Hail Damage – Page 7

To file or not to file, that is the question. For many homeowners, the threat of rising premiums can outweigh any benefit of filing an insurance claim, even if damage is evident. In fact, InsuranceQuotes.com recently came out with a study saying that in some states, filing just one claim with your homeowners insurer can cause your rates to rise as much as 20%. No wonder homeowners are so weary. The typical rule of thumb is not to file unless damage is catastrophic, i.e your house burns down or entire basement floods. However, that rule does not apply to storm damage like severe wind or hail.

The “Act of God”

The difference between an insurance claim from storm damage and a normal insurance claim is storm damage is typically deemed an “Act of God.” You could’ve probably prevented your bathtub from overflowing but you absolutely could not have prevented a hail storm from hitting your house. “Acts of God,” for insurance purposes, are defined as events that occur through natural causes and mostly refers to natural disasters. In this situation, most insurance companies will not raise your individual premium if you file a claim.

Why Do They Premiums Sometimes Go Up Anyway?

Even if a storm was deemed an “Act of God,” insurance premiums still sometimes go up. This has to do directly with the amount of claims filed in one zip code. After a big storm, this makes a lot of sense as you and most of your neighbors will have damage. Even though your premium did not go up because you personally filed a claim, the general rates for your zip code did rise. The flip side of this is even if you did not personally file an insurance claim related to storm damage, your insurance premium still goes up.

To Claim or Not To Claim

The smartest thing to do when faced with the dilemma of whether or not to file an insurance claim for storm damage is consult a professional. Have a storm damage specialist inspect your home for damage. They will be able to tell you whether damage is minor and you are better off paying for repairs out-of-pocket or if damage to your home is significant enough to warrant a claim. If you know you have credible damage, your best bet it to just file an insurance claim. If you know your zip code has been afflicted by hail or severe wind, you can assume your rates are going to rise. Resisting filing on the small hope it will lessen the amount of claims being filed in your zip code almost never works. If this is the case, you may as well benefit and have your storm damage repairs paid for by insurance. After all, you will be paying regardless.

The biggest misconceptions about hail damage is that it will be obvious. You’ll see branches down, leaves all over your lawn, dings in your car and hail marks all over your roof, siding and window screens. The reality is, most of the time hail storms leave very little trace. In our 25-years in business, we have only seen one storm decimate a neighborhood the way most folks envision the aftermath of a hailstorm to look and that storm was historic. The discrepancy between the perceived aftermath and the true aftermath leaves most homeowners feeling unscathed and damage free when that may not be the case.

What Damages Really Looks Like…

The photo above shows the pretty anti-climatic reality of hail damage to shingles. Hail hits are small and very difficult to see in good lighting and nearly impossible to see from the ground. Even more amazing is this mark was caused by significant hail, not tiny pea sized hail that melts on contact. This scuff was created by golf ball sized hail. Without knowing what to look for, most homeowners wouldn’t even point this mark out, shrugging it off as normal wear and tear.

Don’t get the wrong impression, these seemingly harmless scuff marks are extremely detrimental to your shingles. In fact, this homeowner’s insurance company approved their hail damage claim and paid for the entire roof. Insurance companies do this because they know it is more efficient to replace the roof than have to cover major leaks later, which is what hail damage creates when left unfixed.

Scuffs Now, Leaks Later

These marks are really signs of where hail balls decimated the granules on the shingle. Over time, the surrounding granules become looser and more begin to come off. The granules are the protective top layer of your shingle so the less you have, the weaker the shingle. Over a few months time, with rain and wind and snow, the area where the hail bail hit begins to rip. At this stage, your shingle is no longer preventing water from entering the underside of your shingle and your roof is not shedding water but instead, taking it in. This is how interior leaks happen and by this point, you are probably outside of your time frame to file a hail insurance claim.

Prevention is Always the Answer

There is nothing you can do to stop a hail storm from hitting your home but what you can do is be proactive after one does occur. Watch the news, most hail storms large enough to cause damage are reported. Maybe you weren’t home or maybe it was overnight and you are unaware one even hit your area. After you suspect your home may have been in the storm’s radius, call a certified Haag inspector to look over your roof. Here at Modern, we don’t charge anything for an inspection and we’re also happy to answer any questions you have about damage or the insurance process. Contact us today to schedule your inspection!

The Truth About Insurance Premiums After a Storm

What Does Hail Damage Really Look Like?