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Minnesota is a great state to live in, the Land of 10,000 Lakes has an abundance of natural beauty and plenty of opportunities in its urban centers of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It’s also one of the top states for hail damage.

If you live in Minnesota for long enough, you’re bound to have some hail damage on your roof at some point. It pays to be prepared, and when you encounter hail damage on your roof, you should know about the time limit on claims to your insurance company.

How to Identify Hail Damage

While you should definitely file a claim as soon as possible, first you officially determine that hail inflicted damage on your roof. There are two distinct types of damage to look for on your roof.

• Rupturing – is a serious type of hail damage in which the ply or roof cover has been taken off by hail. When rupturing has occurred, your roof will be much less resistant to water and can start leaking. If you spot signs of rupturing, start working on a claim right away before you start experiencing water damage.
• Loss of Granules – can also lead to more serious problems like a leaky roof, it’s also a bit of an eyesore. You can spot loss of granules by looking for bruised patches on your roof in which the underlying layer of bitumen has been exposed. 

How Much Time You Have, When Should You File a Claim?

Minnesota has some really gnarly storms, and hail damage is a fairly common experience. Every time there’s a hailstorm you should go out and inspect your roof for any damage. If you can see visible damage, you should file a claim right away.

Technically, under most home insurance policies, policyholders should file a claim within two years of determining that there’s been damage to your roof from hail. 

The Insurance Information Institute recommends filing a claim on hail damage as promptly as possible. Given the speed of most insurance claims, it’s always best to file sooner than later to speed up the process and get you on your way to being compensated for the damage. 

In some jurisdictions in Minnesota, insurance companies won’t pay until repairs have been done. This little caveat can put homeowners in a tough position as in these cases they have to come up with the money for repairs before being reimbursed by their insurance company. 

Regardless of whether your insurance company pays before or after the repairs, when you have severe hail damage to your roof, you need to have it fixed as soon as possible. The longer hail damage goes without being repaired, the bigger problems you’ll have down the road, especially from water damage. 

Will Filing a Claim Affect Your Insurance Rate?

• Hail damage is a natural occurrence meaning homeowners can’t be blamed for negligence, so your insurance rate won’t be affected much when you file a claim. As a policyholder, you have every right to file a claim and be compensated to have your roof repaired. 
• If a large number of neighboring homes file a claim on hail damage, it can bump up the rate in that area, but you won’t be penalized for an individual claim. 

Sellers Roofing Company – New Brighton

Hailstorms are a fact of life in Minnesota, luckily, the St. Paul area is home to one of the most trusted and highly skilled repair companies in the state, Sellers Roofing Company- New Brighton.

One of the qualities that sets Sellers Roofing Company apart is that it’s one of the only roofing companies in the area that has a crew on hand 24/7 for emergency storm damage repairs.

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