Hail damage

[momz]

I think we may have roof damage from a hail storm in May. My neighbor is having roof repairs being done on her house and the repairman told me he can see damaged shingles on our roof as well.

What should I do? Who do I call first? The insurance company or the roofing company? We have state farm insurance as well. According to my neighbor, this is the worst company to have to deal with when it comes to storm damage. Who knew?


Any advice?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Call the insurance company first. They should send out an adjuster to look at the damage and make a determination. If you disagree with the findings, you should then have a method to appeal.

 

[LexiC123]

We had damage to our roof from a noreaster that blew through Long Island last March. Called the insurance company (also State Farm) and they sent an adjuster out within a couple of days. He evaluated the damage, calculated what State Farm would cover and how much the repairs/replacement would cost...gave us a check on the spot. At the time, we had no idea what it would cost to make the necessary repairs.

Life got crazy for us for a while, so we didn't get around to getting roofing estimates until earlier this year. Turns out that the shingles on our roof (which were pretty old) couldn't be replaced because they were no longer being manufactured, so we had the entire roof replaced. What the insurance paid us only covered one-third of what the new roof cost. We appealed to have additional monies released, but State Farm wouldn't budge.

PS - we were just notified the other day that State Farm is dropping our coverage. The roof damage was our one and only claim in 16 years.

Best of luck with your claim.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We had a roofer tell us we had hail damage and two other roofers said no. So be careful and get multiple inspections.

 

[momz]

LexiC, it's stories like yours that worry me.

I know nothing about roof construction, and feel like I could easily be talked into taking the insurance adjuster's word. Afterall, they have a vested interest in keeping the costs as low as possible...which is ok with me, provided all the necessary work is done.

I'm thinking of calling a roofing company first to see if they can help me navigate the world of insurance settlements.

 

[dawson5]

We were hit with hail two years ago. Both car and home. We have State Farm. Our area was hit bad, they set up a mobile station for adjusters at the Home Depot to assess cars. Our whole neighborhood was hit and all have new roofs because of the damage. What we did learn, was because of the large scale hail damage in our area, they had to bring in independent adjusters to help assess the damage. The company man was trying to save money and denied a lot of claims. The independent guy, who we had, was pointing out damages that we didn't see (north side of the house, siding. Windows.)

Most roofing companies will be there when the adjuster comes. If they cannot be, they will usually circle the damage that they see, with chalk.

State Farm paid for our whole roof, not a portion. Our biggest issue was with our mortgage company, Citimortgage. They did not want to sign off on the check until the work was done. Roofer wanted us to pay for shingles upfront and would collect the remainder when the job was completed. We don't use credit cards. I had to drive almost to Chicago to get them to sign off on one of the checks to pay for the shingles. Then was able to take the receipt to the local office and they signed off on the second check and we paid the roofer. We refinanced, no longer have Citimortgage, this was the last straw and rates dropped enough to justify the refinance.

 

[si-am]

I think this is pretty common. We live in an area that frequently gets hail. We had a roofer come out to get a quote about replacing the roof and he said he saw a lot of hail damage. We called our insurance company, they looked at it, and gave us a new roof (minus deductible of course).

I was nervous about making a claim since you always hear not to do it unless it's a catastrophic loss, but we did with no consequences.

 

[gacompguy]

I think we may have roof damage from a hail storm in May. My neighbor is having roof repairs being done on her house and the repairman told me he can see damaged shingles on our roof as well.

Pretty impressive that he could see damage from the ground or on your neighbor's roof. We had hail damage two years ago and every company that we got quotes from told was very clear that the only way to truly tell if there was damage was to actually climb up on the roof and look.

LexiC, it's stories like yours that worry me.

I know nothing about roof construction, and feel like I could easily be talked into taking the insurance adjuster's word. Afterall, they have a vested interest in keeping the costs as low as possible...which is ok with me, provided all the necessary work is done.

I'm thinking of calling a roofing company first to see if they can help me navigate the world of insurance settlements.

Talk to your agent first. They will have the adjuster sent out to take a look at your roof. If the adjuster doesn't get up on the roof, ask for someone else to come take a look. They may have a vested interest in keeping costs down, but they also have a vested interest in keeping you as a customer. If they make replacing your roof a huge production, ditch them once your repairs are done. When you are ready to call roofers, find someone that is established, licensed & bonded (depending on what your state requires), A+ rated from the BBB, that will give a written itemized quote that includes all labor and parts costs that won't change, and that will do all of the work to your satisfaction before asking for money.

 

[momz]

We live in an urban community, our houses are very close together. If it weren't for the slope, you would pratically be able to jump from one to the next. Would this make it possible for him to see damage on our roof while repairing the neighbors? I don't know these things...it would help me to know. Could this be a person just trying to get more business?

Also, our roof has a much steeper pitch than my neighbors, plus the slope is facing in a different direction. I would suppose that this may affect the degree of damage that is possible with falling hail? So, maybe we had a "glancing blow" in comparison to theirs?

Anyway, if there is real damage, I want it repaired. I don't want the insurance company trying to get out of it. But I also don't want to participate in a scam by a roofing company. Who to trust?

 

[Judique]

We live in an urban community, our houses are very close together. If it weren't for the slope, you would pratically be able to jump from one to the next. Would this make it possible for him to see damage on our roof while repairing the neighbors? I don't know these things...it would help me to know. Could this be a person just trying to get more business?

Also, our roof has a much steeper pitch than my neighbors, plus the slope is facing in a different direction. I would suppose that this may affect the degree of damage that is possible with falling hail? So, maybe we had a "glancing blow" in comparison to theirs?

Anyway, if there is real damage, I want it repaired. I don't want the insurance company trying to get out of it. But I also don't want to participate in a scam by a roofing company. Who to trust?

You would probably not be able to see whats going on with a flat roof on a two story house, but a single story with a pitched roof is very noticable - I have some roof damage and it is clearly seen from the ground.

 

[daughtersrus]

We have State Farm as well. A few years ago we had hail damage to our roof and siding. We had a roofer here when the insurance inspector came out. They ended up covering the cost for a new roof including tearing off the old one as well as replacing the siding on the entire house. At first they only wanted to give us the cost of 3 sides of the siding because they didn't see any damage on the front(the 1st level is brick) but after talking to the agent, he said that they have to do all 4 sides because they wouldn't be able to match the old and there is something called "line of sight" rule.

The inspector also noticed that part of our air conditioning unit had some dings in it so they gave us some money to have it "combed" out. They also paid for new flashing around the sky lights and chimney as well as new roof vents.

Our policy did not increase because of this. They said it was an act of God and not specific to our house like a fire would be. We're still with them several years later.

They paid us some of the money upfront. We had to send the check to a Wells Fargo office in CO because they don't have any in the Chicago area to sign the check. Once the work was completed, they sent the remaining amount. Again, we had to send it to CO to be endorsed.

We do have "replacement cost" on our policy. I think that altogether, it was somewhere around $20,000.

 

[NolansAngel]

A roofer is out to make money..... while you very well could have hail damage the best thing would be to call your insurance and let them send out an adjuster. Then I would get more than 1 estimate from reputable roofing companies. My parents are emergency insurance adjusters and roofers have been know to pad the bill just to line their pockets even more. Just a thought though I am not saying that all are bad just a few. Also if you are not satisfied with you adjuster be sure to call your insurance company again and request a reinspect with a different adjuster or a TA. *basically a field supervisor*


HTH

 

[amberdburke]

We just did this with State Farm last week, and it went wonderfully! We had already gotten two estimates from local roofers, and State Farm agreed to give us $, but didn't give us enough for either estimate. They gave us $1750 to start and will give us the rest once we pay our deductible. We found another (very reputable) company that agreed to do it for what State Farm was giving us. Good Luck

 

[Disneyliscious]

We had a portion of our roof damaged in March 2010. I called our insurance company and they sent someone out. They deemed the entire roof needed to be repaired - over $7000 to replace.

The problem (as someone else mentioned) was that the mortgage company would not release the funds until the work had been done. I had to pay out of pocket and then take weeks, even months to get reimbursed. The work had to be done in spurts because of this. It was finally completed in March 2011 and I have yet to get my last $300 I spent out of pocket for repairs.

Insurance companies are really making it hard on individuals now. Its quite sickening, honestly. Our insurance company was Assurance. We no longer have them.

 

[*Seanaci*]

Get at LEAST 3 quotes from reputable roofing companies (check with your local Better Business Bureau for reputable companies; or if friends or family in the area have had their roofs replaced, ask who they used). I know that we have heda several different roofing companies in our neighborhood the last few months due to the torrential storms we've been having. One of them said they work with insurance companies to insure that we don't pay more than is necessary (especially if it is a repair the insurance should cover). We were not in a place to even have them go up on our roof and give an estimate at the time, so I have no idea if what they were saying is true. Anywho!

Call your insurance.

If it were me, I would def have a roofing company out when the adjustor comes (in case the adjustor won't get on the roof; sorry, I believe if someone is going to pay for my roof to be replaced/repaired, they need to actually get up on my roof and see/look for the damage up close, rather than standing on the ground and saying "Yeah...looks like you need a little repair there...and maybe one there..." Doesn't make much sense to me to file a claim based on "welll, from down here it looks like it needs a little bit of repairs").

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

We just had our roof done. We had the adjuster and roofer show up at the same time. Ours was a total replace, based on the # of "strikes" on each part.

We didn't pay anything up front! We got a check for part of it from insurance and gave it to the roofer. We will get another check when the roofer submits all paperwork and pass it along to them too.

Aspen has been great - they have a salesdude that handles all the paperwork and scheduling and contacting the insurance co. I have California Casulalty for insurance.

Good luck - hope all goes well for you!

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

We are in the middle of this process too from hail damage in May. Between storms in April and another round in May, several cities around us have had hail damage to cars and roofs. Roofing companies are booked way out, even to give estimates. Knowing that, I am very leary of roofing companies who are knocking on our door, wanting to give us an estimate. Researching them a little, I find that they are from out of state and are coming in temporarily to do work. I'm avoiding those, mainly because we have a very complex roofline, with many hips and valleys. We have been on the waiting list for a month for local two different local companies.

I didn't know the process either, as I've never had to file a claim. I filed the claim, and an adjuster came out about 2 weeks later. He spent 1-1/2 hours on my roof. He is recommending a new roof and new gutters/downspouts. We haven't received notice yet of what they will pay. We have Farm Bureau insurance.

Will be glad to get through the whole mess!

 

[disneymarie]

We had damage to our roof from a noreaster that blew through Long Island last March. Called the insurance company (also State Farm) and they sent an adjuster out within a couple of days. He evaluated the damage, calculated what State Farm would cover and how much the repairs/replacement would cost...gave us a check on the spot. At the time, we had no idea what it would cost to make the necessary repairs.

Life got crazy for us for a while, so we didn't get around to getting roofing estimates until earlier this year. Turns out that the shingles on our roof (which were pretty old) couldn't be replaced because they were no longer being manufactured, so we had the entire roof replaced. What the insurance paid us only covered one-third of what the new roof cost. We appealed to have additional monies released, but State Farm wouldn't budge.

PS - we were just notified the other day that State Farm is dropping our coverage. The roof damage was our one and only claim in 16 years.

Best of luck with your claim.

As a field adjuster, not usuallly property claim, but more over the last year...If I am sent out with the owners two estimates it is a lot fairer to review the estimates and confirm the work and prices. I am not a contractor and they may see something; as a particular flashing, or tile used that can be addressed. I can count the footage, estimate the amount involved, but the contractor on the roof, can see the totality and then I justify the situation. The work can be documented to the carrier for the check...this will avoid the under or unknown problems.
It is nearly imposible as time goes on to note storm damage, and natural wear, or other.
Just my thought from my end. Good luck

PS A sister filed a claim just over a week ago. THe adjuster came out and contractor covered her roof with tarp. By this week it looks like they will cover where a tree grew into the roof, but also are dropping her coverage. I believe she still has Allstate this is her second claim. She had a fire claim and at that time only did half the roof.

 

[mnrose]

Something I know something about! Yeah.

We had hail damage and a new roof from a storm in May 08, and now, we are in the process again (from a storm in early July). In our case, we called the insurance company right away, and got that process going (we had damage to our siding which was plainly visible, as well as holes in our deck). We waited about 10 days for the adjuster to come.

In the meantime, we also called our contractor (the people we use in our rental properties, and for the roof in 2008), so it was someone we *trusted*...this is very important. Unfortunately, storm damage is a magnet for less than honest contractors, and a lot of fly by nights. If you do not have a contractor you trust, ask your co-workers, friends and relatives. Then CHECK THEM OUT with the BBB before you contact them.

Our contractor went up on the roof with my husband, and they found damage. You cannot see if from the ground. You MUST be on your roof. It's a subtle thing.

The adjuster came and did his assessment. He found damage too, and said a new roof is necessary. Within 5 days, we had a check in hand, less the deductible, for the entire amount of estimated repairs. If our contractors estimate (we are still waiting on that) is in the ball park, we are set to go. Last time, it was very close, and we ended up being only a few hundred dollars out of pocket. Not bad.

If there is a huge discrepancy, we will go back to the insurance company and argue that they estimated too low and get an adjustment of our settlement amount. I am not expecting that. I have found our insurance company to be fair in their calculations (we have American Family).

Beware of contractors who say they will "negotiate" for you with the insurance company, and "do the job" for whatever they get from insurance. That is NOT how it should work. YOU hire the contractor. YOU pay the contractor. Our contractor is not even interested in what we are getting from insurance (unless there is a big difference). It costs what it costs, and he does not care what insurance offers us. If it works out in our favor, fine. We keep it.

 

[ccgirl]

I think we may have roof damage from a hail storm in May. My neighbor is having roof repairs being done on her house and the repairman told me he can see damaged shingles on our roof as well.

What should I do? Who do I call first? The insurance company or the roofing company? We have state farm insurance as well. According to my neighbor, this is the worst company to have to deal with when it comes to storm damage. Who knew?


Any advice?

Call your insurance company to see if it is even covered. Some people aren't covered for damage from wind/hail. I, myself, am covered but the deductible is like $5,000. It is very difficult to even get insurance coverage where I am. Most people I know that have gotten coverage are not reviewed if they make a claim, then they have to go on the expensive state plan. After the deductible, it wouldn't really cost that much more as I have an uncle that is a roofer. So, in my case, I probably wouldn't make the claim. Policies vary so widely you should call your insurance company to see if it's even covered.

Good luck.