Today, we narrow our focus on homeowner’s insurance claims to focus on your gutters.
Regardless if it’s a K-Guard Leaf Free Gutter System or one of our competitors, damage can occur during severe weather conditions. The worst can take place in unforeseen hailstorms that take place in the spring, summer, and early fall.
Who is Affected by a Hailstorm?
Although the majority of these events take place in Florida, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, they can happen anywhere when the right conditions are met. This includes all of Kansas and Missouri, both of which are no stranger to hail storms.
In fact, a downpour of hail is a frequent component of a severe storm system. Furthermore, it’s sometimes a precursor of something more common and dangerous to K.C. and other regions of the United States – tornadoes.
From Water Droplets to Lumps of Ice
Tornadoes and hailstorms have a main ingredient in common. They rely on cold air. In the case of hail. Droplets of water are lifted into a cloud’s freezing level by powerful updrafts. Once there, they combine and freeze into irregular lumps of ice, also known as hailstones.
The stones continue to grow through the accumulation of droplets until they are too heavy for the updrafts to hold them. This is when they come crashing down on us, our vehicles, and our property.
Diameter Equals Severity
If your gutters had feelings, they would get nervous as the first hailstones struck. Generally, a hailstone is between one-quarter and one-half inch in diameter – akin to a pea or a small marble. These sound scary as they ping the exterior of your home; however, they cause little or no damage.
At one inch in diameter or larger, the threat of damage moves from mild to severe. As hailstones rapidly descend they strike gutters, covers, and downspouts with amazing force. Even a short burst of larger hailstones can put severe dents across its surface. The constant pressure may even cause the builder’s grade gutters’ hangers to break loose from your property.
Gutter Damage and Homeowner’s Insurance
After the storm breaks and you assess the damage with a local contractor or K-Guard, the first question to ask your insurance company is if you are covered. Unless you had this portion of the policy removed when you first signed on, the answer is yes.
Hailstorms and tornadoes are weather-related conditions typically covered by your homeowner’s insurance. In other words, you don’t have to purchase a separate policy. Since the gutters, their covers, and the downspouts are part of the home’s structure, even if they were added later, they are included.
What to Know Before Starting a Damage Claim?
If you feel a damage claim is required, consider the following steps before moving forward.
- Determine the amount of damage. The insurance company will ask what was affected by the hailstorm. Therefore, a roofer will need to climb up a ladder, when it’s safe, and see how much damage was done at the roofline. This will also determine if you add the gutters to the claim.
- Ask about the deductible. You may have forgotten the value since you bought the policy, so it doesn’t hurt to ask how much it is. Depending on the severity and how many others in your area encountered damage, the deductible should be all you pay unless you upgrade to better systems or material like K-Guard.
- Find out what’s needed for the appraisal. The insurance firm will send an appraiser out as soon as possible to determine the extent of the damage. However, before then, let K-Guard know and we will meet with the appraiser.
- Alert K-Guard of the situation. Should your K-Guard leaf free gutter system be damaged, contact us immediately to know about the claim. We’ll work with your insurance agency to come up with a plan for repair or replacement of the gutters, downspouts, and enclosures. We’ll even inspect for damage free of charge.
On the whole, it’s best to contact us now to find out what we do in the case of hail damage to our system. It could encourage you to set up a free estimate to learn about our five-star rated gutters.
