If you live in an area that receives a lot of large hail during certain storms, your personal property and your home could be damaged during a storm. This is why it might be important for you to do everything you can to understand how the claims process works.
It might also be a good idea for you to do your best to know what you should expect when you need to file an insurance claim for damage that is done to your roof. If your area experiences a storm with heavy hail, you will need to check your home and outside property for any damages caused by the storm.
For example, you might want to check your roof, your fence, shutters, the siding of your home, and even your vehicles. Knowing your roof is damaged soon after the storm happens increases your chances of filing a successful insurance claim.
Record the Cause of Roof Damage
After the hailstorm has passed, it is important for you to write down when the storm took place. It might also be a good idea for you to take pictures of the hail as well. The pictures that you take should be able to show their size easily. If you are not able to take pictures of the hail that caused damage to your roof, you can do a search online for pictures.
Remember to look for official news pictures of the hail that was a part of the storm that took place in your area. This information will be provided for your insurance agent. It will help them make a decision about your claim.
Consult Roofing Company
After the storm has passed and you have confirmed that the hailstorm did damage our roof, you will need to get the help of a roofing company. Call the roofing company before you contact your insurance company. The roofing company should be able to provide a written estimate of how much it would cost to fix the damage done to your roof by hail.
When the roofing company provides the estimate for you, it is important for you to make sure that the estimate details the damage caused by hail and the damage caused by general wear. You might want to ask the roofing company professionals to inspect your other belongings for hail damage. For example, this might include screens, windows, tools, and AC units.
Knowing Your State’s Insurance Regulations and Your Insurance Policy
It is a good idea for you to know about your insurance policy before you file a complaint with your insurance company concerning your roof’s hail damage. It is important for you to make sure that your insurance company is not able to drop your insurance policy when you try to file your claim against damage caused by the weather.
There are quite a few different states with different laws in place to protect men and women from insurance companies that might try to do this.
Filing the Claim
Once you are ready to file your insurance claim, you can schedule a meeting with your insurance agent. It might be a good idea for you to get a representative from the roofing company to meet as well.
This allows the representative and your insurance agent to compare notes about the damage done to your roof. Once everything has been verified, your insurance agent will be able to tell you how much your settlement will be.
