Spring Storms – Assessing Damage and Getting Repairs
Spring is storm season in Minnesota, which often means damage to homes and vehicles. Knowing when and how to make an insurance claim can be tricky. To make things easier, we’ve put together some helpful steps to follow.
Identifying Damage
- Look for missing or damaged shingles. Check your downspouts for shingle residue. Keep in mind that normal wear and tear on your roof is not covered by insurance. Normal wear and tear may include blistering, cracking, algae, and more. Owens Corning has put together some nice examples of storm damage to shingles.
- Look for dented or damaged fascia and siding, damaged or downed trees, and water damage in your attic or ceiling.
- Don’t forget to check other structures on your property like a detached garage.
- Look for hail dents on your vehicle.
It looks like I have damage. What next?
- Contact a reputable, local roofing contractor for a hail inspection / estimate.
- Avoid working with contractors that show up at your door offering free inspections. Do a search for the company online and check customer reviews. Learn more about “storm chasers” with this blog post from Angie’s List.
Starting an insurance claim
- Contact your insurance agency to get started. If it is after business hours or it’s an emergency, you can contact your insurance company directly. If you’re insured by Atlas, you can find your insurance company contact info on our Service & Claims page.
- Your insurance company will typically assign a claim number and an adjuster will contact you to assess the damage. The adjuster can provide you with the next steps to take.
