Roof Claim Answers

Does homeowners insurance cover wind and hail damage?

Short answer. Yes, standard homeowners policies cover both, and most group them as a single peril, windstorm or hail, with its own deductible that applies to either. The main exceptions are policies with a wind and hail exclusion, more common near the coast, where wind coverage must be bought separately, and damage the insurer judges to be cosmetic or wear.

Why wind and hail are grouped

In Georgia, the same thunderstorm often brings both: straight line winds that lift shingles and hail that bruises them. Insurance forms treat windstorm or hail as one peril, and many policies set one deductible for it. That keeps a single storm from turning into a fight over which deductible applies to which shingle.

Reading your declarations page

When wind and hail are excluded

Some coastal policies exclude windstorm and hail, with that coverage purchased through a separate policy. That is uncommon for inland North Georgia homes, but check if you own a coastal property or bought an unusual low-cost policy.

One storm, one claim

If wind tore off a ridge cap and hail bruised the shingles in the same storm, it is one claim with one deductible. Include gutters, siding, screens and fences from that same storm.

What neither covers

More: wind and hail deductibles, wind claims and hail size and damage.

In depth

What size hail damages a roof?What penny, quarter, golf ball and larger hail usually do to shingles, metal roofs and gutters, and how radar What does my insurance policy require me to do to protect my roof after storm damage?Your duty to mitigate after roof storm damage: reasonable emergency repairs, tarping basics, receipts and photHow do I choose the date of loss for a roof claim, and what if two storms hit close together?How to pick and verify the date of loss for a roof claim with weather records, what to do when two storms hit

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