It’s important to remember that no roof is 100% immune to the damaging effects of an intense storm or some other catastrophic event. Ice stone impact tests combined with field observations provide some common correlation between hail stone size and roof damage potential. Hail damage is one of the most common claims on homeowners insurance. Also to note that the IA does not decide how much coverage you receive, that’s up to the insurance firm/company that the IA sends their inspection report to. If you don’t mind I’d like to share this with my clients and prospective new hires? Hire someone who is not only licensed and insured, but understands insurance claims process and can walk you through it and explain the reports the insurance company sends you. This may point to old hail damage that leaks through shingles. I would take pics of every slope and the amount of hits in a square per slope and send the insurance company an estimate for replacing the entire roof if the damage is on 3 out of 4 sides. Unfortunately insurance policies are written in lawyer-language and is hard for the insured to fully understand their coverage. If you think your home’s roof may have hail or any weather damage of some sort, please get in touch with me! Hail storms can cause a wide range of damage to your roof and your property in general; even seemingly minor hail storms can cause significant problems that you might not notice until the damage increases over time and creates openings that may be harder for a roof leak repair or even require a replacement roof. It could be a tiny ice crystal, spec of dust, frozen raindrop or something else. Hail damaged metal roofing, tile roofing, wood shingle or shake roofs: may be evident as the loss of metal coatings by hail scouring, dents in metal roofing, dents in wood shingles or shakes, or broken clay or concrete tile roof coverings. Hail Damage Guide Common Types of Storm Damages. How Does Hail Damage Your Roof? If you have a metal roof, give yourself a pat on the back: Metal roofing is the toughest structural material when it comes to protecting your business against hail damage, bar none. Here’s a trap deserving a warning to readers: at least one insurer (mine – Andover/Merrimack Mutual) applies stringent criteria, denies the claim, then turns around and threatens nonrenewal if the homeowner fails to replace the roof at his own expense! As an inspector, it’s your job to make sure you make note of everything that was damaged on the homeowners property. Color with chalk laid against the surface to find subtle dings. He said no damage to shingles and never addressed any of the other damage. They age faster than non-damaged shingles. Additionally, the age and condition of a roof could affect the degree of damage. But smaller hailstones can also cause damage that may point to hail damage on your roof. This is something sneaky that you may not be aware of that insurance sales agents will due to get you a better rate on insurance and saving a few dollars a year may cost you thousands or tens of thousands if you have a problem. When this is discovered, the integrity of the shingle has been compromised, and a water leak can develop over time. Not that certification guarantees they won’t be biased. The authors have inspected thousands of asphalt shingle roofs and found that damage inspectors frequently mistake various shingle anomalies such as foot scuffs, adhesive spots, etc., as hail damage. A hail damage roof can cause a roof leak if roofing materials are aggravated enough with cracks, punctures or missing materials that expose more vulnerable roofing materials. Field observations and ice stone impact tests provide some common correlation between stone size and damage potential. Check for cracked or broken glass if your roof has skylights. Hail is a type of precipitation that occurs when air updrafts (upward air currents) in thunderstorms carry raindrops into the upper level clouds where temperatures are below freezing. You should always check for damage after a storm with hail of this size. Look for dents, gutter damage, wall leaks, siding, doors, skylights, solar panels, and damage to windows. Roofing underlayment beneath water wicking flashing essentially can absorb water or allow it to make it past to wooden beams or the ceiling of the home or attic which can cause water leaks. First, let’s check out some pictures of actual roof hail damage… so you get an idea of what it looks like. a rainier season causes more damage) but as with anything, the longer this leaking occurs the more extensive the water damage will be. Sellers want an independent report from insurance company. And by this time, the damage is already widespread. TWO – look for damage to siding and windowsills/casings. you can go to an actual cash value policy and save money but they will depreciate everything to a point that even if the claim is approved you’ll never have the money to repair or replace. (Their highly recommended roofer) they also say he will be writing report FOR insurance company. I will call around to see if there are contractors in my area who offer free assessments. Now with Public Adjusters (their job is almost immoral) will almost always write for damage/repairs in their scope estimate that isn’t covered by the insured’s policy specifically to cover the costs and fees of having a PA involved. Hail damage will be most significant when you’re inspecting the shingles on your roof. Hail damage to asphalt shingles may consist of punctures, tears, fractures (bruises) or the more common displacement of granules. Most contractors are not impartial and will tell homeowners they need roof replaced when they do not as they are in this to make money. Roofs are very susceptible to damage. We would like to comment on this article. To answer your question you do have recourse- you can hire a public adjuster to help you with your claim and hopefully help you get paid. From the inspector’s photos and your presentation here, I can’t really tell whether the claim was properly denied. If cars in your neighborhood sustained hail damage, it’s likely that neighborhood roofs have been damaged as well. Dents in the metal or cracks in plastic vents often means your roof was hit with heavy hail. So please homeowners make sure you have a representative from a reputable roofing company on site representing you when the insurance inspector comes to look at your roof. It’s very important that you have all of the proper safety gear and knowledge. Rocky Mountain Roofing Company llc out of Cumming Georgia. Homeowners: Inspecting a roof can be dangerous. I personally know that several roofs paid for from a hailstorm May 8, 1985 were not replaced for 10 years!! Hail damaged wood shingles may be completely split or cracked or have indentations that affect the long-term integrity of the shingle. A trained professional can determine whether the damage is functional or cosmetic in nature. As you’ve seen in the rundown of different roofing materials above, hail can cause major damage to a roof, leading to a repair bill that runs into thousands of dollars. They are not on your side. Any approved amount that is not used will be deducted from your final check. Look for tears or deformation in metal or plastic leaf guards and screens on gutters. Now the adjuster is talking about having an engineer take a look. The severity of hail damage to a roof depends on several factors, including: Type of roofing materials, age of roofing materials, roof slope, quality of construction…. Watch this video to learn about the violent updraft speeds required to make big hail. It doesn’t matter if a roofer is present or not for the inspection. The stronger the updrafts, the longer a hailstone circulates up and down… growing larger and larger until gravity no longer allows it to remain lofted. Wood shingles will split right down the middle after being struck by hail. We had a roofer come and take a look. 99% of Insured do not know the fine print of their policy because their insurance agent didn’t specify the details or the Insured didn’t fully read their policy. It’s best to call a roofing contractor to assist in this type of inspection, as they can lift up, examine and re-seal shingles as needed. Shingles were 10-15 years old. Now it’s your job to determine if there’s enough information here to make an insurance claim. It can get really bad here when hurricane season comes in as well. You can also check the home’s siding and windowsills/casings for dents, dings or other signs of impact. Your insurance adjuster will put together an Xactimate estimate. 2nd warning-if you live in hail country, make sure your policy doesn’t exclude hail. Now is that complaint valid? Not all hail damage can be seen on the surface of a roofing shingle. I was working a wind/ storm in Del Rio Texas in early 2016 and came across a home that was missing 20% of the roof decking and over 30% of its shingles. If the roof was already damaged or compromised, then pea-sized hail might cause further damage or leaking. Look for chipped paint, spatter marks or damaged satellite dish components. Lori, we’re sorry to hear that. Having two sets of eyes is always better for the insured in case something gets overlooked. Learn about the benefits and the myths when is comes to metal roofing during storms. Look for splintered wood or light discolored spots in the stain. The more … Thanks for sharing. Since hail damage affects the integrity of the shingles, your roof becomes more susceptible to leaking. To be honest I have a problem with insurance companies who take premiums for years then a claim is submitted and the company acts in bad faith denying a real claim. …including roof type, roofing material quality, installation methods, shingle layers, roof slope, wind speeds, etc. Contact a professional, local roofing company and ask for a hail damage roof inspection. Great Article! I’d love to review this claim and see the damage photos. Your roofer can provide a detailed inspection to help you determine whether your roof has enough damage to warrant a claim. Even the smallest hail impact on a shingle can lead to a roof leak. Look for dents and dings on metal chimney covers. And, of course, don’t forget your camera. This should have been an easy claim. However, if you notice a lot of granules in your downspouts or gutters after a hail storm, you could have hail damage on your asphalt shingles. Check out all the roof vents and features to look for any damage. Large hail stones may cause visible damage to your deck. They cancelled his policy and he was uninsurable. Following my request for second inspection, a forensic engineer inspected the roof and claimed the loss of granular and scuffing are not consistent with the size, shape or characteristic of the damage due to hail. When a little hail falls, people get “hailitis”! Hail hits on shingles may show subtle spots of granule displacement, bruises in shingle surface, or holes. However, some damage can become hidden for a while until you start noticing leaks in your home. FOUR – look for damage to decks or painted wood surfaces. My question is about a formula Amica used to determined the amount of hail damage in order to replace the roof, the Adjuster wrote to me saying in his letter the roof replacement is determined by the amount of damage on each slope and there was one minor hail strike damage found on the front slope, so the replacement roof needs at least 8 hail strikes to any 100 square foot test area, based on that report we closed our claim at this time. Eventually it gets caught in another updraft and freezes again. A lot of people ask: “Will insurance pay for a new roof?” This depends on your policy and who you have on your team. He also attached a bid to replace the roof and buyers agent said he could have it done in two days. They are right when they say Insurance companies are looking for reasons to deny your claim. There are a wide variety of materials used for roofing, many of which share certain … Check deck stain/paint for cracks, splits, chips and indentations. For example, hail can cause dings in aluminum siding, gutters or asphalt shingles, whereas it can crack vinyl siding or wood shakes. It’s so important to inspect your roof immediately after the hail storm, rather than waiting until your roof starts leaking to take action. Social media photos show Inspector, roofer, insurance agents all together sponsoring events for realtors that work in the same office as inspectors wife. Hailstones can be pea-size or as large as a softball and often have sharp edges that can devastate roofing materials. However, the exact type of damage may depend on the material your shingles are made of. Look for cracks or holes in plastic mailboxes or dents in metal mailboxes. This is not always the case, but many times, if a roof has significant hail damage up top, the gutters will have some impact damage. Very nicely done and the pictures are helpful. Vents, chimneys, sky lights, other features and shingles are on our inspection list. 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