Filing An Insurance Claim

If you have experienced hail damage, take precautions by following the tips below, and call your insurance carrier to file a claim as soon as possible.

· Make personal safety your first priority. Remember, windows may be broken and high winds may have knocked down trees and power lines.
· Look for broken glass, sharp objects and live wires.
· Wear proper shoes and gloves.
· Don’t use rain-soaked electrical equipment.

Call your insurance carrier to file a claim if you have damage from a hailstorm. Be ready to provide at least a general description of your damage. A representative will walk you through your claim, recording the details.

If you have hail damage to the roof of your property or your car, it is your responsibility to take action to avoid further damage.

If you can, cover broken windows and holes in roofs with tarps or plywood to prevent water damage. Move wet items to drier ground, and wash and dry whatever you can. If you’re not sure it’s safe, professionals can help. You’ll usually find them listed under "contractors" or "water damage restoration" in your phone directory.

As part of documenting the damage, make sure to save receipts from any temporary fixes.

Your insurance policy typically covers the cost to repair common hail damage—including damage to roofs, walls and cars, and your inventory or belongings. However, your deductible does apply—and you may have a higher deductible for wind/hail damage on your policy. Check your policy to see what’s covered and the deductible you’ve chosen. Reviewing your policy will help you prepare questions for your claims professional.

As soon as you can, make a thorough list of items that the hail storm damaged—this will help your insurer process your claim faster. Document the damage with photos, video, bills and receipts. In the meantime, don’t throw out damaged items—especially expensive items.

Your claims professional will let you know the specific information they need to process your claim.

Your insurance company may require you to wait until your claims professional assesses your damage before you begin making permanent repairs. However, they encourage you to schedule permanent repairs as soon as possible because contractors can be difficult to schedule after a storm. Use a local, licensed, bonded, and insured contractor, and check references.

Insurers typically will replace damaged items and materials with the same type and quality of materials you had before the earthquake. For example, if you had a fiberglass roof, they will pay to repair or replace damage with fiberglass materials—but they won’t pay to replace it with more expensive slate tile.

If damage is extensive, people sometimes decide to take the opportunity to upgrade their property with better or more expensive materials. Again, your insurance companyy will only pay to replace materials of comparable kind and quality. If you want to pay the additional expense to upgrade, you’re welcome to do so out of your personal budget.

Any time you make improvements to your property, talk to your agent to make sure you have enough insurance, and to find out if you are eligible for discounts.

(Information from Safeco.com)