Raleigh, North Carolina, bustles with opportunities for those who work in education, art and science. Americans move to Raleigh to kickstart their career or to retire with plenty of restaurants, museums and hiking trails to explore. If you are a homeowner or soon-to-be homeowner in Raleigh, you should know where to turn if something happens to your residential roof.
When Raleigh homeowners need high-quality roofing services, they turn to us at Scro’s Roofing Company. Since 1995, we have been providing our customers with service defined by integrity and reliability. If your roof has sustained hail damage or you are worried about what will happen if hail damage occurs, you may be wondering how to proceed. Here, we cover FAQs on hail damage to roofs.
What Does Hail Damage Look Like on a Roof?
Most of the time, hail damage isn’t easy to see. You may not see actual indentations or holes in the roof. When it comes to hail damage, even many roofing contractors don’t know what to look for.
If your siding or vehicles are damaged or your neighbors are replacing their roofs, your roof has more than likely sustained hail damage too.
What Do I Need to Know About Hail Damage on Roofs?
Hail may have damaged your roof, even without visible signs of damage from the ground. Normally, hail needs to be about the size of a golf ball to cause bruising or break through your roof. These damages can be easily overlooked and don’t always show up quickly.
Hail and high winds can cause serious damage to your roof and exterior of your home. An evaluation by one of our trained inspectors at Scro’s Roofing can verify the extent of your damages and outline how they should be repaired or replaced. There are a lot of good roofers around that have no clue how to inspect for hail damage or work an insurance claim. You need a professional working on your side.
What Does Hail Damage Look Like on Shingles?
Hail affects various roofing materials differently. Whether your installation is made from metal, asphalt, slate, clay or concrete, hail damage can alter tiles, shakes and shingles in unique ways. A repair to your roof is in order if you or our roofing team notice signs of damage:
- Hail damage to asphalt shingles: Architectural and three-tab asphalt shingles may break, crack or show abrasions following a storm. With repeated exposure to hail, granule layers weaken over the long term.
- Hail damage to slate shingles: These shingles are made from metamorphic rock. Hail may cause sections of slate shingles to crack, chip or come loose.
Since your roof’s integrity may be compromised, you may want to act quickly. When hail is driven by strong winds, even small hail may cause severe damage to your roof, along with the loss of protective granules. This can greatly reduce your roof’s lifetime. Damaged granule layers can expose your shingles to the sun’s UV rays, quickly causing serious deterioration.
How Do Roof Insurance Claims Work?
Filing a roof insurance claim involves several steps. Our expert team at Scro’s Roofing uses more than two decades of industry experience handling the paperwork, inspections and communication needed for a fast turnaround time. To save you from property losses beyond your control, your homeowners insurance company will pay for your roof replacement.
Before making a claim, Scro’s Roofing ensures all storm damages are documented. We will visit your home to conduct an in-person assessment and use drones to develop a 3D model of your property for the insurance provider. Below are the steps to take if you believe you may have a roof insurance claim.
- Contact Scro’s Roofing Company: Reach out to us at Scro’s Roofing Company to schedule a free roof inspection. We’ll inspect your entire home for wind, hail and storm damage.
- Contact your insurance company: If we identify roof damage, we’ll execute our first insurance contract, allowing us to work with your insurer. We will then contact your insurer to file the insurance claim.
- Schedule inspection: Contact us with your adjuster’s information or ask your adjuster to contact us directly so we can schedule an appointment. We will be present during the inspection to represent you. Your adjuster should not examine your roof alone, though they may claim they don’t need us to be present.
- Identify damages during the inspection: Your insurance adjuster and our team will inspect every area of your property, talk about covered damages and reach a verbal agreement. We’ll point out any damages that an adjuster misses and ensure they understand the manufacturer specifications and required building codes in North Carolina.
- Send paperwork to Scro’s Roofing Company: Your adjuster will send paperwork about the damages they will cover. Before you sign, forward the paperwork to us so we can verify that your roof damages have been accurately reported and fairly evaluated.
- Choose a date to perform roof work: We’ll execute our second insurance contract and select a date to perform the work.
- Select your new materials and colors: Next, we’ll discuss siding, gutters, shingle types and colors. Choose what will make you happy every time you look at your home.
- Work performed on your roof: We’ll perform the work on your roof. After our work is complete, we’ll inspect the work with you and sign a Certificate of Completion, also known as a COC.
- Receive certified GAF warranty certificate: After we receive the second insurance depreciation check, we’ll register for you all labor. You’ll then receive your GAF warranty certificate.
When Should I File a Roof Claim?
Depending on how severe the hail storm is, you may not see the damage from the ground. To determine whether you require our help at Scro’s Roofing, examine your car and the rest of your property for anything unusual. If there are indentations on your car or damage to your neighbors’ property, you may want to seek a professional inspection.
File a roof claim as soon as possible after your roof sustains hail damage. The sooner we find problem areas, the faster we can order supplies based on what you prefer for color, texture and style.
Will My Homeowners Insurance Rate Increase If I File a Claim?
No, your rates will not increase if you file an insurance claim after hail damage. Homeowners insurance works differently from car insurance. If you file a claim, you won’t be penalized. Rate increases for homeowners insurance depend on your location.
Even if you don’t file a claim, your insurance rate may increase if you live in a location that has suffered significant storm damage. Filing a claim for storm damage won’t cost you a penny, and you don’t need to worry about your rate increasing, as the effects of a hail storm are not your fault.
Contact us at Scro’s Roofing after a hail storm hits your neighborhood. When the adjuster shows up to inspect your home, we want to be there. You have a legal right to be accompanied by a professional representative during the inspection. However, you may not want to depend on only your adjuster’s inspection. Adjusters work for and are paid by insurance companies. You deserve to work with a roofing professional.
If you install a new roof, your insurance company may actually offer a discount on your homeowners insurance premium. Of course, many factors go into your premium, and roof age is just one factor that plays a role in determining your rate. Since every company’s process of determining rates is different, contact your insurance agent to determine whether you may be able to get a discount after replacing your roof.
What Can I Expect From the Roof Inspection?
During working hours, the adjuster will examine your property, which means you likely won’t be home when the inspection happens. In this case, you won’t have any input in the matter. During the inspection, we can represent you.
The adjuster will inspect the exterior of your home, including your roof, and identify only visible signs of damage. For your roof, the adjuster will measure a test square across different parts of the roof. If they identify a sufficient amount of breaks or bruises for every test square, your insurance company will cover a new roof.
What If My Insurance Adjuster Says There Isn’t Any Damage?
While it’s possible your roof is the only one in the neighborhood that wasn’t damaged in a hail storm, it’s also possible that your adjuster is inexperienced and overlooked the damage. At Scro’s Roofing, we’ve been able to get insurance companies to cover roofing claims they had previously denied.
You’re entitled to receive a re-inspection from another adjuster who works for the same firm. This means you don’t need to settle if you’re not satisfied with the results. Request another inspection, and we will work to get you what you deserve.
What If There Are Discrepancies After the Inspection?
Most discrepancies happen when an adjuster doesn’t assess the same damage as a contractor, regardless of whether the inspection is for the siding, roof, gutters or other interior or exterior damage. If your property has interior damage or other damages that may be easily overlooked, your adjuster will likely miss it, which is another reason you may want us to represent you during a roof inspection.
You’re entitled to have your preferred contractor represent you during the adjustment process, as this can expedite your claim’s settlement. To spare you the headache of dealing with the process alone and needing to take time off work, we can represent you through every step of the process.
At Scro’s Roofing, we’ll work with your adjuster to analyze the extent of your roof’s damage, verify pricing and offer a roof repair price your insurance company can agree to. When you work with us, you’ll only need to pay your deductible, and we’ll get you a fair, amicable settlement.
How Much Hail Damage to Replace a Roof?
For the most part, hail damage isn’t immediate. Hail damage to your roof can dramatically reduce the lifespan of your roof. Following each hail storm, perform a roof inspection, checking for the following signs:
- Holes
- Large dents
- Damage to vents
- Granules in gutters
- Damage to skylights
- Bare spots on shingles
- Granules in downspouts
If you believe you’ve identified roof damage or you’re unsure whether there is damage, then you may want to contact a professional to inspect your roof. Ignoring a minor problem may lead to a much bigger, more expensive problem later.
If your roof leaks following a hail storm, you may need to replace it altogether. An older roof is more likely to be weak and susceptible to further damage, so you may want to replace an older roof that has hail damage.
How Do Insurance Companies Pay on Roof Claims?
Your insurer may pay for your roof replacement or repair depending on how and when the damages occurred. In most cases, you’ll receive your first check a few days after your adjuster estimates your property. This is known as the Actual Cost Value, or ACV.
This check should illustrate the cost to replace or repair your damaged property minus depreciation. This can be a misleading term, so many homeowners believe the first check from their insurance companies is the only money they’ll receive.
After the work is finished, your insurer may issue a second check. This is for your recoverable depreciation amount if the expenses are greater than or equal to your total settlement. Many homeowners don’t get the depreciation amount back due to a misunderstanding of the process or because their contractor didn’t understand the correct procedures.
For example, your insurance company has paid out $5,000 for your roof replacement. If your insurance deductible is $500 and your withheld recoverable depreciation is $2,000, then your first check is $2,500.
If a contractor replaces your roof for $3,500, your second check from your insurer will be $500 because if you have coverage for replacement costs, you may be able to receive the withheld recoverable depreciation once repairs are completed as long as your repair costs exceed the initial claim payment and your deductible amount.
Do I Need Multiple Roof Estimates?
No, you don’t need multiple roof estimates, as your insurer has a defined price list. The insurance company will pay only for the repairs’ actual cost, according to their price list, no matter the prices you may get. Your insurance company will only pay a reputable contractor the fair market price.
The following are three different examples of roofing bids:
- The cost of the roof is $5,000. You pay a deductible of $500. Your insurance provider pays $4,500.
- The cost of the roof is $6,000. You pay a deductible of $500. Your insurance provider pays $5,500.
- The cost of the roof is $7,000. You pay a deductible of $500. Your insurance provider pays $6,500.
You’ll pay only the deductible amount and any roofing upgrades you request, no matter the price. With Scro’s Roofing, you can get the best possible roof for your money. Choose which Raleigh roofing contractor you use based on their reputation, experience and who you feel comfortable with.
Which Raleigh Roofing Contractor Should I Hire?
Find a local Raleigh roofing contractor who can help with the process of filing your claim. The repair cost for your home is determined by your contractor and your insurance company.
At Scro’s Roofing, we have successfully completed hundreds of roofing repairs in Raleigh. We have been serving the Raleigh area since 1995, and we have experience working with insurance providers to replace your storm damaged roof and gutters.
Our goal is to provide the best experience possible for our customers, resulting in 100% customer satisfaction. Through every step of the process, our focus is on you. We provide full-service commercial roofing and residential roofing solutions. Our roofs are square because we do not cut corners. Turn to us for:
- Roof repairs
- New roofs
- Free roof inspections
- Storm damage repairs
- Roof maintenance programs
- Seamless gutter installations
You deserve a trained professional to represent you. Contact us at Scro’s Roofing Company today for a free estimate or to learn more about roof insurance claims.
*last updated 3/18/21
