Hail damage and your insurance claim

Right after the storm

• Take photos of the whole door from the driveway, then close-ups of dents with something for scale, like a coin or a tape measure.
• Photograph the door in low, angled light. Dents that are hard to see straight on show up as shadows.
• Note the date and time of the storm. NOAA's Storm Events Database and local news keep a record of hail by date and place, which can help match the damage to the storm.
• Check that the door still opens and closes cleanly. If it binds, stop using the opener.
• Look at the rest of the house too: roof, gutters, siding, window screens and the car.

Read your policy first

Find your declarations page and look for the deductible that applies to hail. Some policies use a separate wind and hail deductible, sometimes a percentage of the home's insured value instead of a flat amount. If the door alone costs less than the deductible, a claim for just the door gains you nothing. If the roof and siding were also hit, the door is usually included in the same claim.

If you aren't sure what your policy covers, call your agent and ask before you file. Asking a question is different from filing a claim.

What an adjuster looks at

• Whether the dents are recent and match the storm.
• Whether the door still works or only looks damaged. Policies treat cosmetic and functional damage differently, and some exclude purely cosmetic damage to metal.
• Whether a single panel can be replaced with a match, or the whole door has to go.

Have a written estimate from a garage door company ready. It should list the door's make, size, the panels affected and the price to repair or replace.

Storms that led to claims here

El Paso County has had several hail storms that damaged homes across whole neighborhoods. The National Weather Service summary of the July 28, 2016 storm cites about $353 million in hail losses. Its summaries of June 13 and August 6, 2018 cite media reports of $169 million and about $172 million. Hail is reported in the county on about 13.8 days a year. See the hail record.

Hail days per year, El Paso County

After a hail storm: storm chasers and garage doors

Big hail days bring contractors from out of town who knock on doors across the damaged neighborhoods. Most sell roofing, and some add garage doors to the pitch. Some are legitimate. Either way, you lose nothing by slowing down.

• Document first. Take your own dated photos of the door and the rest of the house before anyone starts work or hands you paperwork.
• Get a local estimate. Use a garage door company with a local address and phone number you can check, and get the estimate in writing.
• Don't sign on the doorstep. Don't sign an assignment of benefits or any form that lets a contractor deal with your insurer for you until you have read it and talked to your agent.
• Be wary of deductible offers. An offer to cover or waive your deductible is a reason to walk away.
• Don't pay most of the price up front for a door that has not been ordered yet.

Colorado has a law for this, but it covers roofing only. Article 22 of Title 6 (C.R.S. 6-22) requires a roofing contractor to give the owner a signed written contract before any roofing work, with the scope, estimated dates and estimated cost. It lets the owner rescind within 72 hours after receiving written notice that the insurer denied the claim, with payments returned. It also bars roofing contractors from promising to pay or waive the deductible and from acting as a public adjuster. None of that applies to a garage door contract by law, but I'd hold a garage door company to the same standard.

After the claim

If you replace the door, consider a thicker insulated steel door. It dents less in small hail and helps in winter. Insulated doors. Be wary of anyone who knocks on doors right after a storm and asks you to sign over your claim. Get your own estimates from local companies.