How does wind and hail damage insurance work?
Why they are grouped
Wind and hail usually arrive in the same thunderstorm, and both produce large numbers of claims at once across a region. Insurers manage that concentrated risk by pairing the two and setting a deductible specifically for them.
How the wind and hail deductible works
- A percentage of Coverage A, such as 1 or 2 percent, or a flat dollar amount larger than your other deductible.
- Applies once per storm, to everything damaged by wind or hail in that event.
- Does not apply to fire, theft, plumbing leaks and other perils, which use the all other perils deductible.
Example: $350,000 of dwelling coverage with a 2 percent wind and hail deductible means $7,000 per storm. See percentage deductibles.
Other wind and hail terms
- Roof payment schedules that apply only to wind and hail losses.
- Cosmetic damage exclusions for appearance-only hail or wind marks.
- Wind and hail exclusions in some coastal areas.
Mixed causes
If one storm brings wind and hail, it is one claim with one wind and hail deductible. If it also floods the house, that water damage is a separate flood claim. A tree blown down in the storm is commonly treated as a windstorm loss for deductible purposes.
Making a combined claim
Document both kinds of damage: creased and missing shingles for wind, bruises and dented metals for hail. Adjusters evaluate each separately on the roof. See wind claims and hail size and roof damage.