Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Hail Damage?

Depending on where you live, homeowners insurance will usually cover hail damage to your roof and other parts of your home. But hail is more frequent in certain areas of the country, and insurance policies in those regions are more likely to include restrictions to their hail damage coverage.

Whether or not you live in a region that's at risk, hail storms can happen almost anywhere, and determining exactly how much damage a hail storm has done to your home can be difficult. If your home is impacted by a hail storm, you should hire professional help to independently assess the damage before filing a claim with your insurer.

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How do I know if my homeowners insurance covers hail damage?

Homeowners insurance in most regions covers hail damage to the structure of your home. However, in areas where hail storms occur more frequently, insurers are more likely to limit their hail coverage or increase the cost of their policies to reflect the higher risk. If you're located in a state or region where a higher percentage of properties are affected by hail, then check your policy for restrictions.

Does my location make me vulnerable to hail damage?

The area in the U.S. most traditionally vulnerable to hail damage is called "hail alley." It's located approximately where the borders of Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming meet. However, in recent years, damaging hail storms have become more frequent in other parts of the country. A report by Verisk estimated the number and proportion of properties in each state to experience one or more damaging hail events within a one-year period. The following table shows the top 10 by total properties affected.

Exclusions to hail coverage for cosmetic damage

An increasing number of homeowners insurance policies, especially in regions disproportionately affected by hail, are incorporating cosmetic exclusions for their hail coverage. Under these policies, if the damage caused by hail is cosmetic, meaning it only affects the aesthetics rather than the function of the house, you will not be covered in the event of a claim.

However, the line between cosmetic and functional can be uncertain. For instance, what may begin as minor dents in your roof or siding may eventually evolve into more serious structural damage. In addition, damage that is labeled cosmetic can affect the resale value of the property, requiring homeowners to pay for their own repairs or sell their houses at a discount. Given the growing prevalence of these exclusions, it's important to check your policy for a cosmetic exclusion or limitations related to its hail and wind coverage.

If your homeowners insurance policy has a cosmetic exclusion, you can choose to seek coverage from insurance providers that waive the exclusion or negotiate removing the exclusion in exchange for a higher premium. In the event of a dispute between you and your insurer over whether damage is considered cosmetic or functional, you can hire a public adjuster to investigate the claim. The public adjuster will help determine whether the exclusion should actually apply, although you should note there are fees associated with this process.

Filing an insurance claim for hail damage to your roof and home

The first step to filing a claim comes before a hail storm even happens: Document the condition of your home and create an inventory. Using a digital camera or your smartphone, take pictures of your home's roof and exterior, and upload the pictures to your insurer's website. Most insurers have a place for you to do this. After the hail storm, document the damage and the date of the storm. You will ultimately rely on the professional expertise of roofing contractors and insurance adjusters in assessing damage, but documentation could provide valuable proof for your future potential claim.

Before dealing with an insurance adjuster, hire a reputable roofing contractor to inspect the damage. This inspection is a way to get professional advice about the damage, independent of your insurer, and find out whether it is worthy of filing a claim. Filing a claim will go on your insurance record even if it doesn't result in a payment, and it should be avoided if the damage is limited or unambiguously cosmetic.

Once a reputable contractor has inspected your home and confirmed notable damage, contact your homeowners insurance company to report the damage and file a claim. Many policies will require you to file a claim within a year of the damage, so you shouldn't wait long to begin the process. Once you file a claim, your insurer will send an adjuster to inspect your home to provide its own estimate of the damage. If the assessment is different from your contractor's, it may be appropriate to arrange for the two parties to meet to discuss the discrepancies.

If you disagree strongly with your insurer's assessment, you could hire a public adjuster to advocate for you. After these precautionary steps, you should be in a position to accept a fair offer on your claim from your insurer.

Checklist: Filing a Claim for Hail Damage

Wind and hail homeowners policy deductibles

The amount your insurer is willing to pay for hail damage will depend on its assessment of the damage and the overall limits of your policy, but there is another cost associated with filing a claim called a deductible. You should be aware that you'll likely have to pay a deductible on any insurance claim made in order to receive coverage for damage to your home.

The deductible is the money you pay out of pocket for the repairs, with your insurer paying the balance. For example, say you have a $1,000 home insurance deductible and you need to make a $5,000 claim after a hail storm damages the shingles on your roof. You'll pay $1,000 of your own money while the insurer pays the remaining $4,000.

Homeowners insurance policies in higher-risk areas for wind and hail events may have a separate deductible specifically for that peril. This means if the damage is caused by wind or hail, claims will be subject to a separate, typically higher, deductible. These deductibles can come as a flat number, as in the previous example, but they're more likely to be offered as a percentage of your policy's total property coverage.

Will filing a claim for hail damage increase my insurance rates?

Damage to your home caused by hail would fall under what insurance companies refer to as an "act of God." These are unexpected events that the policyholder cannot control or prevent, such as weather. If your home is damaged by a hail storm, your insurer likely won't raise your rates because the damage to your home was not preventable.

This doesn't mean hail storms can't lead to higher premiums for you, albeit indirectly. If the frequency of hail storms where you live increases and your insurer decides that your region has become more susceptible to the phenomenon, it's possible that homeowners insurance rates for the region as a whole will increase.

Fortifying your roof to preclude a hail insurance claim

More than any other part of your house, your roof is vulnerable to hail, but you can reinforce your roof to avoid filing a claim with your insurer. For instance, you could install impact-resistant shingles that are less susceptible to hail damage. More robust roofing could be an investment that saves you the time and money associated with filing a claim and making repairs.

Additionally, many homeowners insurance policies offer a premium discount for clients who have an impact-resistant roof. Depending on your risk tolerance and the associated costs of installing impact-resistant roofing and your insurance policy, this could be a strategy to consider, particularly if you're in a region with a proclivity for hail storms.