When seasons change, weather conditions do, too, and hailstorms can damage your roof. In 2019, there were more than 4,000 hail storms that unleashed fury in the United States!
All hailstorms are not created equally– some may be severe with hail as large as softballs of ice that converge on the roof– yikes. Other kinds of hailstorms produce hail the size of small pebbles that aren’t as harmful and only make some noise.
After a storm hits your roof, you need to figure out how severe it was– did it completely pulverize the roof or just hit it lightly, with no traces of any leaks or cracks in the rooftop?
From inside the house, it is virtually impossible to ascertain the impact of a hailstorm. At most, you can simply guess what happened “up there.”
If hail did damage the roof, though, it’s important to file an insurance claim quickly. As with every other insurance claim, the claim will be valid for only a limited period of time, so the claim must be filed within the allowed time period.
Therefore, after a particularly bad hailstorm hits, schedule a professional inspection that can be carried out to find out the scope of damage.
Hail impacting tiles and roofs can penetrate shingles and cause serious dents and cracks indicating that the roof has sustained damages. Debris accumulating on the roof with littered roof pieces scattered about are tell-tale signs that a roof has been hit badly and major repair work needs to be done.
Insurance claims vary significantly with different rooftops and need to be carefully studied in order to file a realistic and integrated claim. Timing is of the essence here. Insurance companies differentiate between cosmetic and functional damage– cosmetic damages are typically not covered by an insurance company.
After a storm hits, schedule a roofing inspection as quickly as possible. A professional roofing contractor can inspect the roof for damage.