Will homeowners insurance pay for new gutters?
Short answer. Insurance pays for new gutters when a covered storm damaged them badly enough that repair is not reasonable, usually by pricing replacement per linear foot with the same type and size you had. Upgrades, such as larger gutters or guards you did not have before, are typically your cost.
Sections or the whole system?
Seamless aluminum gutters are formed in long runs on site, so a dented run is usually replaced corner to corner rather than patched. Whether every run gets replaced depends on where the damage is, since hail often hits the sides facing the storm hardest. If undamaged runs will not match new ones in color or profile, raise it with the adjuster; matching practices vary, and partial replacement and matching explains the arguments.
What the estimate should include
- Gutter by linear foot, by size and material.
- Downspouts by linear foot, plus elbows.
- Removal and disposal of the old gutters.
- Gutter guards only if you had them and they were damaged.
- Fascia repair if the storm damaged the board behind the gutter.
What you pay
- Your deductible, shared with the rest of the claim.
- The difference for upgrades: a larger size, a different material or new guards.
- Depreciation, if your policy pays actual cash value, or until it is released on a replacement cost policy. See recoverable depreciation.
Timing with the roof
When the roof is also being replaced, hang the new gutters after the roof so the drip edge laps into them correctly. For sizing and guard choices, see gutter sizing, seamless gutters and guards.