It’s that time of the year again! Although some of you may be thinking baseball season and spring picnics, I am actually referring to hail season.
While we have no control over when or where a hail storm strikes, you can still be proactive to mitigate your damages. Below are a few links to insurance carriers’ recommendations on how to be better prepared.
So, you have prepared as much as possible. The storm hits. What’s next? In my current role helping clients through claims, I see varying degrees of damages as well as industries impacted. Regardless of the industry you are in, a claim can be a stressful ordeal. Below are some actions to take.
Shawn Webb, a Travelers’ adjuster with over 19 years of property claims experience, gives this piece of advice, “Hail does not equal damage. Many insureds think that if their neighbor has hail damage to their roof, they will have hail damage, also. That is not always the case. The neighbor may have a 15 or 20 year old roof and the insured’s roof may be 5 years old. The 15-20 year roof will be more susceptible to hail damage due to its age. Conversely, just because the insured’s neighbor does not have hail damage does not mean the insured should not check their roof for damage. Always check after hail.” (S. Webb, personal communication, February 21, 2019). So, just because your neighbor is getting a new roof does not mean you are entitled to a new roof.
“Until the membrane behind the shingle is broken, the shingle is still functional.” With over 14 years of auto and property claims handling experience, Doug Sexton, from Cincinnati wants to make the distinction between cosmetic vs. functional damage. The sloping of the roof can also impact what areas of the roof are damaged which then affects whether a roof is replaced or repaired
Caryn Nagel, Great American Divisional Assistant Vice President with over 13 years of claims experience, provides some helpful advice and tips.
Sources:
https://www.libertymutual.com/masterthis/protect-from-hail
https://www.wnins.com/resources/personal/features/prepareforhail.shtml
Nagel, Caryn . (2019, March 1). Phone interview.
Sexton, D. (2019, February 25). Phone interview.
Webb, S. (2019, February 21). Email interview.