Hail Damage and Your Roof Insurance Claim

Claims are denied for one of three reasons: no proof of damage, no proof hail caused it, or no proof of when. Everything here is about proving those three before anyone climbs your roof.

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The claim is won or lost on documentation

Insurers do not deny hail claims because they dislike you. They deny them because the file does not prove three things: that damage exists, that hail caused it, and that it happened within the policy period.

Everything below is about proving those three.

Before you call the insurer

1. Get an independent inspection and a written report. Do this first. Walking into a claim without knowing what is up there means the adjuster's opinion is the only opinion.
2. Photograph the soft metal — gutters, vents, flashing, the AC condenser. Dents in metal are the clearest corroboration hail was present.
3. Find the storm date. National Weather Service records and local news archives establish when hail fell at your address. Your claim needs a date, not a season.
4. Photograph interior damage if any — ceiling stains, attic decking, insulation.
5. Gather your policy. Know your deductible and whether it is a flat amount or a percentage of dwelling coverage. Percentage deductibles on wind and hail are common in Texas and much larger than people expect.

What happens at the adjuster's visit

The adjuster climbs the roof, marks test squares — usually ten by ten feet on each slope — and counts hail hits within each. Insurers typically require a threshold number of hits per square before they will call the slope damaged.

Have your contractor there. Not to argue, but because two people looking at the same roof find more than one, and because a contractor who knows the test-square method can point out damage on slopes the adjuster has not walked.

If the claim is denied or underpaid

• Ask for the denial in writing with the specific reason. "No damage found" is not a reason; it is a conclusion.
• Request a re-inspection. You are entitled to ask, and a second adjuster sometimes reaches a different conclusion.
• Provide what was missing. If the denial cites no storm date, supply the weather record. If it cites insufficient damage, supply the test-square photographs.
• Know that the Texas Department of Insurance takes complaints and that the process exists.

Two things that cost homeowners money

Signing a contract before the claim is settled. Storm-chasing contractors appear after every hailstorm with an agreement that commits you to them for whatever the insurer pays. Some are fine. Many leave the state afterwards, and a warranty from a company with no local address is worth nothing.

Accepting the first figure without reading the scope. An insurance estimate is a line-item document. Check whether it includes tear-off of the existing layers, decking replacement where needed, underlayment, flashing, ridge vent and permits. Missing line items are where a covered replacement quietly becomes a partial one.

Call 832-662-4107