor should help you dispute the amount based on the work needed. Don’t be alarmed if your insurance company depreciated the amount allocated for repairs because of roof age. They are usually just holding back some of the money until the work is complete. So, if they hold back $700 for depreciation and the actual cost of work is a little more than they sent you, all you have to do is send them a letter of completion from your contractor with the exact amount when the work is done, and they’ll send you the difference. And that’s it–a new roof for the price of your deductible!

Throughout the process, Avalue Insurance and the carriers claim professional will be there to serve as your guide. We understand that most of our customers are not insurance experts, so we are here to make sure you can decipher your policy and receive the benefits you’re owed.

Auto

Get Your Car Fixed

For hail damage to the body of your car, an adjustor will need to evaluate the damage and coverages. You can take your car to the body shop of your choice or you can contact your insurance carrier for their approved repair network shops. No estimate is required when you take your car to an approved location. See your carrier’s website for approved repair shops. For hail damage to your windshield or other car windows, please contact your insurance carrier to schedule an appointment.