Hail Storm Damage to your Home
Posted on Tue, Jun 09, 2009
A large number of homes in Central Massachusetts were damaged by the Memorial Day Weekend Hail Storm. Some people, like myself, were fortunate and experienced only minor damage to some screens and insurance was not an issue (cost to repair is less than the deductible). Others had more extensive damage in which entire sides of vinyl-sided homes need to be replaced, windows were broken and in some cases roofs were damaged. Insurance claims needed to be submitted.
Over the last few weeks many homeowners have been approached by a number of different contractors, most of which are honest hard working people. However, some contractors are telling people that they can help get them more money from their insurance companies. Others are promising to fix other areas of the house at a discounted price if they can do the insurance work and some are looking for people to sign a contract. These offers may be in your best interest but I would urge you not to rush into any decision at this point in the process.
Let your insurance company and insurance agent work for you. Your insurance company will send out an appraiser to estimate the damage. In most cases, they will come out within 2-3 days and make notes regarding the damage. Please note that most of these appraisers do not inspect the roofs. If you are concerned with the roof of your home, you should tell the appraiser and in most cases they will send back a roofing company to inspect your roof. Within a few days of the inspection, you will receive your estimate which breaks down the costs to repair the damages and tells you how much you could receive after subtracting your deductible.
At this time, it makes sense to call 1-3 licensed contractors to get estimates. Some people have contractors that they have used before and know the quality of their work and they don't want to shop. Others will want to get prices from more than one contractor and this makes good sense for most people. No matter who you go to, if the contractor sees damage that is not on the estimate or if you are finding that the appraiser's estimate is too low and you can not find more than one contractor whose estimate is in line with the appraiser's estimate, the estimate can be changed. Call your appraiser or call your insurance agent and they will help you get the money needed to properly repair your home (less your deductible).
Now you have a contractor that has given you a good price, what else should you consider? Obviously, you want quality work and you should also consider protecting yourself against additional loss. As for the quality, I would urge you to check references and look to family and friends for referrals. As for protecting yourself, you need to make sure the contractor is properly insured and this means they should be able to provide you proof of coverage for both general liability insurance and workers compensation insurance. Your insurance agent can help you with any questions regarding the contractor's coverage and they may also be a good source of names for quality, properly insured contractors.
As with any claim, do not hesitate to get your agent involved if you have any questions or concerns with your claim. Most agencies take pride in helping their clients with claims.
If you have any questions regarding this post, please email them to me at randerson@gaudette-insurance.com
Rick Anderson
Vice-President of Sales
Gaudette Insurance Agency, Inc.