Hail damage on your roof can be very common but costly to repair, accounting for almost half of all homeowner’s insurance claims each year! Signs of hail damage include dents, discoloration, or damaged shingles. If not caught and repaired, hail damage can lead to further destruction of your home.
It’s a good idea to check your roof for signs of hail damage, especially if there has been a storm in your area recently. If you find evidence of hail damage, you’ll probably be able to put in a claim to your insurance. The catch is that hail damage can be tricky to spot if you don’t know just what to look for.
Luckily, the home and car insurance
super app Jerry
has broken down the different types of hail damage, what they look like, and how to safely check your roof for tell-tale clues. What does hail damage look like?
Most houses in areas with that experience hail have roofing made from either asphalt, composition, or wooden shingles. Each of these materials will show more specific signs of hail damage, like:
Loss of granules, leaving the shingles bare in places
Dents in the shingles which are black and soft to the touch
The shingles have an overall shiny appearance
If you have wooden shingles, the signs of hail damage will be a bit different. Instead of soft divots, wooden shingles will likely have long splits in the wood and orange/brown discoloration.
Identifying additional exterior hail damage
If your roof is damaged by hail, you will likely find additional damage to the exterior of your home. Hail falls more sporadically than other precipitation, so the damage pattern will seem pretty random.
Check the soft metal on the exterior of your home, like roof vents, air conditioning units, rain gutter, and mailboxes. If these objects have dents and dings on them, you probably have some hail damage.
How to safely check for hail damage
The safest way to check for hail damage to your roof is from the ground. Examine the exterior of your house and the objects surrounding it. If there are dents in your car or scattered damage to your garage door, you may have hail damage.
Also check for dents in your AC unit, electric meter, mailbox, and other outdoor soft metal items as this can be a sign of more extensive hail damage.
Staying on the ground is the safest way to look for signs of hail damage, but you can’t know for certain if your roof is damaged unless you check the actual roof. This can be tricky without the proper experience, so you may want to consider hiring a professional to assess any damage.
How hail can damage your roof
The shingles on your roof form a tight network that keeps your house safe from moisture. When the shingles are damaged or shifted from hail, it leaves you vulnerable to leaks. Left unresolved, these leaks can eventually lead to mold in your home.
Your roof also serves as an added layer of insulation. If there is a gap in your roofing, your house will not retain heat as well. You’ll end up with a colder house and a higher heating bill!
Does insurance cover hail damage?
The good news is that most standard homeowners’ insurance will include coverage for hail damage. You should see “Windstomes and hail damage” listed as one of their named perils in your policy.
If you live in an area where hail damage is common, insurance companies are more likely to include restrictions on when and how much they will pay for hail damage. Many insurers now only cover hail damage if it affects the functionality of the roof, meaning purely cosmetic damages are not always covered.
It is still a good idea to double-check your policy though, as the exact type and extent of the coverage will vary depending on your location and insurance provider.
How you can save on homeowner’s insurance
If you have to put in an insurance claim to repair hail damage, your premiums will probably go up. Don’t worry, there are some great ways to save on homeowner’s insurance that should offset the increase.
The best way to save on homeowner’s insurance is to do some comparison shopping. No two insurance companies will give you the same exact rate. If you look, you can usually find coverage similar to yours that is more affordable.
Getting and comparing quotes from multiple insurers can be tedious and time-consuming though. Getting just one quote requires a decent amount of paperwork.
Luckily, insurance comparison and broker app Jerry
is here to make the whole process quick and easy. Just download the app, enter your information, and let us do the rest! We’ll have 50+ quotes for you to choose from in as little as 45 seconds! Another great way to cut down on your homeowner’s insurance costs is by bundling your policy together with your auto insurance, and Jerry can help with that too!
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