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Hail damage assessments frustrate homeowners
Washington County homeowners are frustrated with State Farm as assessments for hail damage after a 2023 storm conflict with contractors.
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Wis. - When insurance companies and home contractors don’t see eye to eye, it can cost the consumer a lot of money. That’s what some families are learning after severe weather passed through Washington County last year.
Severe thunderstorms dropped golf ball-sized hail and heavy rain on April 19, 2023. In Jackson, Nicole and John Maziasz went outside to survey the damage.
"We saw our back patio just peppered with granules," said Nicole Maziasz.
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The granules were from their roof’s shingles. The family called a trusted contractor for his opinion about whether the roof was damaged.
"He went up (on the roof) and he said, ‘that’s hail damage,’" said Nicole Maziasz.
Hail from April 19, 2023 storm
The Jackson couple said State Farm sent out its own adjuster, who agreed with their contractor.
"Yes, exactly what you’d expect in a two-hour storm," Nicole Maziasz recalled the adjuster saying.
The State Farm adjuster didn’t walk the back half of their roof because he said it was too steep. The Maziasz family said State Farm sent out a second adjuster who came to a different conclusion about their roof.
"He came down and said there was no damage," said Nicole Maziasz. "(He said) we might have a manufacturer shingle defect."
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Nicole and John Maziasz are among four families who wrote to Contact 6 saying State Farm either low-balled or denied their roof damage claims following spring hail storms. All said local contractors told them their roofs have significant hail damage.
"I don’t get angry very often. I was very angry," John Maziasz said of State Farm’s decision.
The Maziasz family has a $31,000 dollar estimate for hail damage repair and a roof replacement from one company. The family said State Farm found $700 in damages.
A State Farm spokesperson told Contact 6 it "seeks to provide our customers all benefits to which they are entitled within the terms of the insurance policy."
Hail damage marked on Nicole and John Maziasz's roof in Jackson
Six months after the storm, State Farm sent the Maziasz family a letter saying "the roof on the home must be replaced as evidenced by the deteriorated shingle condition." If not replaced, their insurance policy will not be renewed.
Since last spring, State Farm has gotten nearly 3,500 catastrophe claims in Wisconsin, excluding auto, and paid out nearly $50 million in the state.
Scott Holeman of the Insurance Information Institute said, in four of the past five years, homeowners insurance has been unprofitable for insurers, so premiums continue to rise.
"We’re seeing a rise in catastrophic losses due to extreme weather," said Holeman.
State Farm paid nearly $3.5 billion in hail damage claims in 2022. It ranked Wisconsin sixth in the nation for hail damage costs, with $194 million in claims paid. State Farm paid about $60 million in Wisconsin 2023 for catastrophe claims.
State Farm hail damage claims in 2022
A State Farm spokesperson told Contact 6: "The decline in claims in 2023 compared to 2022 is being driven by less severe weather activity in the State of Wisconsin…State Farm responded to seven severe weather events in Wisconsin in 2022 compared to three in 2023."
Holeman said insurers are also dealing with increased costs for home building and repairs.
"Society, in general, doesn’t want insurance companies paying for things that aren’t needed because that is going to eventually drive up the prices for everyone," said Holeman.
The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance got 38 complaints about roof and hail damage related to homeowner insurance claims in 2022. Of those complaints, 21 were about State Farm – about 55%. Allstate had the second-most complaints with six – about 16% of the complaints.
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Don and Donia Groves in Hartford said their roof was damaged by hail during the same April 19, 2023 storm. Multiple contractors gave the Groves estimates for their damage around $20,000 or higher.
Don Groves said one contractor called their claim for a roof replacement "a slam dunk." State Farm initially sent the Groves a check for $6,087, but later increased its estimate to $9,860. They haven’t cashed the check.
"It’s becoming increasingly frustrating," said Groves. "I’m seeing my neighbors, 50 feet away on either side, getting brand-new roofs. Across the street, brand-new roofs."
It’s a feeling the Maziasz family shares. Nicole Maziasz listened to the sound of her neighbors getting roof replacements all summer.
Hail damage marked on Don and Donia Groves roof in Hartford
"The sound of tap-tap-tap every morning was just gut-wrenching," said Nicole Maziasz.
State Farm told both families they had some soft metal damage. They say State Farm offered different explanations for how their roof damage occurred, such as roof blistering, erosion and trapped moisture instead of hail.
A State Farm spokesperson said: "Although each claim is handled on its own merits, coverage for hail damage is generally part of a homeowner’s policy."
Both the Maziasz and Groves families filed complaints with the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. The agency didn’t find any wrongdoing in how State Farm handled the claims. The families are considering legal action.