|
|
How to File the Hail Damage Claim
A-to-Z Hail and Wind Damage Insurance Claim
Hail Damage Insurance Claim
An Online Guide to Hail and Wind Claims
Introduction
When we think of an insurance claim for the
most expensive investment of our lifetime, our home, perhaps fire, tornado, hurricane, and flooding come to mind, but did
you know that the number one cause of damage to your home is from hail. Hail damage is by far the exceeding cause
of homeowner insurance claims in most areas of the United States. Fact: Most insurance companies will inflate the value of
your home and justify it by stating that the "replacement cost" of your house today is the reason. Fact: Only one per several
thousand homes will ever require "replacement cost." Most homes will only suffer damages that amount to a fraction
of the home's overall value known as the replacement cost. Fact: When you pay for a higher than needed replacement cost of
your home, two things happen: Your premium increases and your deductible increases. Most policyholders will
never think twice about the coverage on their home, and most homeowners will literally spend more time planning the annual
vacation than they do in researching the coverage on their home. For immediate assistance,
call DKG Roofing (YOUR locally owned "One Stop Shop" for ALL your HAIL
damage claims! Repairs from roofs, to siding, gutters and downspouts, garage doors, fences, windows and screens, painting
and staining, and much more!) Locally owned, insured, bonded, A+ BBB rating.
If,
for instance, your home is valued, meaning it can be replaced, at $500,000, and your insurance company is insuring your
home for $600,000, your premium is significantly higher, and over the span of several years the annual difference in
premium can amount to several thousands of dollars that could have been spent toward paying off your mortgage. If you
carry a 1% deductible, that means you must first pay the initial $5,000 for any insurance claim that you make on your
$500,000 home, but let's increase it by $100,000, and now your deductible is $6,000 per claim. I know that many are asking
how do I know the replacement cost of my home? Is it the appraisal or annual tax assessment? Well, it could be, but the actual
cost to replace a home varies from day to day, because it is based on the cost of material which does vary. But what you need
to know is that 99.9% of all insurance claims are for only a fraction of the replacement cost. Remember, in your insurance
policy there is also coverage for content and loss of use. While your home, in the example, is insured at the
replacement cost of $500,000, the standard coverage for content is an additional 50%, plus 20% for
loss of use (LOU). If your house is insured for $500,000, your content is insured for an additional $250,000 in coverage,
plus $100,000 for LOU, making a combined coverage of $850,000. So don't over insure, just insure! Oh, and landslides, floods, and earthquakes,
you are not covered for them, because they each require an endorsement. Is earthquake insurance right for you? When was
the last time an earthquake struck your home or area? While flood insurance is affordable for most homeowners, earthquake
insurance is outrageously high and the deductibles are generally from 25 to 30% of the replacement value of your home.
On this page I will discuss your hail claim facts,
include a hail damage insurance claim checklist, discuss roofers, roofing companies and contractors, what to expect when
filing your hail claim, common mistakes to avoid when filing wind and hail damage insurance claims, and a printable list for
filing your hail claim.
Did you say super size it?
Texas
Sized Hail. Pea to nickel size hail is very common in Texas, so common that it is not considered too newsworthy,
and hail often forms and falls without any warning from local or national media. The hailstones, as seen below, arrived without
warning and were subsequently retrieved (when safe to do so) from our backyard in Highland Village, TX. Prior to
melting, the hail measured at least 2.5 inches in diameter, while many hailstones were greater than 3 inches.
| Hail is the number one threat to all homeowners |
|
| Hail can easily cause thousands of dollars in damages. Are you insured if hail hammered today? |
|
|
|
|
|
(Photo) The 2.5 inch diameter hailstones that
had been sitting on the 78 degree ground in our backyard for about 5 minutes before it was safe to retrieve and photograph
them. The hailstone, top left, was greater than 3 inches in diameter prior to melting and taking the photograph.
These were also the largest hailstones that I have photographed in North Texas. To put it in
perspective, 5 inch hail will crack and destroy the boards under the shingles on the roof, and, if you find yourself
outside, seek immediate shelter. The hailstones as pictured above can easily cause a single home to sustain tens-of-thousands
of dollars in property damage.
The importance of a garage
In Texas, it is prudent to have a carport or
garage, because it protects cars and other outside items that can quickly and easily be stored with any notice from an advance
warning system. Previously, for 10 years, I resided in Texas without a garage or carport and suffered thousands
of dollars in damages in vehicle claims. So if you live in a hail prone area, such as Texas, I also highly suggest a
1% deductible on your homeowner insurance. Standard homeowner policy covers hail and tornado, but excludes mudslides, landslides,
floods and earthquakes (these require special endorsements, if available).
Courtesy of our last damaging hailstorm (2011),
our homeowner and car claims totaled $45,000 in damages. We carry low deductibles, such as 1% on the home, which made our
out-of-pocket expenses minimal. Why did we need to make damage claims for our cars in 2011? Because we just relocated
here and our garages were full of boxes.
If you are the victim of a hailstorm, immediately
contact your insurance company and inform them. Your insurance agent will walk you through the claim process, and inform you
if you need to call your insurance claim center directly, or inform you if your insurance adjuster will be contacting
you. Also, feel comfortable calling a reputable, locally based, licensed roofing company and asking them if they will
conduct a free roof inspection as well as inspect for related damages to your home, which includes your yard, for items such
as trash cans, flowers and flowerpots, wind chimes, birdhouses and birdbaths, HVACs,
jungle gym and swing set, garage doors, house doors, swimming pool and accessories, fences (from staining to painting
to replacing), windows and screens, patios, awnings, grills, decks, siding or hardiplank, exterior light fixtures, motion
detectors, downspouts, gutters, shed and storage unit, carport, garage, shrubs, plants, and anything else exposed
to the hailstones, such as riding lawnmower to wheelbarrow to bicycles, etc. It
is a free inspection, so make that call!
Another reason why
it is prudent to have a local, licensed roofing company
perform a free inspection of your roof, is that your insurance company will also be sending an independent insurance adjuster
to inspect your roof for damages. So there you have it, two free inspections that will allow you, the homeowner,
to make an informed decision and have peace of mind.
A good roofing contractor will define any problem
areas noted, offer solutions, provide company documentation, such as licenses, insurances, warranties, BBB rating,
Angie's List (if on the list), several references, etc., and answer any of your questions. A good roofing company
will also work directly with your adjuster and file any needed supplements (supplemental work that may be required during
the repair process).
For example: You hire roofing company X, and as
they remove the old shingles (included in the initial adjustment), they discover that the wood, under the shingles, is cracked
or damaged from the hailstorm and needs replacement. A good roofing company will know how to file the supplements as well
as perform all necessary repairs.
Avoid the hailstorm chasing roofing repair company
Lastly, it is prudent to avoid like
the plague what are known as hailstorm chasing roofing repair companies who merely follow the hailstorm in search
of their next victim and scam. The hailstorm chasing roofing repair company is not only from out of the area, but
they are as sly as a fox and often ask for a down payment or earnest money (which you should never do!), without
any intention of performing any repairs, and then vacate the area and move on to the next city and repeat the fraudulent
deed. Are all hailstorm chasing roofing repair companies bogus and fraudulent? Do you really want to risk it when there are
so many reputable, locally based roofing contractors?
Say, for example, you are in DFW, so
why put one ounce of your trust in a company based in Houston, who arrive here only to set up a temporary
storefront and canvass your neighborhood, do a repair, get your money, and then vanish, I mean return, to Houston? And never, under any circumstances, pay any money upfront! If you do this, don't be surprised if
you never hear from that roofing contractor again.
There are plenty of outstanding, highly reputable, locally based roofing
companies that also support the local community, attend the local church or synagogue, and have children attending our local
schools. They are our neighbors and friends —
and people we can trust.
Okay, now our
roofers are arriving any minute to inspect the damage... And yes, our cars were in the garage this time (=
Return to
DKG Roofing (YOUR locally owned "One Stop Shop"
for ALL your HAIL damage claims! Repairs from roofs, to siding, gutters and downspouts, garage doors, fences, windows and
screens, painting and staining, and much more!) Locally owned, bonded, insured, A+ BBB rating
Return to American Civil War Homepage
|
|
|
