Hail Damage
Hail damage (like wind damage) is usually sustained during a severe storm. As such, there may also be water damage and/or wind damage also sustained during a hail damage event. With the presence of ever-invasive water, hail damage can create hidden damage inside of your property as water flows through holes made by hail.
While most insurance policies cover damage by hail, insurance companies do not go out of their way to look for additional damage to your property. This is why it's extremely important to hire a public adjuster from PA Public Adjusters to make sure you get all of your damage properly rehabilitated and a full payment from your insurance company whenever you experience hail damage.
For over 20 years, the PA Public Adjusters have helped victims of hail damage maximize their insurance claims. Our well-trained staff has mastered state-of-the-art technology including thermal imaging and moisture meters so they can find hidden damages that would go unnoticed by your insurance company. Contact us if you’ve had any recent incidents of hail damage.
Remember that a public adjuster works for YOU, the insured, and we guarantee more money for your claim or you owe us nothing.
I've Experienced Hail Damage. What do I do?
Hail damage can be catastrophic to any dwelling or business.
PA Public Adjusters recommends that you stay calm and do the following:
1. Call the PA Public Adjusters
A lot of people think they have to wait until they are denied an insurance claim before they can call an experienced public adjuster. But what they don’t know is that if you call the team at the PA Public Adjusters first, then we can inspect the damages right away and make sure all of your bases are covered. We’ll provide detailed documentation that we will share with your insurance company so there will be no gray areas or loopholes for them to argue against. Call the PA Public Adjuster first, let us do our job!
2. Begin mitigation of the hail damage
Commonly, hail storms occur as part of a larger storm front and may be accompanied by strong winds and/or heavy rainfall. As such, it’s normal for additional damage to occur after an initial hail damage (for instance, rain leaking through a hole in your roof made by hail). For mitigation purposes, your responsibility is NOT to rehabilitate or restore any of the damage. Your responsibility is to ensure that no additional damage occurs because of the initial damage. This means that for hail damage, most mitigation efforts will involve putting a tarp over holes in your roof and/or siding and covering any broken windows.
3. Start a claim with your insurance company
It is vital to file a claim with your insurer after you are hit by a hailstorm. If you fail to do so, there will be no payout of what was damaged or destroyed. A public adjuster service like ours recommends contacting them first – but it’s important to make sure to at least contact your insurance company to start the claim process.
4. Document ALL damage with photos and video
When you experience hail damage, document every bit of the devastation that it caused. Make sure to take plenty of pictures and video clips if possible – inside and out! A hailstorm can cause problems beyond a damaged roof or broken windows, so document anything out of the ordinary. Remember that your insurance company cannot compensate you for damage that they do not know about.
5. Request a certified copy of your insurance contract
Do you want to know what really matters when it comes to insurance? It’s going over the fine print of your policy because even if it doesn’t seem significant at first glance, small things can add up. So before you do anything else, contact your insurer for a copy of your contract so our team at the PA Public Adjusters can go over it with a fine toothed comb for different types of coverage and claims not currently included in your claim.
6. Stay Calm and trust the PA Public Adjusters
Hail damage is hard to deal with, and it can be frustrating dealing with insurance companies who often refuse to pay for covered damages. But this doesn’t need to happen to you. That’s because all hail damage issues are handled by the experienced adjusters from the PA Public Adjusters who know how to handle these matters and negotiate fair settlements between you and your insurance company so that you’re always getting the proper deal. Call us today if you’ve been impacted by hail.
Hail Damage Claim Denied?
A denial from your insurance company shouldn’t stop you. It won’t happen without a fight – and that’s where we come in. Let us handle it, and make sure what rightfully belongs to you ends up back where it should be – in your wallet!
Get a second opinion if your insurance company has denied your wind damage insurance claim due to…”
…damage is normal wear and tear.”
…damage value below deductible.”
…lack of substantiating evidence.”
…failure to mitigate damages.”
…lack of proof of value.”
…insufficient coverage.
Typical Causes of Hail Damage
The most common cause of hail damage is, unsurprisingly, Hail.
Hailstorms are often accompanied with strong winds and heavy rain. As such, some damage can be caused by an initial hail impact (hail putting a hole in your roof) but then exacerbated by additional damage from ancillary causes (rain pouring through the hole caused by the hail).
Even though most hail falls straight down, strong wind gusts can blow hail horizontally, potentially damaging your windows and/or siding.
Typical Types of Hail Damage
- Roof Damage: A property’s roof is the most commonly damaged part during a hailstorm. Unfortunately, damage to your roof caused by hail can be difficult to detect which can result in lingering and unrepaired damage that allows water to leak through the roof and into the walls of your property. Whenever you experience hail damage to your roof, it’s important to have an experienced professional from the PA Public Adjusters safely inspect your entire roof and living areas for additional, undocumented damage.
- Window and Siding Damage: Even though hail typically falls vertically, strong winds (or sometimes just natural atmospheric conditions) can cause hail to fall at angles. When this happens, your windows and siding are susceptible to cracking, chipping or holes.
- Skylight Damage: A hard-hitting ball striking a window usually brings about carnage, so it’s no surprise when large hail destroys skylights. It’s typical to see broken seals and shattered glass. But the issue doesn’t stop there – if shards of glass or other debris fall inside they can cause serious injuries.
- Property Damage: Heavy hail can cause devastation to your property, as hard balls of ice fall from the sky and smash into everything they touch. Trees or their branches are often no match for the power of ice falling at an alarming rate, and they too will break under pressure. Impact from hail onto outdoor appliances, such as HVAC or AC units, can lead to dents and possible major damage from water once the hail melts.
- Automobile Damage: Your homeowners or business insurance won’t cover your vehicle(s), but that doesn’t mean that they don’t get damaged. If your automobile is damaged by hail, you will need to file a claim with your automotive insurance company. The most common types of automobile damage by hail are dents in the body and cracks in the windows.