How to File a Roof Hail Damage Insurance Claim

How to File a Roof Hail Damage Insurance Claim

Many people ask how to file a roof hail damage insurance claim. A general overview is set out below.

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. The deductible figure will be important as explained later.
• 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.
• 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 an 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.
• 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 “high 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, orientation of your house to the storm, quality of roofing materials and your particular insurance company’s evaluation criteria.

If your hail damage roof claim has been underpaid or denied, please contact us today.