Can you get hail damage fixed with no deductible?
Why the no deductible pitch exists
After a hailstorm, door knockers sometimes promise a free roof. The math only works if the contractor inflates the price to the insurer or cuts corners on the job. Georgia closed that door: O.C.G.A. 33-23-43 makes advertising or promising to pay a deductible a misdemeanor and treats discounts, gifts and sign payments as rebates. See can a roofer pay your deductible.
Who is at risk
You are. The insurer can deny or claw back payments, and a homeowner who knowingly goes along can be part of the fraud. A contractor willing to deceive your insurer is also one to worry about when you need warranty work.
Legitimate ways to handle the cost
- Financing: many roofers offer payment plans that spread the deductible over months.
- Combine the damage: gutters, screens and siding hit in the same storm go on the same claim, under one deductible.
- Review your deductible at renewal: a 1 percent wind and hail deductible costs more in premium than 2 percent but may be easier to live with. See percentage deductibles.
- Ask about options: a less expensive material choice lowers your total honestly, as long as the insurer is billed for what is actually installed.
When there truly is no deductible
Damage caused by someone else, such as a driver or a contractor, may be paid by that person's liability insurer instead. After a federally declared disaster, FEMA aid may help with uninsured costs. Neither is a way around the deductible on an ordinary hail claim.