A hail-damaged roof is a Tulsa OK property owner’s worst nightmare. Massive hailstorm damage assures the property will need a comprehensive roof repair service or a complete replacement. Fortunately, hail storm insurance claims make it easier to manage the huge financial commitment you’ll face in this situation.
However, insurance companies seek to minimize the payouts you receive from your policy. In fact, this is common practice for most companies to help maximize profit. True enough, you’re only looking to receive adequate financial support from your insurer. Therefore, knowing how to maximize your hailstorm insurance is important.
After reading this post, readers will know more about:
- The common signs of hail damage on your Tulsa OK roof and property
- How to maximize their insurance claims and avoid possible benefit reduction by insurance adjusters
Hail Storm Insurance Claims: Signs of Damages
Bruised or Cracked Roofing Material
To help maximize your hail storm insurance claims, it helps to know how it bruises or cracks your roofing material.
Hailstones travel at a velocity that is faster than raindrops because of its weight-adding size. An average hailstone has twice the size of a pea. On the other hand, large hailstones have the size of a palm or softball.
Therefore, upon impact on asphalt, architectural, or wood shingles, the small peas will create bruises and even holes similar to small arms gunfire. Contrarily, large hailstones will create huge bruises or cracks on your shingle roof.
Related: Hail Damage on Shingles: Damage Assessment and Providing Repairs
These are important to remember because they determine how much does insurance pay for hail damage.
Clay and slate tiles have better resistance against hailstones. However, they can still bruise and crack in the same way as roofing shingles with repeated hailstorms.
Dents and Scratches on Metal Roof
Metal is a strong and granule-free roofing material. Therefore, to maximize your hail stone insurance claims, it pays to know the type of damage metal roofs suffer during hailstorms.
Both galvanized and galvalumed corrugated or standing seam metal roof will suffer minimal to no denting when it comes to a single incident of hailstorm. While you will find some chipped protective paint upon inspection, reputable roofing contractors can hammer out the dents and tighten the fasteners of the roofing material.
Aluminum is a lightweight roofing material. Because they have less density, they’re extremely prone to dents and scratches right after a single hailstorm incident.
Internal Ceiling Leakage
If you’re seeing yellowish stains on your internal roof right after the hailstorm, it is possible that hailstones have penetrated your internal roof. It is possible your policy covers this and you can make hail storm insurance claims for internal roof repairs.
Yellowish stains on ceilings and cracked, peeling wall paint are signs of leaks hailstones possibly caused. During these situations, you can use pails and buckets to catch possible drips from ceiling to floor. However, if you are dealing with small hailstone melt, then you might only end up with yellow-stained ceilings.
Visible Attic Water
Your hail storm insurance claims might not provide for attic water damages. However, if you have visible attic water, the roof on top of the attic itself is possibly within the coverage of your insurance policy.
Massive leaks a combination of hailstone impacts and rainwater erosion will cause huge torrents of water to flow into your attic. In fact, Tulsa OK homeowners are lucky to trap water inside their attics and prevent them from dripping into the lower floors.
If you have visible attic water, make sure to call a roofing contractor right away for quick reparations.
Minimal to Moderate Mold Growth
Mold growth happens mostly in the worst situations of hailstone damage. While your hail storm insurance claims might not cover mold extermination services, signs of mold growth that hailstones and rain erosion cause will need immediate contractor attention.
Remember, mold growth is dangerous to the health of the household. So, make sure to have them removed from your home quickly.
5 Ways to Maximize Your Tulsa OK Roof Insurance Claims
Call a Contractor for a Comprehensive Roof Inspection
To begin the hail storm insurance claims process, you’ll need to call your trusted local roofer first. In fact, the roofing contractor to call is one who is honest, has roof insurance claims experience, and delivers excellent work ethic and results.
Having these contractors inspect your roof comprehensively will reward you with opportunities to maximize your insurance policy benefits.
Make sure to call them as soon as possible to avoid going over the hail damage insurance claim time limit
Review your Insurance Terms and Conditions
Remember, you can only claim benefits you are due. If you want to know which benefits these are, you’ll need to review your policy terms and conditions.
If you have a roof-exclusive insurance policy, then it is possible you have a complete set of benefits for any roofing damages including coverage for roof and roof support structure (such as joists and underlayment) hailstorm damages.
On the other hand, a general property insurance policy can only provide general roof damage insurance. In some cases, your terms and conditions might indicate a fixed amount to support your roof repair or replacement needs after a hailstorm.
Can you claim hail damage twice? If your insurance policy mentions you can use your coverage twice, then you can do so.
Call the Adjuster and Schedule an Appointment
Once you have the comprehensive roof inspection results and reviewed your insurance coverage limitations, it’s time to call your insurance adjuster. Don’t fear dealing with the insurance adjuster on hail damage too much.
Remember, your adjuster might bring their trusted roofing contractor to perform inspections. Fortunately, you have another contractor to perform a comprehensive inspection giving both you and the adjuster a clear picture of the hailstorm damage.
In light of this, it prevents your adjuster from minimizing your insurance benefits with possible misreports from their respective contractor.
Finalizing the Roof Repair or Replacement Details
Your insurance adjuster will create a checklist of all damages within your insurance coverage limitations. Then, they will show this to you and give you a copy.
If your insurance policy allows you to use a third-party contractor, then you can use your respective contractor to perform repairs. However, some policies require the insurer-accredited contractor to perform the repairs.
You, the adjuster, and the roofing contractor will finalize the dates for the roof repair or replacement service.
Payment and Comprehensive Fixes
Most insurance providers will inform you through text, calls, or emails about the availability of your roof insurance check. In fact, they may choose to issue multiple checks.
First, you will need to cash the checks. Then, you can deposit the amount to your contractor’s bank account or issue them a check from your own account. Because the contractor knows about the insurer’s installment payments, the work can begin at the dates you and the other parties have finalized.
Wrapping Up
Maximizing your hailstorm insurance claims is not rocket science. It just takes an excellent attention to detail and diligence in going through the process.
If you haven’t a trusted roofer to help you, you can work with Ranger Roofing of Oklahoma. With decades of experience fixing hail damage roof and helping with insurance claims for decades, we are confident we can help you maximize your insurance claims for any sort of roofing damage.
