Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Hail Damage? Here's What We Know

Hail. Just the thought of these stones hitting your home is enough to make your heart sink. Whether you live in an area that sees frequent hail or not, pretty much everyone knows the destruction that these large pieces of ice can cause. Hail stones can range in size, with smaller particles being the size of peas. In severe cases, baseball — or even grapefruit — sized hail can occur. The bigger the hailstones, the more significant the damage to your home. Even smaller hail can damage roofs, siding, and window screens. These severe weather events can even be threats to your garden. Once the storm passes and you've assessed damages to your home, the question becomes whether your insurance company will help pay for it. The answer to the question regarding hailstorm coverage ultimately boils down to your individual insurance policy as well as where you live.

In most areas, a typical homeowner's insurance policy will cover hail damages. This is not always the case, though. Ironically, living in a hail prone area means the opposite. In such cases, many insurance companies do not automatically include hail damage in their policies. You will instead need to buy a policy add-on, such as a wind and hail endorsement, or buy a separate policy altogether. What's more, some companies might not cover what they deem as cosmetic damages versus functional ones. Ensuring you have adequate coverage for all types of hail damage can reduce significant out-of-pocket costs should a hailstorm strike your area. Unfortunately, while there are smart prep tips to help minimize costly damages in certain storms, hail is notoriously difficult to predict ahead of time.

The best way to make sure your home is covered against the cost of hail damages is to check with your insurance directly. If you do have hail coverage, your homeowner's insurance policy will outline the amount you pay upfront before the insurance company authorizes payment to a reputable contractor to help repair or replace parts of your home. This might include paying a fixed deductible or a hail deductible based on the percentage of your home's value. Before the insurance company agrees to pay any amount of money, they will also need to send an inspector to confirm the damages, as well as to make sure these go beyond cosmetic problems.

If you're looking to see about hail coverage ahead of severe storm season, it's also worth knowing your home's risk based on region. The truth is that hailstorms can happen in every U.S. state, with some locations more vulnerable than others. According to NOAA's National Severe Storms Library, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska are the states that have the most hailstorms in a given year. Other hail prone areas include parts of the Dakotas, Texas, Kansas, and Minnesota.

Hail coverage can be beneficial for every home. Just because you live in a lower hail prone area doesn't mean you're completely immune to hailstorms. If your policy doesn't have enough hail damage coverage because you live in a higher risk area, you might consider buying extra coverage just in case. You can liken this situation to flood insurance, which is always worth having even if you're not in a flood zone!

Even if you do have coverage for hail damage, no insurance company will simply cut a check without doing their own investigation. You will need to supply the insurance agent with as much evidence of the damages to your home as possible. When you talk with the agent, describe details about the hailstorm, including timing. If you weren't home during the storm, it may be helpful to look at previous weather data and to check with your neighbors to see if they witnessed any damage.

When making your hail damage claim, the insurance company will certainly consider your personal account of the storm to see if it all lines up with evidential proof. It's helpful to share any photographic or videographic evidence you might have, including proof of the hail stone sizes. Were you able to take pictures of any hail stones on the ground near your home after the storm? Do you have a security system with cameras that captured the ensuing damage? These are all helpful pieces of information to help describe the level of hail damage so you can hopefully get your claim approved and be on your way to making the necessary repairs to your home.