What to Do if You Think You Have Hail Damage

Do you think you have hail damage to your roof? Are you worried about the whether your homeowner’s insurance will cover the damage, or if your premiums will increase? Are you concerned about how to know if a roofing contractor is scamming you?

Here are the steps we recommend you take when you think you might have hail damage to your roof.

Assessing the damage

First, you may ask yourself “how do I know if I have hail damage?” In order to tell if you have hail damage caused by a recent storm, you can first look to see if there is damage to your car, air-conditioning unit, gutters, or shingles. Next, before you climb a ladder to look at your own roof, you can look at or ask your neighbors if they have had hail damage to their roofs. If there is roof hail damage in your neighborhood, it is likely that you will have hail damage to your own roof.

It is important to know that insurance companies cannot single out homeowners for premium increases based on an “Act of God” storm damage claim. They can, however, increase the insurance rates for everyone in your area. Because of this, if you don’t file a claim for wind damage or hail damage, you may face increased premiums to pay for the entire neighborhood’s roof repairs except your own.

Who to call

You may be asking yourself “who should I call if I think I have hail damage to my roof?” Your first thought might be to call your insurance company, but this would be a mistake when dealing with storm damage. Before you call your insurance company, you should have your roof inspected by an established, licensed, or bonded residential roofing company and perhaps even go so far as to get a second or third opinion. A home insurance adjuster may not have the experience to know what to look for and may deny your insurance claim if you haven’t already had a quality roofing company point out the damaged areas. Most roofing companies will provide a free inspection, but be careful of signing anything before you get multiple quotes and a claim number from your insurance company.

Furthermore, out of town contractors should not be trusted because they are usually storm chasers who will take your insurance claim payout and leave you with a poorly constructed roof made with cheap materials and no warranties… or worse! The only thing worse than the cost of a roof replacement is a prolonged battle with a leaking roof followed by repeated repair attempts and an eventual second roof replacement.

What to expect

A good roofer will be able to indicate where the hail damage is on the roof, and offer to show you pictures of the damage to your roof, if you do not want to climb on your roof to see the hail damage for yourself. A reputable roofer will tell you whether the hail damage to your roof is only superficial or if the hail damage to your roof will cause leaking, water damage, mold, structural damage or, in the worst case, flooding and roof collapse.

Additionally, you should expect roofing companies to provide you with a timeline, cost of materials, and cost of installation if they are providing a quote. A reputable contractor will assign your roof repair a project manager to meet with you on day one of construction and to oversee the construction process. If your insurance claim is denied, you should expect a reputable roofing company to guide you through your insurance claim appeal and meet with the insurance adjustor to point out the damage and get your claim approved. Finally, once the construction is complete, you should expect the project manager to go through a thorough inspection of the repairs with you to make sure that your project has been completed to your satisfaction.

Have you suffered storm damage to your roof?

If you have suffered from South Carolina storm damage and you need a Columbia SC roofing contractor, we encourage you to call Seawright Roofing for a free inspection of your roof and allow us to give you a worry free quote to take to your homeowner’s insurance company after a significant storm.

Seawright Roofing is a reputable local South Carolina residential roofing company based in Columbia that will meet and exceed your expectations, and guide you through the process of filing a roofing insurance claim for storm damage from start to finish. Don’t let minor hail damage turn into a disaster!