What Your Tenants Need To Do in a Hail Storm
If your roof is going through a hail storm it is important to get the help of your tenants. Getting your tenants involved and educated can go a long way to help the insurance claim approved.
If your asphalt shingle roof sustained hail damage during a severe thunderstorm. The damage was not an emergency causing an immediate roof leak, rather it was functional damage affecting the life of the shingles that if not repaired could cause a leak over time. That is the best time to get the insurance company involved. Many insurance companies have a time limit to how long they will wait, some have a time limit of two years, some six months. One of the questions you will have to answer, when did this hail damage occur, so two years later, or even six months it will be hard to remember the time and date of the storm. When you give a time and date, they look it up on their system. When you give the time and date, they will look it up on their system. if you gave the wrong time and date, may become technical grounds to deny your claim. It is also to your advantage to remember which side of the house had the wind blowing or hailing. Insurance companies also have wind maps they use to verify information.
It is also to your advantage to take a video of the hail storm. Make sure to capture the hail and the wind speed hitting the house if you can. After the storm, it's good to measure hail stones up to 1-1/2 inches in diameter of various shapes and sizes: Even to take a few hail pieces and put it in the fridge to show the adjuster. After the hail storm, take pictures, and walk around the property as soon as it is safe, take pictures or video everything affected by the hail. The windows, gutters, siding, roof, etc.
What to do After a Hail Storm?
Again please note:- Your insurance claims manager will ask for the date & time of the loss so the storm event can be correlated with reports from the local weather and public safety authorities.
After the storm, the following pictures will help specifically in regards to the roof.
Hail stones covering the yard, sidewalk and patios.
Hail stones set next to a tape measure. The size of a hail stone is directly proportional to the potential for damage to the roof and shingles.
Roof – looking for obvious signs of roof damage such as missing or torn shingles,
Outdoor air conditioning units.
Hail stones can dent and bend the cooling fins, blocking the air flow.
I also looked around inside the attic for any signs of a leak.
Also look for hail dents on the gutters.
If there is a leak, you need to call a LOCAL roofer who can put a tarp on. Your insurance company will most likely reimburse you. However, have the roofer properly inspect the roof, and have them take pictures. Before contacting your insurance agent, you should have a reputable roofing contractor inspect your roof for potential hail damage as quickly as possible. The roofing contractor will walk your roof to assess if it has sustained hail damage to reasonably justify an insurance claim. If there is a leak, if you can put a bucket so protect the house from any further damage.
Remember the roof inspection is free (should be) because it’s cost of doing business for the roofing company to be in a position to quote the job if your insurance claim is approved. Be careful in how you choose a roofing contractor to avoid fraud and unauthorized work! I recommend the following selection criteria:
Deal only with a factory-certified roofing contractor in your area.
GAF and CertainTeed are the two largest shingle and roofing material manufacturers in the USA.
By the way, DFW Best Roofing is certified with CertainTeed.
Make an appointment for a roof inspection.
Be at home to meet the roofing contractor (someone should be home at that time), Explain when and what happened during the hail storm, show the roofer your videos and/or photos if available. Be absolutely clear that no repairs are to be made at this time, this is only an inspection! It is best to get all damages repaired after the insurance claim is approved. Unless their was a leak. Then even do not do repairs but only tarp the area. Go outside and watch while the roofer inspects your roof.
You should listen and watch for any signs of hammering or scraping, which could be a fraudulent attempt to mimic hail damage. Using only factory-certified contractors will go a long way to weeding out the unscrupulous roofers. If the roof inspection found evidence of hail damage, the roofing contractor will be able to give you his or her opinion if filing an insurance claim is warranted and what he believes is the likelihood of a claim being approved.
How to File a Roof Hail Damage Insurance Claim
To file an insurance claim for roof hail damage:
Locate your homeowner’s insurance policy.
Make a note of your insurance policy number and deductible.
Organize your facts and records; insurance policy number, date/time of loss, hail size (if known), photos, videos, damage items.
Call your homeowner’s insurance claim number and provide the necessary information as requested. Also, talk directly with you insurance agent directly in addition to calling insurance claim number. The insurance agent will be able to help you, and explain to you if there is a need or any unresolved issues, or if your claim gets denied.
You will be given a claim number by your insurer.
When an insurance claims examiner is assigned to your case, it helps to send your photos and videos of the hail storm for authenticity to better support your claim. The claim examiner will assign a claims adjuster to make an official roof inspection and prepare a repair estimate.
Claims Adjuster Roof Inspection
The claims adjuster will contact you to make an appointment to inspect the roof. Offer to share your photos and/or videos of the storm with the adjuster. I e-mailed my hail storm photos and video to the adjuster, who thanked me for the assistance.
You should arrange for the roofing contractor who previously inspected your roof to meet with the insurance adjuster to go on the roof and discuss his findings. The claim adjuster may bring along a “ladder team” to inspect steep and/or high roofs with proper safety gear. The roof inspection includes the taking of numerous photos, looking at dents in the soft metals (gutters, box vents, powered attic ventilators) and the marking off 10 ft by 10 ft “test squares” to count the number of hail stone hits on the shingles. Hail stone hits will be marked with chalk for identification in photos. The claims adjuster will write a report on his findings, prepare an estimate to make spot repairs or replace the roof (assuming damage was found), then forward the report to your claim examiner. The claim examiner will review the report and make a decision on your claim.
Don’t be surprised if your neighbor’s roof hail damage claim is approved while yours is not. Whether or not an insurance claim is ultimately approved is highly variable depending on the severity of the damage, your roof’s construction, the orientation of your house to the storm, quality of roofing materials and your particular insurance company’s evaluation criteria.
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