Is hail damage covered by home insurance?
These days, extreme hailstorms are becoming more and more common. Large hailstones can cause significant damage to your home. Items such as skylights and solar panels, in particular, can be severely damaged by hailstones. But is hail damage actually covered by home insurance? Find out here.
Hail Damage Coverage
Homeowners insurance coverage includes, among other things, damage caused by fire, water, burglary, vandalism, and severe weather conditions, such as lightning, storms, precipitation, frost, and hail. Hail damage is therefore covered under the basic coverage of your home insurance policy. However, coverage for hail damage may vary by insurer. In general, damage caused by hail to your home and outbuildings, such as a shed or garden house, is covered. A gazebo, aviary, or pergola is usually covered as well. Damage to loose items in your yard, such as a patio set, is not covered by building insurance. You can take out personal property insurance to cover this. Keep in mind, however, that insurers often charge a higher deductible for hail damage.
Solar Panels
When taking out a home insurance policy, you can specify whether you want to include your solar panels in the coverage. If you choose this option, your solar panels will also be insured against hail damage. It’s obviously frustrating when hail causes damage to expensive solar panels. Fortunately, the likelihood of actual damage occurring isn’t very high. Solar panels are often tested by the manufacturer under extreme (weather) conditions. In addition, the exterior of the solar panels is protected by tempered glass and plexiglass, which are up to five times stronger than regular glass. As a result, hail damage to solar panels is thankfully rare. Should it happen to you, however, you can rest assured that you can file a claim with your home insurance provider.
Please note: Hailstones can also cause invisible damage to solar panels, such as small cracks. The effects of such damage are often not visible or noticeable until later. However, some insurers have decided to no longer cover invisible hail damage to solar panels. You can find out what your insurer’s policy is in the policy terms and conditions.
Skylight
If your home has skylights, there’s a good chance they’ll be damaged in a heavy hailstorm. However, most insurers do not automatically cover glass as part of their standard policy. You can purchase supplemental glass coverage here. With glass coverage, you’re insured against damage to windows—that is, all windows intended to let in natural light.
Roof Tiles
If the hailstones are large, they can cause significant damage to a home’s roof. Fortunately, hail damage to your roof tiles is automatically covered under a home insurance policy. If you’re a tenant, you can seek compensation from the landlord for any hail damage.
What is not covered?
Hail damage caused by open windows, doors, or skylights is usually not covered. The same applies to damage caused by moisture. With some insurers, hail damage to gutters or window frames is also not covered. Coverage may vary by insurer. Therefore, always check the policy terms of your home insurance to see how you are covered for hail damage.
Take out home insurance through Alpina
To ensure you’re properly insured in the event of a heavy hailstorm, you can purchase a home insurance policy at Alpina.nl. Would you like to add supplemental glass coverage or include your solar panels in your policy? You can easily select these options using our online tool. With this online tool, you can compare different home insurance policies and get an immediate estimate of the premium. Once you’ve found the right home insurance policy, you can purchase it online right away.
Do you have any questions about purchasing home insurance? Please feel free to contact us or request a no-obligation quote.
See also:
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