Getting Ready for Calgary Hail Season

Calgary sits in the part of Alberta that insurers call Hailstorm Alley, the corridor running from High River through Calgary and north toward Red Deer. It produces more damaging hail than anywhere else in the country.

Storms of some size arrive most summers. Peak season here is roughly June through August, with storms most often building over the foothills in the afternoon and moving northeast over the city. None of that is preventable. What you can control is how prepared you are when it happens.

Do this before the season

• Get the roof inspected and keep the report. Pre-storm condition is the single most useful thing to have when an adjuster is deciding what the hail did and what was already there
• Photograph the roof, the siding and the property from several angles, and note the date the photos were taken
• Read your policy. Find your deductible, and check whether the roof is covered at replacement cost or actual cash value, because on an older roof those produce very different settlements
• Ask whether your policy has a separate hail or wind deductible, which some Alberta policies have
• Fix the small things before the season: loose shingles and cracked boots fail first
• Clean the eavestroughs so a downpour actually drains

The replacement cost question

This one catches people. Replacement cost pays to put a new roof on. Actual cash value pays the depreciated value of the roof you had, which on a twenty year old roof can be a fraction of the cost of replacing it. It is worth knowing which one you have before a storm rather than after.

Right after a storm

Stay off the roof. Hail damage is checked from close up by someone who knows what a hail bruise looks like, and a wet or damaged roof is not a safe place to learn.

Photograph everything from the ground, including dents in gutters, downspouts, siding, window screens, vents and the car, since those all corroborate what hit the house. Note the date and time of the storm. Keep receipts for any emergency work such as a tarp, because those are generally recoverable.

Report the claim promptly. Then get an independent inspection from a roofer as well as the adjuster's assessment, so you have two opinions on scope.

The door knock

Out of province crews follow big storms. Be careful with anyone pressing you to sign on the spot, asking for a large deposit before work is scheduled, or offering to cover your deductible. That last one is not a favour. It misrepresents what you paid to your insurer, on paperwork you signed.

Before you sign anything at your door, take the paperwork away, read it, and get a second quote.

Why local matters after hail

Storm chasers leave, so ask how long a company has had a local address and who will pick up the phone after the job is done.

We offer free roofing inspections across Calgary and area. We can meet the adjuster on site.