Hail damage insurance claims

[The motor guy]

So the other hail thread inspired this question. I didn't want to derail it so I started my own. I remember about 10 years ago we had a hail storm that sounded like golf ball hitting the roof. Well it must have sounded worse than it was because no damage was done to my truck that I had at the time. After that though, we had tons of people having their roofs replaced under insurance and we had roofing companies going through the neighborhood for like 2 months. The part that boggled my mind was if no damage was done to out cars, why would the roofs be damaged? I think it was roofing companies taking advantage of the situation and homeowners trying to get a new roof for cheap under their insurance deductible. Opinions?

 

[ammolab]

Happened in my neighborhood. Adjuster said my roof had no damage. Next door guy gave the adjuster $500 and got his roof replaced. I am sure it was prorated but I am also sure it was undamaged.

 

[Nick1994]

Not sure. We had a hail storm 7-8 years ago and it damaged a lot of cars and A/C units. Ours was damaged and the adjuster said the roof was too. Not sure how bad it was, but we got a new roof out of it too. Thanks American Family Insurance!

 

[maxdustington]

Roofs are consumables now a days more than ever. Past a certain damage threshold they might just write the roof off, like a car. Someone is probably greasing a few palms, as well.

What might look undamaged to the lay man might be toast to a pro, that's how a lot of things are.

 

[tomcat27]

I don't get it either. Many houses in my neighborhood have gotten free roofs and siding. Two, very close to ours, have gotten replacements twice. Yes, our homeowners policies have tripled. I don't know why the insurance companies are funding roofs that are simply worn out.

 

[czbrian]

Originally Posted By: tomcat27
I don't get it either. Many houses in my neighborhood have gotten free roofs and siding. Two, very close to ours, have gotten replacements twice. Yes, our homeowners policies have tripled. I don't know why the insurance companies are funding roofs that are simply worn out.


Are they really getting free roofs though? I thought most policies only paid the depreciated value and not full replacement value. Maybe these people are paying for an option to get replacement value.

 

[Andrew1972]

Insurance companies only pay if there is apparent damage. They don’t waste on unneeded claims.

Roofing companies came because apparently there are damage attributed to storm.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: tomcat27
I don't get it either. Many houses in my neighborhood have gotten free roofs and siding. Two, very close to ours, have gotten replacements twice. Yes, our homeowners policies have tripled. I don't know why the insurance companies are funding roofs that are simply worn out.


We had a pretty bad hailstorm last year. All of my neighbors got new siding and shingles. Insurance adjuster came to my place and told me my roof was too new and in great shape and that my siding had aged out.

Apparently he didn't even need to get on the roof to determine there was no damage

 

[Gimpy1]

Insurance companies have a contractual obligation to pay for covered losses that are derived from the event or peril. It is not a free repair or replacement. The homeowner must pay a deductible, any contractor that tells you that they will waive the deductible is committing insurance fraud. If an insurance company refuses to pay for damages they will get sued by their customer ( the insured), it happens all the time on homeowner claims. People must understand that nothing is free, rates will go up because of these questionable claims this is why Texas has some of the highest homeowners rates in the US. To make matters worse some insurers simply quit doing business in that state, which makes the market less competitive.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
We had a pretty bad hailstorm last year. All of my neighbors got new siding and shingles. Insurance adjuster came to my place and told me my roof was too new and in great shape and that my siding had aged out.

Apparently he didn't even need to get on the roof to determine there was no damage


Call a good, top-notch roofing company that will come out and take a look at it. They will tell you whether you need a new one or not. If you do need a new one then they will work with the insurance company on replacement. But you will have to pay your deductible.

Insurance adjusters are more inclined to say "no" to repairs when they can get away with it. You do have a year or two to file for damages. So I'd get crackin. Same thing with the siding. This will tell you how good or bad the insurance company is.

 

[Win]

About fifteen years or so ago, we had a tennis to baseball size hail event over a long, wide, path.

I couldn't tell the shingles on my home were damaged, but a couple of years later when things had slowed down some, I had an adjuster for the insurance company look at it and he said it needed to be replaced. By that time, you could see impact spots on the shingles; maybe that is what they look for.

They usually pay depreciated value, but the language of the homeowner policy, or state law if more favorable, controls.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Has been happening in our neighborhood for months now. Perfectly good shingles being replaced because of some marble size hail. What a waste. No wonder home owners insurance goes up every year.