Residential and commercial corporate insurance claims are always going to require slightly different strategies than others in order to achieve the desired level of success. When it comes to adjusting for damage from weather and the environment, at Compass Adjusting, we are able to offer our clients decades of experience in recouping the money needed to make repairs. Our knowledgeable staff understands the important differences that are likely to be found in successful claims from wind, snow, water and hail damage. Backed by over 35 years in the business, we have come to understand that the devil lies in the details when it comes to negotiating with insurers. One small detail left out of a claim, or one missed part of documentation can add up to hundreds and thousands of dollars down the road. Our primary goal as certified adjusters is to make sure that our clients don’t leave any money on the table for their settlements.
Hail Damage Claim Process
When it comes to a claim adjustment due to weather-related damage, hail is one environmental factor that provides some unique challenges. Unlike so many of the claims that we handle related to wind or water damage, hail is unpredictable. Home and business owners tend to have a pretty good idea if they live and work in an area that is susceptible to wind damage and flooding. As a result of this knowledge, they are likely to have insurance policies in place which address those types of damage more specifically. That is often not the case with hail. Unlike many types of severe weather, hail can occur almost anywhere given the right temperature conditions, often producing devastating effects on homes and vehicles. At Compass Adjusting, we understand the unpredictable but widespread potential for property damage caused by hail, but more importantly, we are well-versed in how insurance companies are likely to use that information for their benefit. Because of this foresight, our adjusters are able to provide clients with the right set of tools to earn back fair assessments of their damage.
Hail Damage and Roof Claims
First and foremost, on everyone’s mind following a bad hailstorm is going to be the safety and performance of your roof. Roofs and siding, the two primary exterior defenses of your home or business, are most often going to produce the most significant claims after a storm. Understandably, roofs are one of the largest concerns for all property owners, as replacing or repairing them can be expensive and greatly impacts property values. Our adjusters are extremely knowledgeable in all the various types of roofs that are commonly used, and the different ways they are likely to be impacted by hail. One important thing to keep in mind is that hailstones are a natural phenomenon just like snowflakes. They come in all shapes and sizes and often produce irregular damage. Hailstones are not perfect circles, they come with cutting edges that form randomly, which is one of the reasons they produce so much damage.
Considering the way that hail tends to damage roofs, the type of roof in question for your adjustment claim is going to make a big difference. Your roof is there to protect your property from many things, clearly, but one of the primary concerns is water. The health of your roof depends upon its ability to transfer water to gutters and drains to keep your property free of mold, mildew and overall decay. When hailstones impact, dent, and otherwise bang up your roof, they are going to take a toll on this ability. This toll is going to be different for more standard bitumen covered roofs versus metal roofs. The key role of an adjuster in this case is going to be an accurate assessment of the health of your roof before the damage, as well as after. Naturally, it is in the financial interest of insurers to diminish the previous health of damaged roofs, while downplaying the ability of hail to harm the health of your roof moving forward. Often, even if there is a small amount of noticeable exterior damage, you may be entitled to insurance funds to improve and replace parts of your roof. The key to dealing with these situations is to rely on trusted adjusters who understand the keys to filing successful claims, as well as the financial interests of insurers.
Many of the important points of adjusting for hail damage on roofs can also be applied to the siding of your home or business. There are even more options for the exterior facing of your home than there are for roof coverings. Many of these, such as brick and stone, are for the most part hail-resistant, while others such as vinyl siding are particularly vulnerable. Just like roofs, siding plays a key role in maintaining the integrity of structures, both inside and out. Damage caused by hail can impact the ability of siding to repel water in the future, as well as weakening it against weather down the road. The other factor to consider with siding as well is home value. Homeowners choose siding in order to maintain the exterior beauty of their home, which greatly affects value. At Compass Adjusting we always emphasize the importance of home value in our adjustments, both functional and aesthetic.
Hail Damage Claims Dispute?
While hail damage presents many unique challenges for insurance claims, there is one lesson to keep in mind regardless of the type of damage you are dealing with—documentation. At Compass, documentation is our first and last priority. It is the lynchpin of the vast majority of claims that we handle. It is never a bad idea to have a standard set of photos of the interior and exterior of your home, which can often be invaluable when it comes to recouping funds after a damaging event. With that backlog in place, you will be well-prepared to document any problems moving forward, which is always advantageous for adjusters. Every time there is a gap in documentation for a claim, there is a potential for money to walk out the door. Our goal is to make sure that does not happen to our clients, through stressing and offering the most comprehensive documentation possible.