How come my roof had no hail damage but my neighbors are getting theirs replaced?

Read This Page Out Loud

It Could Just Be Ambiguity

This can be a complicated concept but I’m going to break it down the best way that I can, so that it makes sense to you at the end. By explaining: who inspects your roof and property matters, the importance of inspecting your whole property not just your roof, key information about roofing materials, importance of understanding these concepts, how frequent does this happen, and providing some options on what you could do, you should be able to have more clarity about the whole concept.

Hopefully this information will help you make more educated decisions when it comes to your property, maybe you’ll end up like your neighbors with a replaced roof, finding out that there was hail damage after all.

Disclaimer: Keep in mind all this information it’s only relevant to trying to explain, why it could be that your roof didn’t have damages based on your previous inspection, this is not based on absolutes. Some factors might also depend on how your policy was written, here in Arkansaw you will need an attorney to interpret your insurance policy(contract) for you, Non of this is legal or financial advice, just generic information for educational purposes and to share, if you need legal advice contact your attorney.

Content:

1- Who inspects your roof and property matters

2- Why it’s important to inspect your whole property and not just the roof

3- Important things to know about your roofing materials

4. Why Does This Matter

5- How common is this problem

6- What to do

---

---

Who Inspects Your Roof And Property Matters

There is something important to know about the different experts that exist in the field and a bit of their background to understand their results.

Note: This is generalizing, there are spectrums on all professionals and their expertise can overlap into hailstorm restoration. Keep in mind that some of this could be speculation but sometimes works as a good guide to understand results.

Adjuster

1. When an adjuster inspects your property, they know exactly what to look for and recognize damage when they see it, however it all depends on what guidelines he or she is working under. The insurance carriers set guidelines for them as they wish, and however they interpret their own policy you signed. Insurances set parameters and limitations as to what damages they consider coverable damages and what is not, that it’s up to their discretion, many times these guidelines are only known between the adjusters and the carriers and not expressed in writing to the property owner. Just keep in mind that an adjuster works for the insurance carrier, not for you.

This is not to say adjusters are bad or that insurances are bad, but if you only had your property inspected by an adjuster and no one else, and your neighbors are having their roofs replaced, then maybe another set of professional eyes might be a good idea.

Roofer

2. Roofers are experts to replace roofs that are obviously damaged, leaking, completely deteriorated, or because the house needs to sell and based on the home inspector inspection the roof needs to be replaced. 

Yes it’s known that hail damages roofs, but not all roofers have the needed experience to identify hail damage, especially if the hail size was like the one we had in NWA. Many times I have met roofers that don’t understand why a roof it’s being replaced, simply because they didn’t know what to look for, but then after explaining and showing them the hail damage they see it immediately.

Home Inspector

3. Home Inspectors look for things that are up to code, in good shape, and in working conditions, while identifying everything that needs to be replaced, restored, or fixed. Although you would think a Home Inspector could easily identify hail damage, they can easily miss it since it’s not something they come across all the time. Usually the roofs they see that need replacing are the ones that are too old or the ones that no damage was found originally right after a hailstorm, but now some years later the roof quickly deteriorated in less time than what that roofing materials should have lasted for, and so a new roof needs to be put on before selling the property.

Home Inspectors would see the roof as is, and not as what caused it to be like that, or understand the effects of hail impacts long term, they likely see deterioration or no deterioration, unless the hail impact was big enough to be very noticeable. 

Hailstorm Restoration Contractor

4. A Hailstorm Restoration Contractor inspects hail damages all the time, it means that this individual/s come across adjusters inspections, clients that are undergoing a hail restoration process, roofers, siding crews, windows guys, gutters crews, etc. Everyone comes together for one reason; A Hailstorm, every time. 

This means that the knowledge and experience from someone that specializes in hailstorm restoration, is based not only in inspecting the damages, but also understanding the needs, guidelines, limitations, concerns, and everything in between from all the individuals, companies, and property owners involved in this process. 

It’s also important to notice that a Hailstorm Restoration Contractor that has been in the industry for quite some time also understands about materials limitations and warranties, which are useful to understand in order to comprehend if a material indeed needs to be restored or not. 

You now understand some differences between different specialists. Always make sure they have experience inspecting and recognizing hail damage, whomever they might be.

---

Why It’s Important To Inspect Your Whole Property And Not Just The Roof

In the Hailstorm Restoration Industry there is a lot of ambiguity when it comes to; was the roof damaged by the hail or not, lawsuits and nasty divorces happen over it ( just kidding, I don’t think divorces happen over this, only lawsuits :), but yes, hundreds of thousands of dollars and maybe millions can be in the line over Hailstorm damages. So, things can get serious over this common discrepancy.

Inspecting the entire property to find other damages apart from the roof works as supporting evidence, this proves that indeed the property underwent a hailstorm and that there is hail damage. Things like splatter marks on the fence, leaning fences, puncture window screens, cracked vinyl windows, cracked vinyl siding, cracked paint on your siding or deck. All those things add up into the whole claim and it all goes together under one claim and one deductible (in most cases).

So in other words it’s not so much that your planter got broken, you were probably going to replace it anyways, but it’s more about supporting the evidence to approve your claim.

---

 Important Things To Know About Your Roofing Materials 

Most roofing systems won’t leak or have issues right after a hailstorm, it can even be years after you start experiencing the side effects from a hailstorm, it would also depend on the size of the hail, type of roofing materials you might have, temperature on which the shingles where at the time of impact, how old the shingles where, etc.

If your roof was exposed to hail but didn’t have noticeable damages, we won’t know for sure the extent of damage the hail did to your shingles, until some years later when the deterioration from that hail damage becomes obvious, by then It would probably be too late to make an insurance claim since insurance carriers only allow you a year or two from the storm date to make your claim, timing depends on what your policy says.

So, if the roofing system is not leaking and only has lost granules, what’s the big deal?

• In order for insurances to insure your roof, it must be in good shape to begin with or they make you replace it. If you ever need to change insurances and your roof has a lot of “wear and tear” you may run into this situation.
• In order to sell your property your roof must be in good shape, otherwise someone has to pay for it, either you or the buyer.
• Granule loss due to hail it’s considered “voided warranty” by some of the biggest shingle manufactures (Brands) and most likely by all of them.
• Some insurances sometimes don’t consider granule loss due to hail impact as hail damage if they consider it not big enough, it all depends on their guidelines. This results in not approving your claim, therefore leaving you the burden to deal with it years later.

For context, here is some of the wording from two of the biggest brand names in the roofing industry; Owens Corning and GAF

Owens Corning

Owens Corning Warranties: “WHAT IS NOT COVERED Our warranty does not cover damage to the Owens Corning® Roofing Shingles and Components products due to any cause not expressly covered in this limited lifetime warranty. After our roofing products leave our manufacturing facilities, they are subject to conditions and handling beyond our control that could affect their performance. This limited lifetime warranty does not cover any problems with non-defective roofing products caused by conditions or handling beyond our control. Some examples of conditions not covered by this limited lifetime warranty include: 1. Acts of God, such as hail, strong storms or winds (including gusts)”

Source: Owens Corning Warranties

Owens Corning TECHNICAL BULLETIN hail damage:“Issue Description: Hailstorms can cause serious damage to a roof. Hail damage is marked by indentations, fractures, or multiple circular areas on the shingle where granules are missing. In some severe cases, hail impact can crack the shingle which weakens the water shedding capability of the roof. The impact of the hailstone can break or weaken the bond between the granules and the asphalt. When granules are loose or missing, the roof has been compromised. Prolonged exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation may then accelerate the oxidation of the asphalt, which may lead to the premature aging of the shingle. The effects of hail impact on asphalt shingles may not be immediately apparent. Sometimes it may take several months for circular or slightly elliptical areas to appear as granules become dislodged. When the damage to the surface of the shingle is not visible, look for indentations on vents, gutters, siding, air conditioning units and /or heat pumps, electric meter boxes, or other metal objects as telltale signs of hail impact.”

Source: Owens Corning TECHNICAL BULLETIN hail damage

GAF

GAF Warranty: “GAF will NOT be liable for and this warranty does NOT apply to: Damage resulting from causes beyond normal wear and tear, such as: acts of nature, such as hail, fire, or winds (including gusts) over the applicable wind speed listed”

Source: GAF Warranty

GAF Technical Advisory Bulletin: “What Are The Possible Types Of Damage?  Granule loss at points of impact, which may be accompanied by surface depression.”

Source: GAF Technical Advisory Bulletin

---

Why Does This Matter?

We live in a society of regulations, inspections, real estate, and HOAs, POAs, and CIDs, which means that if your property ever goes on the market to be sold, it will be scrutinized in order to be in perfect shape for the market. Especially the roof, since it’s an expensive part of the property, no Real Estate Agent or Home Inspector will miss the roof. This situation not only affects your property value, but addressing the roof restoration then, delays the process of selling.

Thinking long term can determine your decisions now.

Parties At Play	Obvious Markings And Big Hail Damage	Hail Damage Granule Loss Only	Time To Sell The Property
You/Property Owner	Only pays for deductible	No claim, no paying for anything at the moment	Need to pay out of pocket for the whole roof, or deduct it from buyer
Insurance	Approves claim & pays for damages	Sometimes doesn’t approve claim	By now old hail damage it’s considered wear and tear by your insurance
Material Warranties	Gets void	Gets void	Warranty void due to hail granule loss and deterioration

---

How Common Is This Problem

This dilemma is more common than you think, you see, there are gray areas and ambiguity when it comes to determining these things, since everyone has their own opinion, perspective to their world, and interest they represent.

The good thing you must know is that we all come together because of you, and we are all here to serve you. From the roofing manufacturer, to assuring coverage when you need it, to providing you with a holistic hailstorm restoration service. Understanding the whole picture helps you make better decisions, it does not mean the process will be perfect, but at least having clarity will remove those uncertainty and confusion barriers you might have.

You hold the power since you are the client, the customer, the property owner, the one that pays the bills.

Thank you!

---

What To Do

Firstable, understand that it’s all a process and that it all takes time, so being proactive in whatever you decide to do will be key, try not leaving it for later.

1. If your property was inspected only by a roofer not inspecting other damages apart from your roof, it might be a good idea to have another professional take a look at the whole property.

2. If you had an insurance adjuster only and no damage was found, it might be a good idea to have another professional to inspect your property.

3. If your property was inspected by a contractor and the insurance adjuster, and they both determined there is no damage. Normally I would say; then your property most likely has no damage, but since your neighbors are having their roofs replaced, it makes me wonder what the situation might be in your case.

• Maybe calling another contractor that knows about hail damages might be a good idea, just to have another opinion.
• Call your insurance and ask them how long you have to make an insurance claim from the hailstorm date. Set up and schedule another inspection right before that time expires, by then more damage from the storm should be exposed and you might get a greater chance to get your claim approved if indeed your roof is damaged. 

---

---

Tip: always have your contractor meeting with the adjuster at the initial inspection.

If you would like Balanced Contracting to be your contractor, don’t hesitate, you now know how to contact us.

Thank you for your time, we hope this was helpful in answering “How come my roof had no damage but my neighbors are getting theirs replaced?”

---