How To Tell If Your Roof Has Hail Damage

Most standard policies require filing a claim within one year of determining that a hail storm damaged your roof or other parts of the house.

How to tell if your roof has hail damage. When hail hits it can damage the roof or covering of your home as well as other personal property. Michael barry an iii spokesman recommends contacting your agent or insurer to ensure you know the time limit for any claims. Make sure the storm has passed and your ladder and roof are dry before you ascend. In many states usually where hail is less frequent a standard homeowners.

From the ladder look around for signs of hail damage. You can tell your asphalt shingle roof has hail damage if you see black spots such as in the photos above. Just type in the address in question and you ll see all the hail events that affected that property within the past year. Although hailstorms can be destructive the amount of damage can vary greatly.

Dents in the metal or cracks in plastic vents often means your roof was hit with heavy hail. If you see chipped paint it may be the result of hail impact. If you see quarter sized hail or larger in your yard call a professional roofer immediately to get on their schedule for an inspection. A roof that has been poorly maintained has recently sustained other types of damage or is simply past its prime has a higher risk of being harmed by hail than its newer and better maintained counterparts.

Perhaps that most obvious way on how to tell if roof has hail damage is to note abnormalities in the appearance of the shingle s surface. Insurance companies will typically accept claims up to a year after an event but of course this depends on the insurer. How to tell if roof has hail damage exterior damage signs 1. Dark spots or bruises.

It s important to keep your roof in top condition to avoid structural deterioration that may cause leaks. Hail damage to roof vents and shingles. However determining whether your roof has sustained damage from a hailstorm may be a little more difficult. Depending on the size of the hail and severity of the damage it may or may not be obvious that your roof has hail damage.

If you notice shingle granules in your gutters you may have hail damage on your roof. Decks and other painted surfaces surrounding the home may have sustained hail damage. Many insurance companies will consider paying for a roof that has been damaged by hail but it must be correctly assessed. Roof vents are often made of lightweight metal.

Hail damage on your roof will cause granules to break loose at the site of each hail stone impact. Look for dents or chips in roof vents chimneys and skylights. The amount and type of damage hail causes on roofs depends on a variety of factors. Now let s get on the roof.

The easiest way to tell if you have roof damage is to use our hail damage lookup tool.