Roof Hail Damage and do I need a Public Adjuster

[mickey]

Looking for some advise from those in the insurance or roofing field.

So on 4/14/21 we had a good hail storm in Prairieville. I was able to get home a little over 2 hours later, and lots of the hail on the ground was still larger than a quarter when I got there.


I reached out to my insurance company and the adjuster showed yesterday and put someone up on the roof. The claims adjuster noted and agreed to the damage to the metal chimney case cover, metal roof vents, and rain caps. The shingles are 30y architectural installed when the house was built in 2011.
They did note that there was old damage to the roof. They called the new spots blistering and spatter denied damage to the shingles.

My assumption is that damage is damage, whether it happed a year ago or yesterday, and my homeowners insurance should cover it. Am I wrong?

My question is should I hire a public adjuster to fight with the insurance company?
It’s a pretty good size roof at 61 squares and I don’t want to be on the hook for it if my homeowners insurance should cover it.

Here is a vid from the backyard while it was going on that the wife was able to take.

 

[mickey]

.

 

[Gerberman]

Nice security footage. What type of system do you use? I need to upgrade mine.

 

[mickey]

Nice security footage. What type of system do you use? I need to upgrade mine.

Dahua CVI
This is one of my older cams that is a 2mp. I have others up to 6mp and color night vision as well.
It’s good quality over analog cable. I did not want to pull cat 5 everywhere to run IP cams.
However, IP cams do have better image quality.

More footage from mine

Color night vision


Regular IR night vision

 

[Xeon64]

I am wondering the same thing. I was about to call a roofer first and have them note the damage. I too live in Prairieville and had the same Hail hit. I was fortunate to get my truck in the car port right before. Roof looks jacked up. Next rain and the gutters were filled with grit. I have Liberty Mutual for Insurance.

FYI I have 30 Arch Shingles too from 2010.

Looking for some advise from those in the insurance or roofing field.

So on 4/14/21 we had a good hail storm in Prairieville. I was able to get home a little over 2 hours later, and lots of the hail on the ground was still larger than a quarter when I got there.


I reached out to my insurance company and the adjuster showed yesterday and put someone up on the roof. The claims adjuster noted and agreed to the damage to the metal chimney case cover, metal roof vents, and rain caps. The shingles are 30y architectural installed when the house was built in 2011.
They did note that there was old damage to the roof. They called the new spots blistering and spatter denied damage to the shingles.

My assumption is that damage is damage, whether it happed a year ago or yesterday, and my homeowners insurance should cover it. Am I wrong?

My question is should I hire a public adjuster to fight with the insurance company?
It’s a pretty good size roof at 61 squares and I don’t want to be on the hook for it if my homeowners insurance should cover it.

Here is a vid from the backyard while it was going on that the wife was able to take.

 

[Magdump]

After we had a big storm and pretty much the same level of damage, I had a reputable roofer come out a few years ago and do an inspection and let them deal with the insurance company (Allstate) and I didn’t have one issue. They waived my deductible and paid me for the referrals on the other 3 houses they did near mine. Sounds like maybe you called the wrong folks.

Here’s some good advice:
I find that it’s always easier to let the repair person go to bat with the insurance company. They not only have skin in the game but also know how to handle adjusters way better than a customer ever would. Whether it’s a car or a house, I always let someone else bother with the insurance company. They want to get paid and they’ll call the insurance company out when they try to balk. It’s also nice that I don’t even have to get involved.

 

[mickey]

After we had a big storm and pretty much the same level of damage, I had a reputable roofer come out a few years ago and do an inspection and let them deal with the insurance company (Allstate) and I didn’t have one issue. They waived my deductible and paid me for the referrals on the other 3 houses they did near mine. Sounds like maybe you called the wrong folks.

Here’s some good advice:
I find that it’s always easier to let the repair person go to bat with the insurance company. They not only have skin in the game but also know how to handle adjusters way better than a customer ever would. Whether it’s a car or a house, I always let someone else bother with the insurance company. They want to get paid and they’ll call the insurance company out when they try to balk. It’s also nice that I don’t even have to get involved.

I did get a reputable roofing company involved and he met the adjuster here.
Everything that the experienced roofer pointed out was bucked by the insurance adjuster.
Now, it’s time for round 2 with a 2nd insurance adjuster. I want my ducks in a row this time, but thanks for your input.

 

[Magdump]

I did get a reputable roofing company involved and he met the adjuster here.
Everything that the experienced roofer pointed out was bucked by the insurance adjuster.
Now, it’s time for round 2 with a 2nd insurance adjuster. I want my ducks in a row this time, but thanks for your input.

Gotcha. I only called a roofer. I didn’t give Allstate a heads up. I simply gave the roofer my insurance info and let them go from there and I think maybe that was the key to my success. I hope your situation works out in your favor.

 

[mickey]

I am wondering the same thing. I was about to call a roofer first and have them note the damage. I too live in Prairieville and had the same Hail hit. I was fortunate to get my truck in the car port right before. Roof looks jacked up. Next rain and the gutters were filled with grit. I have Liberty Mutual for Insurance.

FYI I have 30 Arch Shingles too from 2010.

We are in Oaks on the Bluff. We definitely have damage. It seems to be just how difficult the insurance company and adjuster want to be and how far you want to fight them.

 

[Xeon64]

I have fought all the way to the insurance Commissioner before after my car was wrecked and the insurance did not want to pay for proper body work. Looks like I may be doing that again. I think I am going to call Garcia roofing.

We are in Oaks on the Bluff. We definitely have damage. It seems to be just how difficult the insurance company and adjuster want to be and how far you want to fight them.

 

[jcdogfish]

We are in Oaks on the Bluff. We definitely have damage. It seems to be just how difficult the insurance company and adjuster want to be and how far you want to fight them.

Hello Neighbor, I'm also in Oaks on the Bluff. We had one roofer tell us he can see the damage from the street and gave a business card. The roofer we called got on the roof and inspected pretty good and didn't find damage. He found a couple of shingles with minor damage and some dents in the vents. My roof is pretty new, about 5 years old.

 

[LACamper]

I'm an insurance agent for a large insurance company (not allstate).

The advice I would give my clients is to bring in a different roofer and get a second opinion. Pick a good, well established local roofer. Do not get a storm chaser. His job is to convince your adjuster that it's hail damaged. Keep in mind that most roofers ever looked at a roof that he didn't think needed to be replaced.

One thought though... dimensional shingles are much thicker and hail resistant than the old 3 tab shingles. Also, roofs get an algae layer which hail knocks off. It looks damaged but often isn't. Your roof may be fine even though your metal has dents.

I'm not a fan of public adjusters. If your insurance company isn't acting in good faith why should you pay someone? Demand a reinspection and a supervisor's input. If that doesn't work involve the department of insurance. Understand there's a 50% chance that your insurance company is right and the roofer is wrong.

A few other thoughts... be wary of any roofer willing to waive your deductible. Also, your insurance company may allow for say the front half of the roof but not the rear. They owe for what's damaged. They don't owe to make it match cosmetically.

Good luck.

 

[mickey]

Hello Neighbor, I'm also in Oaks on the Bluff. We had one roofer tell us he can see the damage from the street and gave a business card. The roofer we called got on the roof and inspected pretty good and didn't find damage. He found a couple of shingles with minor damage and some dents in the vents. My roof is pretty new, about 5 years old.

Hey Jerry!
Yeah, they checked our roof after the hail storm that come through a few years back and said no damage/no roof. Now they are saying I do have previous hail damage after this one. Our roof is 10 years old now.

 

[mickey]

I'm an insurance agent for a large insurance company (not allstate).

The advice I would give my clients is to bring in a different roofer and get a second opinion. Pick a good, well established local roofer. Do not get a storm chaser. His job is to convince your adjuster that it's hail damaged. Keep in mind that most roofers ever looked at a roof that he didn't think needed to be replaced.

One thought though... dimensional shingles are much thicker and hail resistant than the old 3 tab shingles. Also, roofs get an algae layer which hail knocks off. It looks damaged but often isn't. Your roof may be fine even though your metal has dents.

I'm not a fan of public adjusters. If your insurance company isn't acting in good faith why should you pay someone? Demand a reinspection and a supervisor's input. If that doesn't work involve the department of insurance. Understand there's a 50% chance that your insurance company is right and the roofer is wrong.

A few other thoughts... be wary of any roofer willing to waive your deductible. Also, your insurance company may allow for say the front half of the roof but not the rear. They owe for what's damaged. They don't owe to make it match cosmetically.

Good luck.

Thank you sir. I was hoping you would weigh in. Solid advise.
Question though... with old damage vs. new, can they deny old damage and only cover new? I would have thought damage is damage.

 

[lefty]

"My assumption is that damage is damage, whether it happed a year ago or yesterday, and my homeowners insurance should cover it. Am I wrong?"

Yes you have a duty to report a claim to your insurance company in a timely manner. So it is possible they could deny a claim of old damage. Some companies leave this vague some spell it out in your policy ex. you have 60 days notify the company of a loss.


"They waived my deductible and paid me for the referrals on the other 3 houses they did near mine. Sounds like maybe you called the wrong folks."

If he waived your deductible chances are he was overcharging anyway.

 

[Magdump]

"They waived my deductible and paid me for the referrals on the other 3 houses they did near mine. Sounds like maybe you called the wrong folks."

If he waived your deductible chances are he was overcharging anyway.

Whatever you wanna call it, he didn’t overcharge me and I didn’t pay a nickel, so in effect, he waived my deductible. Cheers.

 

[SouthernUnderGod]

I have Liberty Mutual and have the redass at them. They make silly commercials but my experience with them isn’t silly. I can’t decide about contacting the insurance commissioner, a lawyer or making a YouTube about it. Maybe all three.

We just had a major portion of a tree fall on the roof. There might be damage to some shingles but it doesn’t look like it’s damaged the structure. All we need is the limb (about 16” in diameter, ≈ 4’ around). Liberty Mutual told us that it is due to wind damage and there’s a $5,000 deductible. According to them the NWS recorded wind that night of up to 23 mph, so that’s “high wind”.

A couple of years ago we had another incident. Half a tree fell on the house and there was structural damage. It broke through the roof and into the living room ceiling. Liberty Mutual told us that we had to pay one $5,000 deductible for the tree and another one for the roof.

Of course, when you have damage due to a named storm the deductible is a percentage of the value of your house. The last one was $4,800 or so.

I’m mad as hell at this point. I probably will end up removing this recent debris myself to avoid getting raped again.

It’s not as easy to get home insurance as it was 35 years ago when we bought the house. The last time I tried, Allstate and State Farm told me what claims I had EVER had when I called them. Allstate and State Farm weren’t interested. I had no idea that they had access to MY CLAIMS with another company (Farmers, who quit selling home insurance in LA).


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[Xeon64]

Insurance companies all share information with each other. So when you make a lot of claims they look it up and either charge you more for rates or don't insure you at all. I miss Farmers they were great. Allstate is terrible. Had to battle them twice. Each time I almost have to get a lawyer involved. Once was hurricane damage and the other someone rear ended my Wife's car and Allstate from the other driver did not want to pay for repairs.

I have Liberty and hesitating to call them about Roof Hail Damage.

I have Liberty Mutual and have the redass at them. They make silly commercials but my experience with them isn’t silly. I can’t decide about contacting the insurance commissioner, a lawyer or making a YouTube about it. Maybe all three.

We just had a major portion of a tree fall on the roof. There might be damage to some shingles but it doesn’t look like it’s damaged the structure. All we need is the limb (about 16* in diameter, ≈ 4’ around). Liberty Mutual told us that it is due to wind damage and there’s a $5,000 deductible. According to them the NWS recorded wind that night of up to 23 mph, so that’s *high wind*.

A couple of years ago we had another incident. Half a tree fell on the house and there was structural damage. It broke through the roof and into the living room ceiling. Liberty Mutual told us that we had to pay one $5,000 deductible for the tree and another one for the roof.

Of course, when you have damage due to a named storm the deductible is a percentage of the value of your house. The last one was $4,800 or so.

I’m mad as hell at this point. I probably will end up removing this recent debris myself to avoid getting raped again.

It’s not as easy to get home insurance as it was 35 years ago when we bought the house. The last time I tried, Allstate and State Farm told me what claims I had EVER had when I called them. Allstate and State Farm weren’t interested. I had no idea that they had access to MY CLAIMS with another company (Farmers, who quit selling home insurance in LA).


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[Kraut]

I had a lightning strike last month, right at the peak of the roof on one side of the house, blew some fascia, eave, and wall siding off. The 3rd party inspector?/picture-taker?/measurer? came out and got on the roof, noted no holes or damage to the actual roof from the strike, but went all around and noted some missing shingles which he said were probably wind damage, and included replace/repair for those, sent info to Allstate's adjuster (remote, no Allstate employee came to my house) who sent an estimate package totaling only a few hundred bucks regarding the shingles. Called a company that does roofing and siding, their guy says 20 year old roof (with I think 20 year shingles, he said they USED TO rate as 20/25/30 but now go by some other yardstick?) needs replacement of the roof as trying to repair/replace just makes more damage to surrounding brittle shingles, says it's common with Allstate. Public Adjuster now involved, waiting to hear the response from Allstate, but this company and adjuster ended up getting a complete roof for a neighbor, who also has Allstate, that they only wanted to give $1,300 to for his claim. Through the whole ordeal, the one person I have not spoken to, despite calling for him the morning after the strike, is my actual Allstate agent, more properly titled as "bagman," I guess, since collecting those checks I write several times a year is all his sorry ass is good for.

 

[JimmyJames]

First off, be leery of any roofing company offering to waive your deductible or offer kickbacks. This is insurance fraud and illegal. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Second, denial of older damage is definitely something your Carrier can opt to do, though many companies will afford coverage for older damage if it fell within the policy period. How long have you been an insured for this company? Regardless if they wish to deny older damage, they have every right to do so.

"My assumption is that damage is damage, whether it happed a year ago or yesterday, and my homeowners insurance should cover it."

This is incorrect. Insurance covers sudden and accidental damage attributed to a covered peril. If you cannot argue that damage occurred on X date due to Y peril, it's ongoing, long-term damage. Any hail damage attributed to a specific date of loss is a separate loss from any hail damage that occurred on another date of loss. So if you have a March 21, 2020 hail event, and a separate hail event months later, these are separate dates of loss with separate deductibles applied. If the insurance company can discern that some hail damage is older than others (shrunken asphalt layer, frayed fiberglass weave, furthered granule loss) than they can definitively make this assumption. If wear is minimal and they cannot definitively determine whether it occurred on separate dates of loss, a benefit of the doubt is generally given and it is assumed it all occurred on a single date of loss with a single deductible. You can also have overlapping damages attributed to a single loss. If the Carrier observed both wind and hail damage, and there is a weather report/Benchmark report showing both occurring on the same date of loss, a benefit of the doubt would be given and this would be attributed to a single loss/single deductible event.

But if some damage is clearly older than others, it's separate events. It's at the Carrier's discretion if they wish to allow coverage for older damage, as you failed to report it within the timeline outlined in your policy. That said, they often do in my experience if you've been a policyholder for a long time. Regarding unrelated damage such as blistering, if you have sufficiently large hail to damage 10 year old architectural, you almost assuredly have bruised matting that can be observed on the underside of the shingle. Have your roofer check for bruising, and this is definitive proof that a "hit" is in fact hail and not blistering. Regarding spatter, this is NOT functional damage - it's displaced dirt/debris/algae caused by hail or wind borne debris skipping off of the granule layer. There is no appreciable granule loss, no shorted useful life, and no functional damage requiring repair.