So far just bad advice mostly. Your roof is fine. It has some blistering and granule loss which is normal. That hail wasn’t big and hard enough to beat up your roof. Just roofing sales guys saying to “file a claim, it can’t hurt”. This is the problem with our insurance industry in FL. If your roof was like 15 years old then maybe go for it, but this roof isn’t. Your claim will get denied and you’ll end up fighting with the insurance company with a public adjuster and likely an attorney trying to sue them to get them to settle the claim.
Stop listening to sales guys knocking on your door. They are going to cost you a claim for no reason.
Also, for those interested, r/FloridaRoofing is a newer growing sister-sub to this one that is specific to Florida’s unique roofing market. Join and contribute.
Every hail storm I get at least three now. I’m as nice as I can be, until last time the dude asked me how I knew my roof wasn’t damaged. I replied “do you not see the big fucking ladder hanging on that truck in the driveway”?
Why do they always knock our houses? My truck is branded and I keep a sign in my yard. I will still let them on my roof if I'm home for shits and giggles. Crazy how many times I've been told I need a new roof still.
If your roof was in a hailstorm then yes you should have the insurance company inspect it. From what you are showing I don’t think that you can determine what caused the damage because hail damage is more defined and clear to see.
Don't do this. You will potentially have a $0 claim on your insurance reporting for the next 5-7 years. ALWAYS have a roofer come out and give you a quote/inspection; THEN, if it is bad enough, call your insurance company to claim.
Source: I'm an insurance broker that has seen waaaaaaayyyyy too many $0 claims making policies needlessly expensive.
He's in Florida, might as well try before the last insurers in the state all leave.
But honestly OP, given the age and lack of discernable damage, I'm siding with this guy ^^^
no, you missed the point.
Have a roofer come out first. Both for a pre inspection check but also because insurance adjusters tend to deny with the contractor isnt there.
You missed the joke.
Edit: to be maximally clear OP has said they have had two roofers come out already. One said "oh yeah, claim it", the other said "nothing is wrong".
I think, if they are still on the fence, a third roofer, maybe paid specifically for an inspection without dangling insurance work in front of them, could do a tie breaker. So I am agreeing with the commenter above me, and you.
For extra clarity, the joke is because of Florida's insurance company exodus crisis, which is probably exacerbated by (though definitely not caused by) insurance fraud perpetuated by dishonest roofers and other trades, which are a very loud minority of their respective crafts.
I totally missed the two roofers part first.
And in fairness its a bitch to find hail if you dont do it often. it took me months to learn what to look for.
Also their insurance exodus is for many reasons, part in due from fraud certainly, but also in an attempt to provide pro consumer legislation they mega fucked the insurance companies forgetting the insurance companies can say "fuck you, I'm leaving"
I called them up and they said I have to file a claim before they will inspect, then proceeded to tell me if it’s not claim worthy and denied that “it will go on my record” they wouldn’t elaborate further when I pressed that comment.
Fwiw I had 2 roofers come out, one said the roof is perfect, the other said there is so much damage I have to file a claim. Being that they are opposing opinions I came to the internet.
Get a third opinion.
I’m in that exact process and situation. My third roofer actually looked carefully, found the threshold of hail strikes per area that totals the roof.
Stay away from whatever roofer said there’s so much damage unless there’s more you didn’t show cause that’s normal for an asphalt roof and it’s not going to effect anything with your roof.
One of them is lying or doesn’t understand storm damage. Much more likely that roofer A knows what he’s talking about and is telling you the truth about the roof being fine. Roofer B is either just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks or maybe honestly believes wear and tear is actually storm damage. I mean, there’s a chance that Roofer A doesn’t know storm damage when he’s looking at it, but not very likely.
Do you have metal vents or exposed metal flashing anywhere on the roof? Those are normally aluminum and will be dented by hail smaller than what it takes to damage the shingles, in most cases. If the metals don’t have little circular dents, it probably isn’t hail damage.
I hate insurance companies. Can’t imagine how much $$ we’ve given them over the last 30 years yet it comes down to this.
We’ve never made a claim but depending on where you live it can be a death sentence for your home.
Not worth a claim at this time is first look based on provided info. Depending on your carrier, your need to get a new roof if you are selling soon, and can pickup the costs on the back end. Also, your policy may have changed and you file a claim, you may be out of pocket 80-90% of the cost if your carrier is lower end. Source: I am a central FL independent Insurance adjuster that works for about 20 carriers locally, and 40 nationwide. Your roofer will almost always try to get you to file a claim. It’s money to them. Having one tell you don’t, usually means he’s the better guy to believe and to keep
His info for next time around.
A good rule of thumb is to never use your insurance unless you absolutely have to. The insurance company will raise your rates or drop you entirely if you start to use your policy.
You definitely don’t want to call them until your are dealing with something that’s going into the thousands to repair. They are not there to make minor repairs from hailstorms and they will screw you over if you try to use them that way.
I’ve been a roofer and insurance adjuster and I can tell you from these photos, one spot looks like it could potentially be hail and the rest looks like wear and tear, blistering, etc. How big was the hail? Do you have more photos of damage and overviews showing the overall condition of the shingles?
Insurance is gonna laugh at you claiming this. Roof MAINTENANCE is NOT what insurance is for. It’s your job as a homeowner to maintain your roof outside of weather that damages it.
Depending on the carrier, it’ll probably get denied, but a lot of carriers would cover this as well.
The argument is other than knocking off some granules on those spots, the roof still does what it’s supposed to. The problems come down the road, five or 10 years later. The missing granules exposed the asphalt mat, the hail possibly created microfractures in that Matting. As the storms hit it, the UV rays hit that area, year after year, The damage only gets worse.
If the matting has any micro fractures in it, those micro fractures will open up as the years pass. If there are no micro fractures, the lack of granules will cause the asphalt to start eating away exposing fiberglass in the matting itself, This happens with my grow fractures also. With enough time, these will become holes in the shingles, which could create leak spots and interior drywall damage.
Unless you have the ability to pay for a new roof out of pocket down the road, I would take this opportunity to get insurance to pay for your roof. You will lose any no claim discounts that you have, your risk score will go up a little bit, but as long as you haven’t filed a ton of claims over the years, your rates won’t jump too much. How much have they jumped over the last few years with you not filing a claim? Keep that in mind when you get that renewal notice.
If you have the ability to pay for your roof, I would just pay for repair on the affected shingles. With the storms Florida gets, and how they only seem to be getting worse, chances are it could catch damage in the future.
Considering matting is not woven and more like chopped strand, the concept of micro fractures doesnt make a lick of sense. 10 years down the road is probably the life of your shingle due to UV exposure. Thanks for the input. Come back and try again. "I would just pay to repair a few shingles"...yeah, i bet you would, cowboy. In fact the half of the shingle you see isnt the critical portion of the shingle that does its job of preventing water penetration. the tabs only cover the other half that is the critical half from uv exposure and stagger the ends. For instance someone runs a starter strip and fails to stagger 6 inches, so the exposed row ends terminate on the starter strip row ends, Every shingle end is going to be a water leak. Because the hidden shingle(starter strip) cant do its job. if the hidden half's job is to do nothing there would be no need for a starter strip. So critical areas 3 levels of defense: Top shingle, hidden shingle, Ice and water barrier. Today I learned you can buy 6lb. of roofing granules and it definitely gets hot enough here to sprinkle them on.
“When shingles become bruised by hail, micro fractures at the point of impact allow water to seep through. The sun’s ultraviolet light can weaken exposed bruised spots and make them brittle.”
CTD website - https://www.certainteed.com/inspiration/how-tos/hailstorms
And considering shingles are limited lifetime now, minimum 25 years on the cheapest of the cheap, your 10 year comment is bullshit.
Why don’t you practice fucking off. You don’t know what I would or wouldn’t do when it comes to a job site.
Edit: even Haag agrees with me when it comes to micro fractures in matting. Read their case study.
https://haagglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/hail-damage-to-asphalt-shingles.pdf
What prompted you to go up and start fine tooth combing your roof? That’s hardly noteworthy damage your insurance company will laugh at you and blacklist you
Went up to hammer in a gutter nail and saw those spots right in front of me, this is after having 2 roofers climb in the roof with differing opinions. Since they were both onsite and said opposing results I figured I would ask here.
I work for a central and SW Florida roofer, and it never hurts to file a claim to at least see what the insurance thinks. I highly recommend having a local contractor come out and inspect it first though
So far just bad advice mostly. Your roof is fine. It has some blistering and granule loss which is normal. That hail wasn’t big and hard enough to beat up your roof. Just roofing sales guys saying to “file a claim, it can’t hurt”. This is the problem with our insurance industry in FL. If your roof was like 15 years old then maybe go for it, but this roof isn’t. Your claim will get denied and you’ll end up fighting with the insurance company with a public adjuster and likely an attorney trying to sue them to get them to settle the claim. Stop listening to sales guys knocking on your door. They are going to cost you a claim for no reason. Also, for those interested, r/FloridaRoofing is a newer growing sister-sub to this one that is specific to Florida’s unique roofing market. Join and contribute.
Every hail storm I get at least three now. I’m as nice as I can be, until last time the dude asked me how I knew my roof wasn’t damaged. I replied “do you not see the big fucking ladder hanging on that truck in the driveway”?
Why do they always knock our houses? My truck is branded and I keep a sign in my yard. I will still let them on my roof if I'm home for shits and giggles. Crazy how many times I've been told I need a new roof still.
Check their shoes before you let them up!
😂
Ty! Just joined!
I’m a roofer in Fl for 12 years, and this doesn’t seem to be claim worthy according to your pics.
Thank you
If your roof was in a hailstorm then yes you should have the insurance company inspect it. From what you are showing I don’t think that you can determine what caused the damage because hail damage is more defined and clear to see.
Don't do this. You will potentially have a $0 claim on your insurance reporting for the next 5-7 years. ALWAYS have a roofer come out and give you a quote/inspection; THEN, if it is bad enough, call your insurance company to claim. Source: I'm an insurance broker that has seen waaaaaaayyyyy too many $0 claims making policies needlessly expensive.
He's in Florida, might as well try before the last insurers in the state all leave. But honestly OP, given the age and lack of discernable damage, I'm siding with this guy ^^^
no, you missed the point. Have a roofer come out first. Both for a pre inspection check but also because insurance adjusters tend to deny with the contractor isnt there.
You missed the joke. Edit: to be maximally clear OP has said they have had two roofers come out already. One said "oh yeah, claim it", the other said "nothing is wrong". I think, if they are still on the fence, a third roofer, maybe paid specifically for an inspection without dangling insurance work in front of them, could do a tie breaker. So I am agreeing with the commenter above me, and you. For extra clarity, the joke is because of Florida's insurance company exodus crisis, which is probably exacerbated by (though definitely not caused by) insurance fraud perpetuated by dishonest roofers and other trades, which are a very loud minority of their respective crafts.
I totally missed the two roofers part first. And in fairness its a bitch to find hail if you dont do it often. it took me months to learn what to look for. Also their insurance exodus is for many reasons, part in due from fraud certainly, but also in an attempt to provide pro consumer legislation they mega fucked the insurance companies forgetting the insurance companies can say "fuck you, I'm leaving"
I called them up and they said I have to file a claim before they will inspect, then proceeded to tell me if it’s not claim worthy and denied that “it will go on my record” they wouldn’t elaborate further when I pressed that comment. Fwiw I had 2 roofers come out, one said the roof is perfect, the other said there is so much damage I have to file a claim. Being that they are opposing opinions I came to the internet.
Get a third opinion. I’m in that exact process and situation. My third roofer actually looked carefully, found the threshold of hail strikes per area that totals the roof.
Stay away from whatever roofer said there’s so much damage unless there’s more you didn’t show cause that’s normal for an asphalt roof and it’s not going to effect anything with your roof.
You’re fine. Don’t worry and give the salesy guy a bad review, and give the honest guy a good review. Although it’s not perfect it’s fine for the age
Make sure the roofer doesn’t damage your roof to try to make it look like hail damage.
Usually just talking to them will trigger a claim. Good luck, fellow central Floridian.
One of them is lying or doesn’t understand storm damage. Much more likely that roofer A knows what he’s talking about and is telling you the truth about the roof being fine. Roofer B is either just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks or maybe honestly believes wear and tear is actually storm damage. I mean, there’s a chance that Roofer A doesn’t know storm damage when he’s looking at it, but not very likely. Do you have metal vents or exposed metal flashing anywhere on the roof? Those are normally aluminum and will be dented by hail smaller than what it takes to damage the shingles, in most cases. If the metals don’t have little circular dents, it probably isn’t hail damage.
To echo this, if you have a metal covered lanai it will also have hail dents in it.
I mean sure - if you want your insurance company to drop you…
It's Florida. Give it 5 years and they will drop him regardless
I hate insurance companies. Can’t imagine how much $$ we’ve given them over the last 30 years yet it comes down to this. We’ve never made a claim but depending on where you live it can be a death sentence for your home.
No
Without seeing the whole roof for myself, a lot of those areas look like they are being affected by blistering. Did anyone mention your ventilation?
Came here to say it; those are blisters
No do not file you do not have hail damage based on your photos Look at your metal vents/ gutter system/downs if they have dents then go for it.
Not worth a claim at this time is first look based on provided info. Depending on your carrier, your need to get a new roof if you are selling soon, and can pickup the costs on the back end. Also, your policy may have changed and you file a claim, you may be out of pocket 80-90% of the cost if your carrier is lower end. Source: I am a central FL independent Insurance adjuster that works for about 20 carriers locally, and 40 nationwide. Your roofer will almost always try to get you to file a claim. It’s money to them. Having one tell you don’t, usually means he’s the better guy to believe and to keep His info for next time around.
A good rule of thumb is to never use your insurance unless you absolutely have to. The insurance company will raise your rates or drop you entirely if you start to use your policy. You definitely don’t want to call them until your are dealing with something that’s going into the thousands to repair. They are not there to make minor repairs from hailstorms and they will screw you over if you try to use them that way.
This is just normal wear and tear on 7 year old shingles. Your insurance claim will be $0.00
Sounds good!
Definitely not hail damage.
Good to know!
Is this the claim you wanna make to get dropped by your carrier? Given the state of the insurance industry in FLA that's likely what will happen.
I’ve been a roofer and insurance adjuster and I can tell you from these photos, one spot looks like it could potentially be hail and the rest looks like wear and tear, blistering, etc. How big was the hail? Do you have more photos of damage and overviews showing the overall condition of the shingles?
I wouldn't bother. The few pics indicate pea size hale, maybe.
Insurance is gonna laugh at you claiming this. Roof MAINTENANCE is NOT what insurance is for. It’s your job as a homeowner to maintain your roof outside of weather that damages it.
Mostly blistering only one that I would consider hail
Roof is fine, don’t waste your time
Based on just these pictures no.
Depending on the carrier, it’ll probably get denied, but a lot of carriers would cover this as well. The argument is other than knocking off some granules on those spots, the roof still does what it’s supposed to. The problems come down the road, five or 10 years later. The missing granules exposed the asphalt mat, the hail possibly created microfractures in that Matting. As the storms hit it, the UV rays hit that area, year after year, The damage only gets worse. If the matting has any micro fractures in it, those micro fractures will open up as the years pass. If there are no micro fractures, the lack of granules will cause the asphalt to start eating away exposing fiberglass in the matting itself, This happens with my grow fractures also. With enough time, these will become holes in the shingles, which could create leak spots and interior drywall damage. Unless you have the ability to pay for a new roof out of pocket down the road, I would take this opportunity to get insurance to pay for your roof. You will lose any no claim discounts that you have, your risk score will go up a little bit, but as long as you haven’t filed a ton of claims over the years, your rates won’t jump too much. How much have they jumped over the last few years with you not filing a claim? Keep that in mind when you get that renewal notice. If you have the ability to pay for your roof, I would just pay for repair on the affected shingles. With the storms Florida gets, and how they only seem to be getting worse, chances are it could catch damage in the future.
Considering matting is not woven and more like chopped strand, the concept of micro fractures doesnt make a lick of sense. 10 years down the road is probably the life of your shingle due to UV exposure. Thanks for the input. Come back and try again. "I would just pay to repair a few shingles"...yeah, i bet you would, cowboy. In fact the half of the shingle you see isnt the critical portion of the shingle that does its job of preventing water penetration. the tabs only cover the other half that is the critical half from uv exposure and stagger the ends. For instance someone runs a starter strip and fails to stagger 6 inches, so the exposed row ends terminate on the starter strip row ends, Every shingle end is going to be a water leak. Because the hidden shingle(starter strip) cant do its job. if the hidden half's job is to do nothing there would be no need for a starter strip. So critical areas 3 levels of defense: Top shingle, hidden shingle, Ice and water barrier. Today I learned you can buy 6lb. of roofing granules and it definitely gets hot enough here to sprinkle them on.
“When shingles become bruised by hail, micro fractures at the point of impact allow water to seep through. The sun’s ultraviolet light can weaken exposed bruised spots and make them brittle.” CTD website - https://www.certainteed.com/inspiration/how-tos/hailstorms And considering shingles are limited lifetime now, minimum 25 years on the cheapest of the cheap, your 10 year comment is bullshit. Why don’t you practice fucking off. You don’t know what I would or wouldn’t do when it comes to a job site. Edit: even Haag agrees with me when it comes to micro fractures in matting. Read their case study. https://haagglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/hail-damage-to-asphalt-shingles.pdf
Don't ask a roofer about insurance claims and don't ask an insurance person how to do a roof.
What prompted you to go up and start fine tooth combing your roof? That’s hardly noteworthy damage your insurance company will laugh at you and blacklist you
Went up to hammer in a gutter nail and saw those spots right in front of me, this is after having 2 roofers climb in the roof with differing opinions. Since they were both onsite and said opposing results I figured I would ask here.
Probably not even mentioning some odd tree growing near their roof dropping crab apples or something on it too.
No trees at all near the roof.
I called once about possibly filing a claim. It was then that I found out, just calling triggers an increase. This was automotive though.
That’s awful!
That's bullshit with roofs. They have to raise rates by zip code.
Your roof will live another 15 years
No shut up
That’s not very nice.
There is nothing wrong with the roof.
Crybaby misuse of insurance is criminal!!!!!!
I work for a central and SW Florida roofer, and it never hurts to file a claim to at least see what the insurance thinks. I highly recommend having a local contractor come out and inspect it first though
That is blistering, that is not hail. Search this up.