Hail can cause significant damage to your property, including the roof of your home, business or commercial building. Other exterior surfaces affected by hail include siding and gutters, also reducing the life of your roof. Hail causes water leaks that could damage the interior of your home or business especially if windows, doors or skylights have been broken.
Hail Damage Affect On Commercial Buildings, Businesses & Schools
Some of the most susceptible to hail damage structures include shorter expansive buildings, concentrated within school campuses or business complexes. Exterior surfaces of commercial buildings are increasingly vulnerable to hail damage as the severity of the storm increases over the years. These structures contain expensive roof-mounted equipment including HVAC units, AC condensers, rooftop ductwork, exhaust fans, gooseneck relief air hoods, condensers, boiler stacks, gas and condensate drain lines, electrical conduits, electrical mast, lightning protection systems, satellite dishes, and communications antennae. These types of hail damages often result in complex, large loss claims.
Business Interruption
Hail can strike with damaging force in both the summer and wintertime; posing business interruption risk for property owners. Property owners should review their policy with a public adjuster such as United Public Adjusters & Appraisers, Inc. to determine if wind/hail damage is a covered peril. Often hail/wind damage is excluded in policies at which point you will need to consider purchasing an endorsement to your policy; especially if you live in an area prone to hail damage.
A particular exclusion to be weary of with large losses is “Cosmetic damage” from hail. Cosmetic damage is the marring, pitting or other superficial damage from hail that alters the appearance of the roof, but does not prohibit it from functioning as a moisture barrier.