HARD KNOCKSCONSULTING
Where These Files Are Lost
Four arguments carriers make on hail, and what each one requires
Hail denials follow a script. That is good news: a scripted position is a predictable one, and each of these has a documentary answer if the inspection was done properly.
“Cosmetic, not functional”
The distinction is real for metal roofing and mostly false for asphalt. A hail bruise fractures the mat and displaces granules; loss of granules is loss of the UV barrier, and that is functional damage on a timeline. Some Michigan policies now carry an actual cosmetic-damage endorsement — if yours does not, the carrier is arguing a limitation it never bought.
“That is mechanical or foot traffic”
Hail hits are random in spatial distribution and directional in orientation, and they come with collateral evidence on soft metals. Mechanical damage clusters where people walk. Documenting hit density per test square on multiple slopes separates the two — and it is exactly the documentation most field reports skip.
“Pre-existing, from an older storm”
Sometimes true, and it matters because the date of loss has to fall inside the policy period. Fresh fractures expose bright asphalt and unoxidized granule beds; older ones weather. Pairing that observation with verified storm data for the address is what makes a date defensible instead of asserted.
“Repair the slope, not the roof”
A patch on a 19-year-old three-tab in a discontinued color is not a repair to like kind and quality. Brittleness testing, profile availability, and any applicable matching provision determine whether a slope repair is even possible — and Michigan's code requirements on tear-off frequently settle the question.
The File
What a defensible hail file actually contains
Most hail claims are not denied because the damage was absent. They are denied because nothing in the file made the damage difficult to dismiss. Six things change that.
Verified storm data for the address
Not “there was hail that summer.” Reported stone size, event date, and radar-derived confirmation at the property's coordinates. This is the single most common gap, and it is the one carriers exploit first.
Marked test squares on every slope
Ten-by-ten squares, chalked, photographed with hits circled, counted per slope and per elevation. A single photo of a single bruise proves a bruise. A hit count across slopes proves a storm.
Soft-metal corroboration
Gutters, downspouts, drip edge, vents, valley metal, window screens, condenser fins, mailboxes, grills. Soft metals dent at lower thresholds than shingles fracture, so they independently establish that stones of a given size struck the property.
Everything other than the roof
Siding, wraps, fascia, garage doors, decking, fencing, skylights, and the air-conditioning condenser. Hail files are routinely settled as roof-only claims when a third or more of the real loss is on the elevations and the grounds.
Code and manufacturer requirements
Ice-and-water shield, drip edge, ventilation, deck condition, and the number of existing layers. Code-driven line items are payable under ordinance-and-law coverage but nearly never appear unless someone puts them in writing.
A line-item scope, not a number
Written in the same estimating platform the carrier uses, at current pricing, with waste, steep and high charges, detach-and-reset, and overhead and profit where a general contractor is genuinely required. Then it can be compared line to line instead of argued in the abstract.
Questions We Get
Hail claim questions
If yours is not here, ask it on the review form — it gets answered directly.
How long do I have to file a hail claim in Michigan?
Your policy sets the deadline, not the state, and most property forms require prompt notice plus suit within a defined period after the loss. Practically: report as soon as you suspect damage. Delay does not just risk a late-notice defense, it lets the physical evidence weather.
The adjuster was on my roof for ten minutes and denied it. Is that normal?
It is common after a widespread event, when carriers are processing volume. A proper hail inspection means test squares on each slope, soft-metal documentation, and elevations — not a walk of the most accessible pitch. A short inspection is a reason to request a reinspection with your own representative present.
Should I let a roofer handle the claim for me?
A good roofer is valuable on scope and price for the roof. But in Michigan, negotiating or adjusting a claim on your behalf for a fee is licensed activity, and a contractor's interest is the job, not the whole policy — contents, ordinance and law, and additional living expense are not their line items. Use both, in their own lanes.
My claim was already denied. Is it over?
No. A denial is a position, and positions get reversed when new documentation lands. Reopening is routine, and if the disagreement turns out to be about amount rather than coverage, your policy's appraisal clause is a contractual remedy that does not require a lawsuit.
Will filing raise my premium or get me dropped?
Hail is a weather loss, not a liability loss, and widespread events affect an entire book at once rather than one policyholder. The bigger risk to future coverage is an unrepaired roof, which is grounds for nonrenewal on its own.
Where We Work
Hail claims by county
Related losses: wind and storm damage (hail rarely arrives without wind), roof damage and replacement, and water intrusion where a breached roof let weather inside.
Hail Claims
Denied, or paid for one slope?
Send the denial letter or the estimate. The review is free, and if the carrier's position holds up, I will tell you that instead of selling you a file.
HARD KNOCKS CONSULTING
220 South Main Street
Royal Oak, MI 48067
(947) 241-2950
stanley@hardknocksconsulting.com
State of Michigan — statewideNPN 20573993