Whats the Difference Between Storm Damage, and Regular Wear and Tear?

This is an important question—and one that homeowners ask all the time. Storm damage is typically sudden, caused by specific weather events like hail, high winds, or falling debris. It might look like missing shingles, dented gutters, torn or folded over shingles, or even leaks that appear shortly after a storm.

Notice the three missing shingles center of the roof, by the ridge. In this particular case, you can see the felt under the shingles peaking through. This is a perfect example of something YOU can spot from the ground, and start the process of contacting your local roofing expert.

Wear-and-tear, on the other hand, happens gradually over time from exposure to sun, rain, and temperature changes. This kind of aging often looks like faded shingles, minor granule loss, or small curling at the edges.

This close up photo is a great example of wear-and-tear to a roof surface. Notice there is nothing missing, no noticeable crease lines, or anything folded over. This is simply deterioration of the shingles surface. In this case, the shingles are nearing the end of their life, and are worth being looked at by a qualified expert.

*Important Note: just because your roof is old and worn does not disqualify it from an insurance claim due to storm damage. Depending on your policy type, it may lower the insurance’s covered value of the repair/replacement, but it does not disqualify the claim in most cases. *

The key difference? Insurance usually covers storm damage, but not general aging. That’s why getting a professional inspection after a major storm is so important—especially in areas where there has been bad weather in recent days, or even months.

Most insurance companies allow a storm date to be used for up to a year after the inclement weather. This is primarily a safeguard for damage that may present itself later down the road for a homeowner that has not noticed anything immediately. Storms with high winds may cause a single shingle, or ridge cap to blow of the roof, or crease. If the roof was properly installed initially, this damage may not present itself on the interior for a while after the storm.

A roofing systems purpose is to - throughout each layer of the system - direct water down the roofs surface toward the gutter line, or eaves of a home. So when properly installed, a roofing system will have multiple layers of water repellent material that may take time to degrade before presenting issues on the interior (or a noticeable area from ground level) of a home. This is why storm dates are typically valid for up to a year. It is worth asking your local professional or insurance agent what your policy does and does not cover.