Oklahoma City is no stranger to bouts of severe weather, including massive hail and wind storms. After any major storm, your first priority should be making sure your family is safe. After the storm has passed, you will need to check for signs of damage and think about filing a storm damage claim if there is damage to your roof, siding, or windows.
Filing a storm damage claim can be intimidating, but knowing what to expect can alleviate some of the stress. Read on to learn about the process of filing a storm damage claim and what you can do to prevent costly mistakes and delays.
What’s Included In This Guide
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- Step 1: Find Your Homeowners Insurance Policy
- Step 2: Inspect Your Home For Hail Damage
- Step 3: Find A Licensed Roofing Contractor
- Step 4: Request Hail Damage Inspection
- Step 5: Make Temporary Storm Damage Repairs
- Step 6: File A Storm Damage Claim
- Step 7: Insurance Adjuster Meeting
- Step 8: Keep An Insurance Claim Diary
- Step 9: Make Product Selections
- Step 10: Complete Storm Damage Repairs
- FAQs About Filing A Storm Damage Claim
1. Find & Read Your Homeowners Insurance Policy
The first step in filing a storm damage claim is to review your homeowner’s insurance policy for coverage. In most cases, storm damage is a “covered peril” because you cannot plan for or completely avoid it. However, every policy is different, and some types of storm damage could be excluded. Before making any type of claim, you should first talk to your insurance agent and read your policy to understand your coverage.
Related: Does home insurance cover hail damage repairs?
Pro Tip: review your coverage at least once a year to determine if you have the right amount of insurance protection. Home upgrades like an alarm or security system may even get you a discount! Reviewing coverage before storm season kicks in is one way to ensure you will be covered should you have to file a storm damage claim.
2. Inspect Your Home And Roof For Hail Damage
When it is safe to go outside after a storm, you will want to check your home for signs of damage. Some damage is obvious, like missing shingles to your roof. Other times it may be harder to tell if your home has weathered the storm and is safe. What type of damage to look for can depend on the storm itself. Our free hail damage inspection checklist makes it easy to know what to look for.
Storms With High Winds / Tornado
Wind speeds as low as 45 MPH can damage a roof, especially if it is an older home. Common signs of wind damage include missing or uneven shingles and siding damage from wind-driven debris.
Storms With Large Hail
Hailstones as small as one inch in diameter can fall at speeds upwards of 50 MPH. Imagine what that can do to your roof and siding on impact! While larger hail causes more noticeable damage, homeowners should not disregard the damage small hail can do.
Pro Tip: Regardless of the storm that impacts your home, requesting a hail damage inspection from a qualified roofing contractor can save you tremendous time and stress.
3. Find A Licensed Roofing Contractor
Choosing the first local contractor that pops up in a Google search may not be the best idea, especially after a round of severe weather. Before filing a storm damage claim, you’ll want to ensure you are working with a hail damage expert. Make sure the contractor you choose has experience inspecting storm damage and has a track record of successfully managing jobs. Otherwise, you could end up dealing with an unresponsive sales rep, zero communication, rushed projects, and mistakes.
Pro Tip: DO NOT give any contractor funds from your insurance claim without properly vetting them in advance.
4. Request A Hail Damage Inspection
It’s in a homeowner’s best interest to get a proper inspection after every major storm. If your home has major damage, you will want to quickly document everything with photos and video before any debris is cleaned or removed.
Without obvious signs of damage like missing shingles or holes in the ceiling, some homeowners will go years without getting a hail roof inspection.
Any existing hail damage will worsen during that time and cause roof leaks. By the time homeowners call us, the cost to repair the storm damage can be double or triple what it would have been to fix it early on. To make matters worse, some insurance companies have time limits, meaning homeowners must pay out of pocket for repairs.
Pro Tip: It is always in your best interest to request a storm damage inspection after every severe weather event. This will ensure any damage is found early and can be repaired before it turns into costly roof leaks and damage.
At Triple Diamond Construction, our storm damage inspections are done by expertly trained team members and include a report on any findings. If your home is in great condition, we ensure the information is listed! This report can come in handy later should you need to provide documentation for your insurance company.
5. Make Temporary Storm Damage Repairs
Most insurance companies require temporary repairs to be made to prevent further damage to a home. Repairs can include tarps on roofs, cleaning debris off a roof, covering windows, etc. This should NOT be done until proper photo documentation has been collected.
A qualified Storm Damage Expert will be able to respond to your needs quickly, inspect your home, provide the photo documentation needed to file a claim, and complete all temporary repairs. This saves you time and allows you to focus on your family after a severe weather event.
Pro Tip: keep receipts of any out-of-pocket costs to make temporary repairs to your home. Your insurance policy may provide reimbursement coverage.
6. File A Storm Damage Claim
Each insurance company and policy is different. Specifics on how to file a storm damage claim may be in your homeowner’s insurance policy but can likely also be found on the company website.
When filing a claim, you will likely need to provide specifics on the damage. This includes but is not limited to:
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- Storm damage/time
- Type of storm damage sustained (hail, wind, tornado, flooding, etc.)
- Areas of your home that have been impacted
- Description of the damage you are seeing
- Photos/video documentation of the damage itself
Pro Tip: Avoid filing a claim before you have had a comprehensive inspection. You could end up missing areas or not including all damage. This can cause issues and delays later as things are added. One way to avoid this is to get a storm damage inspection before you file a claim. This will ensure you have all the information and documentation available and enter it right from the start.
7. Insurance Adjuster Meeting
Once you have filed a storm damage claim, your insurance company will likely send an adjuster from their team to inspect your home. This insurance adjuster will check the damage you outlined in your claim and determine if it is covered.
In our experience as Oklahoma City homeowners, insurance adjusters have little knowledge or experience in home building, home repairs, and roofing. If it is a widespread storm, you may end up dealing with an insurance adjuster from out of state who is unfamiliar with local building codes and requirements. For this reason, having your contractor there for the adjuster meeting can be helpful to ensure damage isn’t missed.
Pro Tip: Ask for a copy of the insurance adjuster’s report and compare it to your contractor’s storm damage inspection report. If areas were missed or omitted, contact the adjuster and ask for clarification before proceeding with the claim.
8. Keep An Insurance Claim Diary
As soon as you file a storm damage claim, keep track of who you talk to and when. After a widespread event, it is not uncommon to experience delays in meeting with your adjuster, getting information back on your claim status, and more. Having a record of all activities will help ensure you are covered and keep things organized.
At Triple Diamond Construction, we give all customers an online portal to keep track of all specific meeting dates, documents, and communication. This can come in handy when repairs are scheduled and installation day arrives.
Pro Tip: A second adjuster meeting may occur if the first insurance adjuster does not include all damage in their report. Make sure to document both instances and the outcome.
9. Make Product Selections
Depending on the damage, you may need minor repairs or replace your roof, gutters, siding, or windows. At Triple Diamond Construction, every project is assigned a dedicated Account Manager to help homeowners review existing products, materials, and selections to make the most informed decision about what to choose. Once you have selected the type of roof or siding, we will order the materials and schedule the installation day.
Pro Tip: See what colors/products look like on your home before you make your selection. As a CertainTeed Shingle Master contractor, we also have online tools that can help you visualize how certain roofing and siding options will impact the look of your home.
10. Complete Storm Damage Repairs
Replacing a home’s roof, gutters, siding, or windows is a big job! In most cases, we can remove the old roof or siding and replace it with a new one in just one day. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
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- Weather plays a big role in when we can install your new roof or siding. We don’t want to open your home up to water damage.
- The safety of our team is a BIG deal. If may see team members wearing a harness or using rope as they work. We also avoid scheduling the start of jobs in the late afternoon due to high temperatures.
- We will cover your landscaping and yard with tarps BEFORE removing your old roof and keeping it covered while the new roof is installed.
- The process can be noisy. Keep this in mind if you have pets/small children afraid of loud noise.
What Happens After Filing A Storm Damage Claim?
Once the project is complete, our team will carefully remove tarps and debris and use a magnet to remove any nails from your yard. In addition, a member of our Quality Control team will come by and do a final inspection of the job.
At Triple Diamond Construction, we know that a new roof or upgrade to your home is a big investment, and we are proud to offer the best warranty options in the state of Oklahoma. In addition, we work to ensure every customer is 100% satisfied after a job is complete, and if not, we will work to make it right.
Pro Tip: Make sure to keep your new roof warranty in a safe place. Some are transferable, meaning you can transfer the warranty to the new owners if you sell your home. You will want to keep the paperwork handy should you have to make any changes.
FAQs About Filing A Storm Damage Claim
Should you wait before filing a storm damage claim?
This can vary based on the specific insurance policy. Some companies have time limits, while others do not. If your home has been impacted by severe weather, it is better to get an inspection ASAP to prevent future damage that may or may not be covered by homeowners insurance.
How long does it take after filing a storm damage claim?
Every insurance company is different, but typically, you will receive a check about a week after the adjuster has estimated your property for the actual cost value of the damage. This is the cost to replace damaged elements minus depreciation. Your insurance company will issue a second check when the repair work is completed. This will be for the remaining cost or the portion that is recoverable if the total expenses are equal to or greater than the total settlement minus your deductible.
Should I call a roofing contractor before filing a storm damage claim?
This is generally a good idea and the best way to avoid filing unnecessary claims. A professional roof inspection after a storm will help you understand how much damage was caused and allow you to decide whether to file a claim.
Why was my storm damage claim check made out to my mortgage company?
This is not uncommon, so don’t worry if the payments for storm damage repairs are made out to you and your mortgage company. Your mortgage company or lender has a vested interest in your home and may review the claim before any funds are released to begin repairs.
About Triple Diamond Construction
Solving roof problems is what we do best, but we offer Oklahoma City homeowners so much more than that. Our #1 goal is to make your roofing, exterior or storm damage renovation project easy and stress-free. That’s why when you work with us, you are more than just a job number. You join the thousands of customers across Oklahoma City we call family.
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