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How I do I know if I have hail damage to my roof?
If you've had hail in your area, or your neighbors had
hail damage chances are you too had hail damage. To determine
if the shingles have been damaged a close inspection of
the shingles has to be made from the roof. Usually you
cannot tell from the ground.
What does hail do to my roof and why will my insurance
company pay to replace my roof?
Hail damages the shingle mat, which holds the granules
that protect the mat from the elements. As the shingle
expands and contracts it will lose granules thus, exposing
the mat, which in turn dries out and allows moisture to
enter causing leaks and an eventual complete roof system
failure.
If I think I have hail damage what should I do?
Call
us and have us meet your insurance adjuster for an inspection.
This way we can ensure that you will be compensated
for all damage to your property. If there are any discrepancies
between the adjuster's findings and Total Resource Contracting,
Inc.’s findings we will call for a "RE-INSPECTION" where
your adjuster meets with the roofer to go over the roof
again. Re-inspections are very common and you can even
ask for a different adjuster. The insurance company must
determine two things when assessing the amount of your
loss:
1. Was there sufficient damage to the roof to declare
it a total loss?
2. What is the size of the roof and how many shingles will
be needed to replace the roof.
Do
I really need to get my roof inspected?
The menacing nature of hail damage is that it may pose
no immediate threat to the structural integrity of the
roof. If not addressed the damage may lead to the eventual
failure of the entire roof system. Also, many insurance
companies have a "statute of limitations" of
how long a hail claim is viable.
What does hail do to a roof?
Shingles
are designed so that the granules block the UV of the
sun
and protect the asphalt underlayment. As the
shingles age the granules fall off over time. As the asphalt
is exposed the UV, it dries out and the shingle gets a "potato
chip" appearance as the corners start to curl up.
A shingle at the extreme end of its life is bubbled in
appearance and is brittle to the touch. A 20-year shingle
is warranted by the manufacturer to have a useful life,
under optimal ventilation conditions, of 20 years. Hail
does several things:
1.
Accelerates granule loss.
2. Accelerates shingle aging.
3. Voids manufacturer's warrantees.
4. Leads to other associated problems.
Why
would my insurance company replace my roof?
The purpose of home owner's insurance is to protect homeowners
against losses in their property's value due to damage
that is beyond their control. If you have hail damage,
you have experienced a financial loss in that your original
investment of a 20-year roof (for example) has now been
reduced to a 5-10 year useful life span. Your insurance
company will compensate you for your loss and replace your
roof.
What does hail hit look like?
A
hail hit on a shingle looks like a "bruise" or
a dark spot where the granules on the shingle have been
knocked off and the asphalt underlayment and sometimes
the fiberglass mat is exposed. New hail hits will have
a shiny appearance because the asphalt has been freshly
exposed and has not had time to weather to a dull color.
See some of the picture below:
When
I called a contractor they had a fee which was far
in excess of the small amount the insurance company
offered
to pay me. What can I do?
There could be two reasons that the contractor seemed
to be charging more than what insurance paid you upon their
initial inspection.
• The
insurance company could have withheld depreciation
on your claim. The insurance company will do this
to insure
that the work gets done
• The insurance company did not pay you enough for your loss.
In either situation our claim specialist can assist you
in handling this problem. What is an adjustment for depreciation?
Different insurance companies call the amount that they
hold back different things. Some call it depreciation;
other companies figure it in as a dump and removal fee.
What it represents is the amount of money the company will
hold back until they receive a signed contract from you
and a contractor for the work. When they receive a signed
contract, you will receive another check for the amount
they have held back.
Total
Resource Contracting, Inc. will assess hail damage
for you by conducting a comprehensive roof inspection.
The
inspection often occurs several days to months after
the hail event. |
