Hail damage is one of the most common insurance claims, so thankfully you’re likely to have coverage for it in your home insurance policy. In most cases, your policy pays to repair your damage after you pay your deductible.
The bad news? There’s very little you can do about hail damage to your roof or siding. The hail is going to fall when it wants to fall. And where hail is very frequent, you may find some additional restrictions on hail damage coverage.
Where is hail most common?
Traditionally, the area most vulnerable to hail is where the states of Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming meet. This area is called “Hail Alley” and sees an average of seven to nine hail days each year.
Hail Alley appears to be drifting towards the east, according to Verisk, an analytics and risk assessment firm. Its recent review of hail events shows only one Hail Alley state cracking the top 10 states for hail damage by total properties affected. Moreover, two eastern states made the list.
Top 10 states for hail damage
|
Rank |
State |
Properties affected |
Percentage of properties |
|
1 |
Texas |
1,591,074 |
17% |
|
2 |
Indiana |
475,377 |
17% |
|
3 |
Ohio |
389,334 |
8% |
|
4 |
Wisconsin |
306,512 |
12% |
|
5 |
Maryland |
274,501 |
13% |
|
6 |
Pennsylvania |
271,646 |
5% |
|
7 |
Illinois |
261,822 |
6% |
|
8 |
Kansas |
216,152 |
19% |
|
9 |
Oklahoma |
204,382 |
15% |
|
10 |
Colorado |
197,320 |
10% |
Source: Verisk, Ice, Fire, Wind, and Water Whitepaper Series, 2023.
In areas where hail storms are more likely to occur, insurance companies might:
-
Exclude damage that is considered cosmetic.
-
Require a separate wind/hail deductible for hail damage claims.
-
Require actual cash value coverage for roofs.
How does home insurance cover hail damage?
The dwelling coverage in your home insurance policy helps cover the costs of repairing or replacing parts of your home damaged by hail. It can also help pay for repairs to the home's physical structure.
Remember, you’ll usually have to pay your deductible before your coverage kicks in. For some policies, that’s a standard deductible, but in hail-prone locations, that may mean you pay your wind/hail deductible when you file a hail damage claim.
A wind/hail deductible (usually different than a hurricane deductible) is the amount of money you’re responsible for paying out of pocket when you make an insurance claim for damage caused by:
-
Wind.
-
Hail.
-
A tornado.
-
Wind-driven rain events.
Wind/hail deductibles are typically calculated either as a flat dollar amount or a percentage of your dwelling coverage. If, for example, you have $300,000 worth of coverage for your dwelling with a 1% wind/hail deductible, you’ll pay $3,000 before your coverage kicks in for a hail claim.
If you choose a flat-dollar wind/hail deductible of $2,500, then you’re responsible for $2,500 before your insurance policy kicks in to cover the rest of the costs.
Wind/hail deductible options vary by provider. We usually offer both flat dollar and percentage options on our home insurance.
Wind/hail deductibles from Kin
|
State |
Flat-dollar |
Percentage |
|
$500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, $7,500 $10,000 |
1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 10% |
|
|
$500 $1,000 $2,500 $5,000 $7,500 $10,000 |
1% 2%, 3% 4% 5% 10% |
|
|
None |
None |
|
|
$250, $500 $750 |
1% 2% 3% 5% 10% |
|
|
None |
1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 10% |
|
|
$500 $1,000 $2,500 $5,000, $7,500, $10,000 |
1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 10% |
|
|
$500 $1,000 $2,500 $5,000, $7,500, $10,000 |
1% 2% 3% 4%, 5% 10% |
Be sure to read your policy documents closely or ask your Kin representative about how your policy covers hail claims.
Does home insurance cover hail damage to siding?
Your dwelling coverage typically does apply to hail damage to siding, although there may be some limits. That’s one reason insurance applications often ask what type of siding you have – some are more resistant to hail damage than others.
Will an insurer cover hail damage if I have an older roof?
If you have an older roof, it might be more difficult to get home insurance coverage in general, or it may be cost prohibitive. We offer a roof surfacing payment schedule endorsement (RSPS) that allows people with older roofs to purchase affordable policies that can cover hail damage.
How does an RSPS endorsement work?
The RSPS endorsement changes how your roof is insured. In exchange for a lower premium, the endorsement modifies your coverage so any claims settlement for wind or hail damage to your roof is based on a payment schedule that uses your roof’s age and surface materials rather than its replacement cost.
This means that your roof’s age is factored into your claim payout for wind and hail damage, so you have coverage for wind and hail damage but with a payout that is more reflective of the age and condition of your roof.
RSPS only applies to roof damage caused by wind and hail events, including:
-
Windstorms.
-
Hail storms.
-
Sleet.
-
Hurricanes.
-
Tornadoes.
-
Derechos.
How do I file a claim for hail damage?
Every insurance company has a different process for filing claims. Most of the time, the claim process starts with a first notice of loss that you initiate by contacting the insurance company by phone, email, or online. Be sure to have your policy number ready, and it's always a good idea to have photos of the damage available.
Next, you’re usually assigned a claims adjuster who inspects your damage and explains the available coverage.
If your coverage applies, you typically have to pay either the standard deductible or wind/hail deductible you chose when you purchased your policy. Your insurer then pays for repairs up to the coverage limit outlined in the policy for this particular type of loss.
Want to learn more about how your coverage applies in other scenarios? Check out our blog posts about:
- Tornado insurance. (Spoiler alert: You’re probably covered.)
- Firework damage.
- Identify theft or fraud.
- Domestic workers.
- Broken windows.
- Termites and pests.
The more you know about what home insurance covers, the better you can protect your home!
