Handling Hail

If you've lived in the Denver area for more than 5 minutes, you are probably quite familiar with the unpredictable weather and this year's weather has definitely been keeping us on our toes! Hail has been almost a weekly occurrence in some areas and many homeowners may not even be aware of the damage that has been done aside from their battered gardens. Hail can wreck havoc on siding, windows, screens, doors, gutters, awnings, and very commonly roofing shingles.

Homeowners rarely spend much time looking at their own roof and an untrained eye may not be able to easily spot the bruising, denting, and cracking that indicate compromised shingles. If you notice a lot of damaged vegetation, dented cars, or a lot of granules from your shingles in the runoff from your gutters, it's probably best to reach out to a professional for an inspection.

Be sure to contact a local contractor with a good reputation to ask for a free roof inspection. Your insurance agent or Realtor may be good sources to ask for roofing company referrals.  It's also a good time to review your insurance policy so you know your deductible and what's covered.

If it turns out that you do have damage, your homeowner's insurance will likely cover the majority of the cost to replace the roof and other items as long as you make the claim within the policy's guidelines. Many insurance companies allow only up to a year after the storm to make a claim and after that period.  After that claim period, homeowners may have to pay out of pocket for the entire cost of a new roof which can easily be $10,000 or more.

If left unrepaired, a hail-damaged roof can lead to leaks which can cause mold, mildew, wood rot, and other more expensive problems. Whenever you decide to sell your home, you can be sure that the buyer's inspector will be looking for signs of damage to the roof and will most likely recommend that a buyer negotiates for a roof replacement if they see that there has been hail damage.

While paying the insurance deductible isn’t ideal, it’s still usually a much cheaper alternative to ignoring what can turn into a much bigger problem down the road.