Roof hail damage often cannot be seen from the ground of a home and that’s a big reason why it hardly ever crosses anyone’s mind. But just because you can’t see damage by standing on your lawn looking at your roof doesn’t mean it isn’t there. If your home has been hit by a hail storm, and you don’t have an extra $21,204 laying around, you may want to consider getting a hail damage roof inspection ASAP. Learn why ignoring roof hail damage could cost you.
Hail Damage And Homeowners Insurance
Your roof is your home’s primary defense against the elements. When hail damages a roof it weakens its ability to protect your home from water, wind, snow, etc. Insurance companies understand how important a fully functional roofing system is which why hail storm damage is covered by most policies. Hail damage can take years to fully manifest and cause roof leaks. This leads many homeowners to put off getting an inspection or fixing the damage. This is never a good idea. Here’s why:
- When hail hits an asphalt shingle it often knocks off the protective granule coating. Once the granules are gone, the protective layer underneath is exposed to the elements.
- The sun’s ultraviolet light will weaken the exposed spots and make them brittle. These exposed areas are very susceptible to leaks.
- Once leaks occur, the damage can be extensive due to the potential damage from mold, electrical issues, ceiling and wall damage from water. The damage can also come very quickly and often is not initially detected.
While hail damage to your roof is covered by homeowner’s insurance policies, the additional damage caused by waiting to get repairs is not.
Most insurance companies believe it is the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain their homes and take steps to prevent leaks. Therefore, if you wait until your roof is leaking to make a claim you could be footing the bill for all the major repairs. Preventing additional damage to your home is one of the reasons why some (but not all) insurance companies have time limitations to file a claim. In fact, most policies state that claims should be filed “promptly” or “as soon as possible”.
Ignoring Roof Hail Damage? Start Saving Now.
What would you do with an extra $21,204? Go on vacation? Go back to school? Invest it? The last thing you would likely want to do if someone handed you a check for over $20k would be to replace the roof on your home. Yet, for homeowners who wait to get a hail damage fixed that may end up begin what they are forced to do.
According to Remodeling.com’s 2017 Cost vs. Value Report, the average cost to replace a asphalt roof in the U.S. is $21,204.
As we mentioned before, most insurance companies believe it is the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain their homes and take action to prevent leaks and further damage. If you wait too long get an inspection, be prepared to pay out of pocket for any additional damage caused to your home. Furthermore, if your policy has a time limitation for filing a claim and you wait to get a roof inspection only to find out your roof is damaged you may end up having to pay for repairs that would have otherwise been covered by your insurance company. Our advice to homeowners who have not scheduled an inspection after a hail storm, or plan on waiting for roof leaks to develop before filing a hail damage claim, is to start saving money for repairs now.
When it comes to your home, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Contact us today to learn more or to request a roof inspection.
