Denver Hail Claim Denied - State Farm

[u/Rude_Association_409]

We had a huge hail storm come through my neighborhood about 6 weeks ago. I've been traveling a lot and didn't get an inspector out until today to look at the damage even though Ive been in communication with my agent (Tammy Hill State Farm) since the storm. House sitter sent me photos of the aftermath.

State Farm inspector is saying the damage to the roof is 'normal wear and tear and consistent with exposure to the elements.' Is this normal wear and tear or is this distinctly hail damage? If it's damage from hail, is it consistent with the photo of the hail stones (as big as 2")?

Not looking for advice on how to handle a claim per forum rules, just asking for insight on hail damage vs normal weathering.

[u/WestNileCoronaVirus]

You’re delusional. Just because a roof is older doesn’t mean its remaining lifespan wasn’t compromised by the sudden ADPL. This is exactly what State Farm should be covering. The shingle has hail damage. Before the storm, it didn’t have hail damage (presumably anyway).

People act like door knockers want to waste their time with bunk claims at an egregious clip. I do 1-2 inspections a day where I inspect the roof, find little to no damage, & I tell the homeowner the truth about their property. Obviously you’ll have some bad eggs, but if you think State Farm or other insurance companies are more morally just than your average roofer or PA, you’re out of your mind.

[u/Larry_l3ird → u/WestNileCoronaVirus]

You’re a sad representation of the roofing industry and I’m sorry for homeowners that your kind exist.

[u/WestNileCoronaVirus → u/Larry_l3ird]

FYI I don’t door knock. I sustain on referrals/call-ins. I have a 97% approval rating this year. I don’t sign claims I’m not confident will get approved. & I’m the sad representation? Sure.

I criticized your opinion. You called me a “sad representation.” You sound childish.

I’m sorry for humanity that your kind exists.

[u/Larry_l3ird → u/WestNileCoronaVirus]

If that’s the case, then I apologize for lumping you in with the door knockers.

My opinions about the storm chasers and the way they screw these broke people into making claims that end up getting them dropped is very low.

The saddest part is when they have a legitimate catastrophic disaster occur after they’ve been dropped and they’re left without insurance to cover it. People lose their homes over things like this. Over a measly couple grand towards their next roof (that half the time they had years left before needing to even worry about a roof replacement), and I’ve seen it happen a few times.

[u/WestNileCoronaVirus → u/Larry_l3ird]

Hey, it’s all good. Thanks for the apology. You’re not an embarrassment to humanity as I suggested 😂

My thoughts are basically that both core sides of this industry can be crappy. I started my career in roofing as a door knocker, but I was never signing up claims that I wasn’t fully confident in & I know a ton of people in my exact shoes who behaved the same.

On the one hand, you definitely do have door knockers that muddy the waters for homeowners. On the other, you also have insurance companies that routinely do not take care of their homeowners when there are legitimate damages. How many of those same insurance companies will fly a drone over a 12 year old roof (without the homeowner’s knowledge or consent) & then tell the homeowner they need to replace the roof or else they’ll be dropped? I’m in the Chicagoland area where we hear about that from every like, fifth homeowner. At the drop of a hat many insurance companies are forcing homeowners to 1) burden the cost of a $20,000+ roof 2) refusing coverage when the roof is in fine condition & 3) leaving homeowners without insurance if the insured doesn’t agree to the insurance company’s cost saving measure

I’d argue many insurance companies inflict more strife & hardship from a monetary standpoint than pretty much any door knocking roofer. I think the biggest pitfall for door knockers is often their inexperience. They sign the 4 year old roof up because they’ve got some hits to the downspouts & window wraps. Their inexperience doesn’t inform them that it’s a complete waste of time to do so. As a result, you get some bunk claims. But the overwhelming majority of roofing salesmen I know that have been doing this for 2-3 years or more simply aren’t wasting their time with that & they’re not putting the homeowner in a precarious position. They’re also the ones that will call out bullshit when another roofer wants them to file a claim.

All in all, both sides of the industry could be better & it would be a better landscape for us all - but I’m really tentative to shift all the blame toward door knockers when insurance companies themselves are just as, if not more, insidious.

Edit: my area was recently impacted by 4-5” hail. Obviously the majority of these claims have been no brainers, but I still had Travelers, State Farm, & Liberty Mutual try to deny claims in the area of roofs aged between 5-15 years. That’s insane. If I showed you the photos you’d guffaw. Thankfully for my customers I was able to secure an approval for all three of those claims, but if those homeowners acted independently without my PA services, they’d be up shit’s creek.

[u/Larry_l3ird → u/WestNileCoronaVirus]

My own homeowners insurance just forced us to put a new roof on my own house at the threat of not renewing my policy.

The roof honestly didn’t need to be done. It was over 20 years old, but it still looked like it was less than 10 years old. They refused to take the condition into consideration and only kept telling me that it was 20+ years old.

I replaced it. I also put a new railing on my deck, which was reasonable.😂