If you are starting to notice water spots on your ceilings, is there a chance that your home had hail damage to the roof recently? A hail storm can cause significant damage to the roofing, although the damage may not be readily noticeable at first. Sometimes, the impacts of hailstones on roofing can cause a lot of hidden damage that allows water to infiltrate the roofing structure unseen. If you remember a hail storm recently, you'll need to work quickly to file an insurance claim and hire a residential roofing contractor.
Here's what you need to know.
Read Your Home Insurance Policy
There are time limits for filing insurance claims. However, the time limit doesn't typically start at the time of the hail storm, since the damage from hail tends to be hidden damage. Because of this, insurance companies give homeowners a little more time in which to file a claim after the hail damage occurred. Check your insurance policy to see what it specifically says about this or contact your insurance agent for more information. Typically, insurance companies allow you to file claims against hail damage for one year after it was determined that hail caused the damage.
Hire a Residential Roofing Contractor to Evaluate Your Roof
To determine whether or not your leaky roof was indeed caused by damage from hail, you'll need to hire a residential roofing contractor who is experienced in inspecting and repairing storm-damaged roofing. The roofing contractor can inspect the condition of your roofing and determine that hail caused the damage. Ask the contractor to provide you with documentation of their findings so you can show your insurance company when you file a claim. This document also provides you with the date that the determination was made that hail caused the damage.
An insurance adjuster will still need to assess the condition of the roof and determine the repair costs that will be involved, but the initial inspection from the roofing contractor will likely become the starting point as to when a professional first determined that hail caused the damage to your roofing. It's a good idea to ask the roofing contractor to be at your residence when the insurance adjuster does their assessment in case the adjuster has any questions to ask the contractor. Also, the contractor will also be able to provide the insurance adjuster with their credentials, licensing, and insurance information in case the insurance company needs to contact the roofing contractor at some point.
To learn more about roofing services, contact a company like Bauer Roofing Siding Windows & Doors Inc.