(COLORADO SPRINGS) — It’s no secret that Southern Colorado gets hail. Most recently, the city of Fountain had some quarter-size hail on Tuesday, Aug. 19, and many people are now wondering how and when they should get repairs done.
In the last ten years, hailstorms have caused more than five billion in damage in Colorado according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. Now experts are weighing in on when to start getting repairs done to avoid lengthy waits.
Hail season is from mid-April to mid-September. Colorado hail is known for its potential to cause damage to cars, roofs, plants, and windows.
“I know some people they’ll bring cardboard or keep cardboard in the car, and it’ll help soften the blows, but at the same time, when you have variables like wind, there’s a lot of things that can happen,” said Richard Heizer the owner of Heizer Hail Repairs.
Now many people are concerned about when and who to go to for repairs. Heizer says it is best to call your insurance company before going to an auto shop.
“First thing would be, call your insurance company and let them know what happened, tell them that there was a recent hailstorm, file a claim number at which point they’ll usually try to give you an idea of places to get estimates,” Heizer said.
Due to the recent hail storm, many repair shops are saying it can take weeks for repair services.
“I open up additional locations and then bring in more techs as needed, I just try to keep the weight down as short as possible,” Heizer added.
Because of this, many insurance companies do not cover hail damage on car windshields.
“All summer is pretty busy for roofers now that we’ve had some storm activity it’s going to increase and busyness’,” said Justin Evenson the owner of Vector Roofing.
For roof damage, Vector Roofing says to wait before calling an insurance company and to get a free inspection first.
“We always advise that you give us a call. We can take a look and then we can say, yep, this is really bad. Please file a claim and then get your home buttoned up. Or if we can push it off a month or six or eight weeks as hail season ends,” Evenson added.
However, some roofing companies might be trying to scam you.
“The door-to-door people are a little harder to trust, but make sure you’re checking Google reviews and checking with your insurance agent. Seeing that the roofer is licensed, your roofers’ insured when it comes to picking a roofer. Our recommendation is to find someone that you trust and make it more about trust than about money,” said Evenson.
Vector Roofing also wants to remind people to never get on the roof of their home to analyze the damage. The company offers free inspections to help ensure a quality inspection and peoples’s safety.
