Hail Damage Insurance Claims Attorneys

A hailstorm can create havoc causing serious property damage to your roof, pool, air conditioning and adjacent structures just to name a few examples. The destruction caused by hail to your roof can be particularly damaging because it may not be immediately apparent. It is not uncommon that the entire roof may need to be replaced after a hailstorm. Hail may dislodge the roofing granules from shingles and reduce the useful life of roof shingles. If you attempt to file Texas hail damage claims under your insurance policy for damage to your roof and are underpaid or denied please call us today. The insurance company may claim that the damage was not caused by hail but is instead simply the result of the age of the roof. The insurance company adjuster also may claim that all you need is to have a few shingles replaced when in fact the entire roof needs replacement.

While most people expect their insurance company to treat them fairly, insurance companies are a business with a bottom line. It is in the best interest of the insurance company to deny or undervalue claims to increase profits. A common tactic used to accomplish this goal is to deny coverage based on the claim that the roof damage is a product of the age of the roof or wear and tear over a period of years as opposed to damage caused by a hailstorm. Insurance companies may also undervalue the claim offering merely to do minor repairs as opposed to replace the roof or significant portions of the roof.

After a hailstorm, there are a number of steps you should take to make sure you are able to identify any damage and obtain compensation for your claim.  The first step is to have a professional roofing expert examine your roof.  The expert will give you an independent evaluation of the damage to your roof and determine the likelihood that you will be able to successfully make a claim for hail damage. The reason to do this before submitting a claim is because a claim can make your insurance premium increase so it is better not to submit a claim unless you have already assessed the likelihood that your claim will be successful.

If you obtain and independent opinion that you have suffered hail damage (i.e. damage to your roof), you should then submit a claim. If you insurance company refuses to deal with your fairly by delaying your claim without explanation, undervaluing your claim by suggesting only minor repairs or denying your claim in its entirety, you should contact an experienced OK bad faith insurance law firm. Our bad faith insurance lawyers are very familiar with the strategies insurance companies employ to deny claims, so we commonly use proven tactics to combat these strategies including the use of our own roofing experts, meteorologists or other appraisers so that you obtain a fair and full valuation of your loss.

It is not uncommon to have an insurance company deny your claim or minimize the value of the claim while one’s neighbors filing claims with other insurance providers receive the full replacement value of their roof. If your insurance company takes this tactic, we can use a meteorologist to provide evidence on the length of time that the hailstorm was over your home as well as the size of the hail. We will use experts to explain the extent of the damage to your roof or other property and to properly value your claim.

Our dedicated San Antonio insurance attorneys will analyze the value of your claim and attempt to persuade your insurance company to compensate you for your actual damage without undervaluing your claim. If your insurance company refuses to handle your claim in good faith, our San Antonio bad faith law firm can file a civil lawsuit for bad faith, which may include punitive damages for your insurance company’s dishonest and uncooperative conduct in addition to the full value of your insurance claim. Punitive damages are designed to punish bad conduct that should be discouraged. Courts often award punitive damages against insurance companies that exercise bad faith in denying, undervaluing or improperly handling an insured’s damage claim.

When you purchase insurance coverage, you should be able to rely on the fact that you will receive the protection promised if you experience a loss.  If your insurance company is claiming that your claim is not covered or is substantially devaluing your claim based on the age of your roof, we will fight to obtain fair compensation from your insurance company. Our experienced bad faith insurance attorneys may even pursue a lawsuit for bad faith against your insurance company.

Hail Damage Attorneys

Hail damage can cause major harm to homes, cars, and other property. The incidence of hail damage is becoming far more common in the United States today than it once was. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the number of insurance claims filed due to hail damage increased eighty-four percent between 2010 and 2012. Approximately two million claims were filed due to hail damage between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2012.

Filing a Hail Damage Claim

After a hail storm, hail damage may not be immediately obvious. Property owners must be diligent about checking the roof, foliage, and windows for evidence of hail damage. If a hail damage claim is not filed within a specified amount of time, the hail damage claim may not be covered. If damage is discovered, the property owner should document the extent of the damage as thoroughly as possible. Taking pictures is advised to gather a visual record of the damage. The insurance company should be contacted next.

The insurance company will typically send out an insurance adjuster to inspect and record the damage, determining an estimated cost of repair. Property owners should wait until the insurance adjuster has done an inspection to begin minor repairs, to avoid discrepancies in damage reports. Insurance companies will usually take into consideration repairs that must be fixed immediately to avoid further damage, and may allow an advance to assist with costs. Property owners should save all receipts for records.

San Antonio Hail Damage Attorneys

If a property owner is denied a hail damage claim that was believed to be covered, an attorney should be contacted. An attorney will be able to determine if an insurance company intentionally supplied misleading information that caused the property owner to believe that the hail damage would be covered. An attorney will be able to give guidance about possible legal avenues to award the property owner any rightful compensation for the damage.

Hailstorm Insurance Claims Lawyers

Hailstorms can be caused by severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. They are one of the quickest forming natural disasters, making them hard to predict. When a hailstorm creates damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, crops, etc., people turn to their insurance companies. Sadly, many hailstorm insurance claims are disputed, which can result in the insured being underpaid, having their claims delayed, or being denied coverage. When a property owner is unfairly denied insurance benefits, it may be time to hire San Antonio Hailstorm Insurance Claim Lawyers.

Hailstorm Damages

Insurance representatives often dispute a claim regarding how much hailstorm coverage a person actually has and/or dispute the amount of property damage that has actually occurred. When this happens, homeowners may find themselves in over their heads when it comes to:

• Complex insurance coverage claims, forms, and disputes
• Bad faith claims (when an insurance companies does not operate with good faith and fair dealing)
• Low ball payments by insurance companies (underpayment of recognized and approved claims)
• Structural and foundation claims
• Roof damage
• Vehicle damage
• Damage to crops, livestock, etc.
• Hailstorm insurance disputes

Hailstorm Damage Facts

Unlike hurricanes, hailstorms threaten all areas of the nation, not just the Eastern and Southern coastlines. Other facts on hailstorm damage include:

• Hail stones consist mostly of water ice and measure between 0.2 inches and 6 inches in diameter.
• It is estimated that a hail stone of 0.39 inches in diameter falls at a rate of 20 mph.
• Hail stones the size of 3.1 inches in diameter fall at a rate of 110 mph.
• Hail stone speed is dependent on the size of the stone, friction against air, motion of wind it is falling through, collisions with raindrops or other hail stones, and melting as the stones fall through a warmer atmosphere. 

How A Lawyer Can Help With Your Hailstorm Lawsuit

If your property has been damaged by a hailstorm or severe storm, and you want to know your rights as a policyholder, call us toll-free to see how we can assist you in evaluating your case.

Hail Lawyer Help in San Antonio is only a call away at1-888-724-HAIL (4245).

When you buy a home insurance policy you are safe guarding one of your most expensive assets, your home, to withstand difficult times. When something devastating happens, such as torrential rains or damaging hail storms, you depend on your home’s insurance to help you get through these difficult times. Home insurance companies do not always come through for you during the tough times.

An insurance coverage issue often arises because the home insurance company does not believe that the hail claim is covered under your policy of insurance. Or, the insurance company often will argue that not all of the hail damage loss is covered. The insurance company will attempt to pay less than you think you are entitled to receive. In other words, the insurance company will low ball your hail claim. You have legal options when your insurance company fails to live up to their end of the bargain and to the terms of their policy of insurance by denying and/or delaying payment of valid hail damage claims.

The insurance policy language that is written by your home insurance company and its lawyers can be virtually impossible to understand with all the legalese. You can bet that your home insurance company will be more than happy to explain your policy to you, especially its version of what the policy means and how it affects you. But, as you already know, your insurance company is trying to protect its profits and its bottom line. You must take whatever they say with a grain of salt. It should be the other way around since you pay good money in the form of premiums. Our San Antonio hail attorneys can help level the playing field and provide Hail Lawyer Help.

You have rights when your home insurance company denies some or all of your hail damage claim. The most common type of claim that can be made by you when you are being pushed around with regard to your hail claim is a standard breach of insurance contract claim. First, your home insurance policy is a contract. When you argue that your insurance company has failed to comply with its obligations under the contract of home insurance, you are basically claiming that the insurance company has breached the insurance contract. A judge and jury can then order your home insurance company to cover some or all of the hail loss that you have asserted under your policy of insurance. Additionally, you may be entitled to other forms of compensation such as punitive damages, also known as exemplary damages, due to the insurance company’s bad faith in handling your hail claim.

A bad faith insurance claim is a less common and somewhat harder to prove type of insurance claim. In a bad faith insurance claim you are asserting that your home insurance company knowingly and willfully failed to pay your hail claim that it knew and should have paid. Again, if you are successful in your insurance bad faith claim, you can receive not only the coverage you should have had from day one, but you also may be awarded punitive damages, attorney fees, and legal expenses.

Improper insurance practices or examples of insurance bad faith are insurance company activities such as contending that a hail damage loss is not covered under your insurance policy. Some additional examples of bad faith are delaying your hail claim payment, failing to settle a claim asserted, failing to provide full payment of a covered loss, and failing to adequately investigate a hail claim.

If your insurance company is not paying you the full amount of your hail or roof damage claim or has denied your claim, please contact us today 1-888-724-HAIL (4245). We have experience dealing with insurance companies, and we would love to help you get the money you deserve.