While spring and summer are my favorite times of year to be in Colorado, one unfortunate aspect of the warmer months is the possibility of hail. We heard and saw pictures this week of large hail that fell in Longmont, Niwot, Erie, and Frederick/Firestone, and we know there were big storms in Denver as well. Of course with hail comes roof damage, insurance claims, and more.
So what should you do if you believe you may have hail damage at your home?
We typically recommend having a reputable roofer come out to do a free estimate to inspect the damage before filing an insurance claim. A reputable roofer will be able to tell you if you have enough damage to file an insurance claim, and if you do, they will even meet the insurance adjuster out at your home during a secondary visit to make sure all the items that were damaged (like of course the roof, but also things like outdoor furniture, grills, fencing, screens, roof flashing, etc), do indeed get covered by your claim.
If a roofer comes out and tells you you don't have enough damage to file an insurance claim, then that is good news! You don't need to call your insurance company at all, and you won't get dinged by your insurance company for filing any kind of claim.
Steve Hakes, an insurance broker that we know, reiterated that using a reputable roofer is very important. In the coming days, there will be roofers door knocking in neighborhoods that may have been impacted by hail.
Some of the companies door knocking may be less than stellar actors, and some can even be scammers. Steve said that bad roofing companies can be a nightmare to work with for homeowners and insurance companies alike, and some blatantly scam homeowners out of their hard earned money. Steve's advice was to ignore the door knocking companies altogether and make sure any roofer you have come out is from a company recommended to you by your insurance broker, Realtor, or other trusted source.
Steve also mentioned that since this is the first storm of the season, if there’s no damage (e.g., leaks, missing shingles) but the roofer recommends replacing the roof, it might make sense to hold off till later in the year to replace it. If this is the kind of hailstorm we have at the start of the season we could get more like it later. He said it will be better with insurance and rates to file one hail claim than multiple hail claims.
If you think you might have hail damage to your home, Ken and I would like to be a resource to you. Please reach out to us directly and we can put you in touch with roofing contractors that we know and trust.
As always, don't hesitate to reach out!
