Is Hail Damage Covered by Homeowners Insurance?

Homeowners insurance generally covers hail damage to your belongings and should cover damage to your home and additional structures as long as your policy doesn’t list hail as an exclusion. However, many policies exclude coverage for cosmetic damage and damage that could have been avoided if you had taken better care of your roof.

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know before filing a roof hail damage insurance claim with your home insurance provider.

On This Page

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  When Does Home Insurance Cover Hail Damage?

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  How Does Hail Damage Coverage Work for Homeowners?

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  What’s the Average Payout for a Roof Hail Damage Insurance Claim?

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  What Cities Are the Most Vulnerable to Hail Damage in the U.S.?

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  Tips To Protect My Home From Hail Damage

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  How To File a Roof Claim for Hail Damage

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  FAQs

When Does Home Insurance Cover Hail Damage?

A standard homeowners policy insures the structure of your home and other structures on your property against hail damage as long as your policy does not list hail as an exclusion. Meanwhile, hail is among the named perils that should be covered by your personal property insurance. That said, some insurance providers exclude coverage for wind and hail in areas that are particularly prone to these perils such as the Texas Gulf Coast.^[1]

If your policy does cover hail, it should include damage caused directly by hail as well as damage that indirectly results from hail.

For example, if a large chunk of hail crashes through your roof, your policy might pay to repair the roof itself and fix any damage caused by water that leaks through your roof.

How Does Hail Damage Coverage Work for Homeowners?

The amount of money you can receive from your insurance company after a hailstorm depends on whether your home and belongings are insured at their actual cash value (ACV) or replacement cost value (RCV).

An item’s ACV is its market value when considering depreciation factors like age or wear and tear. Conversely, an item’s RCV is the amount of money it would take to replace it with a comparable item.

Some policies may only cover your roof at its ACV even if the policy otherwise provides RCV coverage.^[2] As a result, it’s important to look over the details of your policy to make sure you understand which parts of your property are insured at their RCV.

Wind and Hail Deductibles

Depending on where you live, you may have to pay a larger deductible on wind and hail home insurance claims. Your deductible is the amount of money you have to pay out of pocket before your insurance company will contribute any money toward a covered loss. The most common flat homeowners insurance deductible is $1,000.^[3]

However, if you live in a state that has a high rate of windstorms and hail, your insurer may require a higher deductible for wind and hail claims to account for the increased prevalence of those types of losses.

Wind and hail deductibles are most common in the Midwest and other states situated in Tornado Alley. Examples of states where wind and hail deductibles might apply include Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas.^[4]

Rather than paying a flat amount, you will generally pay a percentage of your policy limits for your wind and hail deductible, usually between 1% and 5%.^[4] For example, if you have $250,000 in dwelling coverage, then you might have to pay between $2,500 and $12,500 up front when you file a claim for wind or hail damage to the structure of your home.

Wind and Hail Exclusions

Homeowners insurance policies that cover hail damage claims often exclude coverage for cosmetic and preventable damage. If your roof or other parts of your home still function properly after a hailstorm, your insurance company likely won’t pay to fix any aesthetic damage caused by the hail.

Meanwhile, even if a hailstorm does cause functional damage to your home, your claim could still be turned down if your insurance provider determines that the damage wouldn’t have happened if you had maintained your home or roof properly. For example, if there is already a hole in your roof prior to a hailstorm, your insurer likely will not pay to fix it after a chunk of hail makes the hole even larger.

What’s the Average Payout for a Roof Hail Damage Insurance Claim?

Insurance companies paid out $12,913 for the average hail-related home insurance claim from 2017 to 2021.^[5] This average accounts for all types of hail claims and not just those involving roof damage. Since the roof is generally one of the most expensive parts of your home to repair, it’s possible that the average payout for roof-specific hail claims is even higher.^[6]

What Cities Are the Most Vulnerable to Hail Damage in the U.S.?

See the below table for an overview of which U.S. cities had the most hail claims from 2018 to 2020 and what year within that timeframe each city had its highest number of claims.^[7]

Meanwhile, State Farm paid out the most money for hail claims in the following states in 2022:^[8]

1. Minnesota
2. Texas
3. Arkansas
4. Illinois
5. Nebraska
6. Wisconsin
7. Iowa
8. Colorado
9. Oklahoma
10. South Dakota

Tips To Protect My Home From Hail Damage

Your roof is your first line of defense against hail so it’s important to maintain the quality of your roof to prevent water damage from leaks and other types of damage resulting from hail. Before a hailstorm, you should check your roof for existing holes or cracks that need to be repaired. In addition, you could consider replacing a flat roof with a steep-sloped one or adding impact-resistant shingles.

Other steps you can take to protect your home include installing shutters over your windows and closing the drapes or blinds during a storm to limit the amount of glass and debris that could get into your home if the windows break. You can also upgrade your siding with fiber cement or steel and trim tree branches that could damage your home if they were knocked off by hail.

Finally, you should take steps to protect your personal property. This could include moving outdoor furniture and equipment inside if possible. You should also bring your car into a garage or under a carport if possible so you can avoid the risk of having to file a comprehensive coverage claim because of hail damaging your vehicle.

How To File a Roof Claim for Hail Damage

If hail has impacted your home and you believe the damage is covered by your home insurance policy, you should take the following steps to file a homeowners insurance claim:

1. Notify your home insurance company about the damage to your home or roof and schedule an appointment with an insurance adjsuter.
2. Take pictures or videos of the damaged areas and ask contractors in your area for repair quotes.
3. Make emergency repairs if necessary to keep your home from being damaged any further.
4. Call your mortgage lender to let them know that you’re filing a claim.
5. Collect evidence to support your claim and present it to the insurance adjuster including pictures of the damage and repair estimates from local roofing companies.
6. Keep track of your claim so you can address any issues that come up.
7. Use your insurance payout to finish repairing your property or contact a lawyer or public adjuster for guidance if you believe the settlement is insufficient.