What to do if you have both hail and water damage

Many homeowners are facing some serious water damage after this weekends rainfall, but could April’s hail damage be playing a factor in some this?

“That hail storm it really compromised shingles,” said Josh Aikele, project manger for Paul Davis Restorations. “The compromisation was long term. Instead of having 30 years of life of that shingle you have 15.”

With more demand than supply after that hail storm, it’s made costs on labor and supplies have gone up.

“The cost per square went up overnight,” Aikele said.

Which restoration companies say was to be expected. For those who are looking to get their homes or buildings fixed, might need to do some research on insurance claims.

“Some of this stuff isn’t insurance related,” Aikele said. “So it’s out of pocket cost.”

Insurance companies say it depends on how the water damage happened. If exterior water is coming in, you would have to have flooding insurance.

“If it’s from the outside coming in, more often than not,” said Michael Infanger of Infanger Insurance. “Unless you have flood insurance it’s going to be denied on your normal insurance policy.”

If you did receive hail damage, that’s where things could be a different situation.

“If the hail hit the roof and puts a hole in the shingle, then you can get water that comes in through that spot,” Infanger said. “That would be a covered scenario.”

Insurance companies say that if you didn’t have flood insurance before the this past weekends floods, now might be the perfect time to check that out so you can avoid paying out of pocket, the next time something like this happens.

Restoration companies say that it is good practice for any property owner to a yearly walk around of their property, to look for any vulnerability.

They also if you were someone that was affected by any water damage, you should get that checked out right away. Mold can grow within a couple of weeks.

If you ever are faced with water damage to your property, always take a picture of the damage. Its likely that insurance adjusters are going to be busy in the immediate aftermath and will be unable to get to your claim right away. So, snap photos of the situation, because they can help make your case.