Hail damage to your roof and home is something Oklahoma City homeowners will have to deal with at least once… maybe multiple times if you live here long enough! While not every hail storm will cause enough damage to warrant a full roof replacement, dime-size hail can cause dents and dings in your roof vents and gutters and may need repairs.
Do You Need A Hail Damage Inspection After Each Storm?
Hail damage to your roof cannot be seen from the ground level of your home. A professional inspection is key to fixing damage before it turns into roof leaks, causes problems in your home, and increases repair costs.
Based on the number of storms central Oklahoma gets each year, you would think everyone is a hail damage expert, but that isn’t the case! It’s critical to work with an expert like Triple Diamond Construction and get a professional roof inspection after each storm to save. Keep reading to learn five reasons why – number three may surprise you!
1. Damage To Roof Can’t Be Seen From The Ground
Hail has the potential to hit anywhere on a roof, which means a proper inspection needs to be done from the top down. Ridge vents made of soft aluminum metal are easy targets and the easiest to spot hail damage. But getting that high up on a roof is incredibly dangerous for the average homeowner. Calling a professional for a free inspection is always the safest idea!
In addition, if homeowners look up and don’t see actual holes in their roofs, they often assume they don’t have hail damage. That couldn’t be farther from the truth! When hail hits hard surfaces, the impact creates a hole or bruise. Over time, the damage worsens and leads to leaks and expensive problems. A professional hail damage inspection will ensure all areas of your roof are looked at, and any damage is found before it leads to roof leaks.
2. Damage Gets Worse Over Time
Large hail (think 2” or larger in diameter) can do significant damage that can be seen immediately after the storm with a professional hail damage inspection. Small hail, on the other hand, can be incredibly hard to see without proper training.
Hailstones are rarely all the exact same size in a storm. While a few may be two inches or larger, hail is usually between .75”- 1.5” in diameter. This can lead to visible damage in some but not all areas on your roof, or worse, it goes unnoticed.
Unrepaired hail damage gets worse over time and causes roof leaks. Think of the hail hit like a bruise on an apple. It may be small at first, but the bruise gets larger and larger over time, and eventually, the entire apple rots.
Hail damage to your roof is very similar. Hail impact causes the protective granules to fall off and can crack the protective underlayment. Over time water can enter that area and seep through your roof. While it may take a few years, hail damage will always cause expensive roof leaks.
3. Some Insurance Companies Have Time Limits To File A Claim
Let’s run through a scenario we see with many homeowners:
You found several roof leaks and got a professional inspection from a local roofing company. After the inspection, you are told hail damage is the cause of your roof leaks and that your entire roof is in bad shape. Due to the number of damaged areas, the entire roof will need to be replaced.
Because hail damage is covered by homeowners insurance, you call your insurance company to file a hail damage claim. During the call, they ask what the date of the storm was that caused the damage. You cannot remember a recent hail storm. You say it was maybe 3-5 years ago. Maybe more? You remember a big storm hitting your neighborhood but can’t remember the exact date.
Your insurance company denies your hail damage claim, and you must pay for all repairs out of pocket.
This is an unfortunate (and frustrating) situation we see happen often! Homeowners assume their roof is ok, only to find out years later they have roof leaks. There are several issues with waiting that long to fix the damage, but the main one is that insurance companies have time limits to file a claim. Without a proper hail damage inspection, there is no way to know for sure if your roof was damaged. This can cause a lot of problems should you have to file a claim later.
4. A Hail Damage Inspection Prevents Future Claim Problems
Severe weather happens like clockwork here in Oklahoma City but doesn’t damage all homes in an organized and uniform way. Some homes may not have any damage after a storm. Keeping a record of your roof and home’s condition after every major storm is one way to prevent your insurance claim from being improperly denied.
Routine hail damage roof inspections also help satisfy your insurance company’s requirement to perform routine maintenance on your home and make reasonable repairs if needed. Make sure to keep the roof inspection report and save it in a file or folder even if your roof doesn’t have hail damage.
5. Properly Document Hail Damage For Existing Insurance Claim
The last and probably most important reason to get a professional hail damage inspection is that the report you are provided with can be used to start the insurance claim process.
At Triple Diamond Construction, we not only thoroughly inspect your roof and home, but we also take photos and videos of any damage we find. Afterward, we compile all the information into a handy report that you can save for your records or start the hail damage claim process.
This report can be super helpful, especially if there are many people impacted by the storm. Get ahead of the line by providing your insurance company with everything they need right off the bat and avoid making multiple calls to provide additional information.
Hit By Hail? Download Our Hail Damage Inspection Checklist
OKC homeowners aren’t just making one claim for hail damage repairs, they are making several. One for their home, separate claims for their cars, and any other collateral damage. We know it’s stressful and time-consuming!
Click the link below to download our free hail damage inspection checklist now and learn what to look for after a storm and what steps to take to streamline the process.
Hail Damage Inspection Checklist For OKC Homeowners
How To Get Professional Hail Damage Roof Inspection
If severe weather has just impacted your home or if you think you might have old damage, call 405-895-9972 to request a free hail damage roof inspection from our team of local experts!
Schedule A Hail Damage Roof Inspection Online
Our licensed roofing company has been serving OKC homeowners for over a decade. We’ve helped thousands of homeowners repair hail damage, and we can help you too! Our inspections are always fast, easy, and free. We can also help with emergency roof repairs if you need them.
Learn more about our roofing services in Moore, Yukon, Lawton, Norman, and Edmond, and make sure to read our Facebook reviews!
