Hail roof insurance claims: a homeowner's guide for Sedalia
How a roof claim usually works after hail, and which Missouri rules protect homeowners.
General information only. This is not legal or insurance advice. Read your own policy and contact your insurance company about your claim. For legal questions, talk to a lawyer licensed in Missouri.
The usual order of things
- Make the house safe and stop more damage. Keep receipts for any emergency repairs or tarping.
- Write down the date of the storm and take photos and video of the damage from the ground and inside.
- Read your policy. Check your deductible, whether it has a separate wind or hail deductible and what it says about roof age and repair or replacement.
- Report the damage to your insurer. Your insurer decides coverage and explains the next steps, including whether an adjuster will inspect the roof.
- Get a written estimate from a local roofer. Check that the roofer meets Missouri rules for contractors before you sign.
- Read any contract before you sign it, including the cancellation terms. Missouri law gives homeowners some rights, summarized below.
What Missouri law says
Summaries of Missouri rules from research notes, each with its source. Laws change, so check the source or ask a lawyer before relying on any of them.
Your right to cancel a contract
Two rights. (1) Insurance-funded work, RSMo 407.725: the owner may cancel until midnight of the fifth business day after receiving written notice that the insurer denied all or part of the claim. Contract must carry a boldface notice and cancellation form. Payments refunded within 10 days, less the value of emergency work the owner approved in writing. (2) Door-to-door sales, RSMo 407.700-407.720: buyer may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing a home solicitation sale; Missouri's definition covers consumer credit sales solicited at the home, while the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule covers home sales generally.
Deductibles and roofing contracts
RSMo 407.725: a contractor may not advertise or promise to pay or rebate any part of an insurance deductible as an inducement. 'Promise to pay or rebate' includes discounts, and paying the insured or anyone connected to the property any compensation, gift, prize, bonus, coupon, credit, referral fee or other item of value. A contractor may not represent or negotiate an insurance claim for the owner (subsection 6). Acting as a public adjuster requires a state license under RSMo 325.015 and 325.020 (bond $10,000).
Need a roofer?
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