In every roof damage claim I pursue, I, and my experts, perform a forensic examination of the roof. A forensic roof inspection includes photographs and a video inspection of the roof. In hail damage cases we look for hail impact marks on the shingles, the soft metals on the roof, and screen enclosures.
In a recent case, our client submitted a hail damage claim to his homeowners insurer. The insurer hired an engineering firm to inspect the roof. Not surprisingly, the insurance company’s engineer wrote a report that said there was no hail damage.
My examination of the roof revealed some of the most significant hail damage I’ve ever seen. Often, we simply see impact marks on the top of the shingles. This is sufficient to warrant a new roof.
However, on this roof we the hail impacts that go through to the underside of the shingle. Below are just a couple of photographs showing how strong the impacts to this roof were:
This damage is throughout the roof.
If there is one message I want to get across to policy holders, it is this: A denial letter is not the end of the inquiry, it is just the beginning! Do not be intimidated by a denial letter no matter how strong you think it is.
Don’t evaluate your insurance denial on your own. Let me review it for free. And, in most of my insurance cases, if I win, the insurance company must pay my attorney’s fees and costs; and if I lose, I’ll work for free.