{"id":485,"date":"2012-07-13T14:18:06","date_gmt":"2012-07-13T18:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insuranceclaimsgroup.com\/blog\/?p=485"},"modified":"2012-07-26T20:19:36","modified_gmt":"2012-07-27T00:19:36","slug":"hail-damage-claims-on-the-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insuranceclaimsgroup.com\/blog\/hail-damage-claims-on-the-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Hail Damage Claims On The Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"hail<\/a>Hail Season Is Upon Us<\/h1>\n
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Hail season has prompted Rick Richards, writer for Consumer Insurance Guide, to write a story about hailstorms and hailstorm<\/a> coverage. Joe Brennan of Insurance Claims Group was one of three he interviewed for the story.<\/div>\n
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Parts of the full article is below.\u00a0 As always feel free to add comments or ask questions in our insurance advice forum<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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There is no getting around hail. It hits someplace \u2013 usually several places \u2013 every year in the United States, says Joe Brennan, owner of Insurance Claims Group Inc. in Cary, N.C.<\/p>\n

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For homeowners, hail is unavoidable. \u201cMost all policies cover hail,\u201d Brennan says. \u201cThere is no worry about not being covered.\u00a0 Hail is\u00a0a sudden event we can\u2019t control.\u00a0 That exactly what insurance is meant for – sudden events.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Brennan says hail coverage is different than hurricane coverage. Hurricanes are more predictable. \u201cIn Florida, you may have to buy an endorsement for wind coverage depending on where you live. Because hurricanes routinely strike Florida, many insurance companies won\u2019t include wind damage from hurricanes in their homeowner\u2019s policies.\u201d<\/div>\n

“Hail is much less predictable and can hit anywhere, which is why it is part of\u00a0 basic coverage in nearly all homeowners insurance policies, says Brennan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hail Coverage Deductible<\/h2>\n

What about deductibles?\u00a0 Does a deductible affect your coverage? \u201cAbsolutely, you need to secure a manageable deductible.\u00a0 Too many people buy insurance and lower their\u00a0premiums by requesting or accepting\u00a0a higher deductible. However,\u00a0if your deductible is $1,000 and you don\u2019t have $1,000 in the bank, then your deductible is too high,\u201d says Brennan. While some policies offer a deductible that\u2019s a percentage of the damage, Brennan\u00a0doesn’t recommend it. \u201cIf you have $250,000 in coverage, with a 2.5% deductible – then you have a hail\u00a0damage claim for $25,000, you’d have\u00a0$6,250\u00a0out of pocket to meet the deductible.\u00a0 In the long run, that high of a deductible doesn\u2019t really save you all that much money on premium payments either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone whose property is struck by hail needs to have professionals check to make sure there is damage. Not all hail storms cause damage, Brennan says.\u00a0 Pea sized hail (1\/4 of an inch) or marble-sized hail (1\/2 inch) might not cause damage. Anything larger, say a dime or a quarter (3\/4 to one inch) can cause serious damage. Golf ball sized hail is 1 \u00be inches and softball-sized hail is 4 \u00bd inches according to NOAA.\u00a0 To put this in perspective, hail has to grow to the size of a hen\u2019s egg to dent a car and hail that is half the size of a baseball can kill birds and animals.<\/p>\n

Brennan says roof damage from small sized hail\u00a0is the most difficult to detect because it may be two or three years before the homeowners begins to notice leaks or issues with their roof from prior hailstorms. That discovery sometimes may not\u00a0come until well after the\u00a0time period in which the policyholder has to file a claim.<\/p>\n

Hail Damage Inspections<\/h3>\n

\u201cHave a professional roofer come by to take a look at your roof.\u00a0 It\u2019s important to know if you have hail damage now and report your claim,\u00a0because it\u2019s not the damage done today that matters,\u201d Brennan says.\u00a0 “The hail removes granules that protect the backing from becoming dried-out by the sun.\u00a0 When the baking dries out the shingle becomes brittle and will crack and split over time allowing water entry from other storms,” Brennan includes.<\/p>\n

One way to check is to look if there is an inordinate amount of aggregate from the shingles in the gutters.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore anyone goes up on\u00a0your roof, find out what their inspection includes. The inspector should make a drawing of the roof with \u2018X\u2019 marks\u00a0or circles showing hail\u00a0damage and they should provide you with\u00a0photographs you can submit to your insurance company.\u00a0 This way you have evidence of your damages,\u201d Brennan says.<\/p>\n

“Homeowners also should check window ledges for damage and siding. In larger hail events vinyl siding, Brennan says, will have holes while damage to wood siding isn\u2019t as noticeable.\u00a0 If there are nicks in\u00a0wood siding it can cause splitting, which will lead to leaks.”<\/p>\n

Brennan, of Insurance Claims Group, says that after a storm homeowners need to make sure they do a thorough inspection of their property. After the roof\u00a0inspection make sure to check gutters, windows, window screens, siding and even\u00a0the garage,\u00a0tool shed, fences, the swimming pool and any other outdoor structures.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople should not give up their right to claim damages they suffered. You\u2019ve paid for protection so if the 30-year shingles you put on your roof four years ago are damaged and need to be replaced, that\u2019s 25 years of life from the shingles that you paid for and didn\u2019t get. That\u2019s why you have insurance and why you should file a claim,\u201d Brennan says.<\/p>\n

This hail<\/a> article was originally published by Consumer Insurance Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Also see Hail Damage Claims And Fraudulent Contractors<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\r\n \r\n
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