Hail damage to siding, and the matching problem

Hail damage follows the storm's direction. Walls that faced the storm often take the most, and the opposite side can be almost untouched. A consistent pattern helps show the damage came from that storm.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada advises reporting damage to your insurer as soon as possible, taking photos, keeping receipts for cleanup and temporary repairs, and acting to limit further damage. For siding, organised photos make everything easier.

Say hail cracked the siding on the west and north walls, and the east and south walls are fine. The obvious repair is to replace the damaged walls. The problem is getting the new siding to look like the old.

Here's what's documented. Alberta's Insurance Act includes statutory conditions that are part of every property insurance contract in the province. Statutory Condition 13 lets the insurer repair, rebuild or replace damaged property instead of paying, unless a dispute resolution process has started, if it gives written notice within 30 days after receiving the proof of loss. The Act doesn't set a matching rule. So whether undamaged siding gets replaced to keep a uniform look comes down to the wording of your policy and any endorsements.

That wording varies a lot. Some policies include matching coverage. One Canadian insurer's published sample homeowner wording, from Square One, covers reasonable additional expenses to refinish or replace the undamaged portion of exterior roofing, siding, trim, windows or garage doors to reasonably preserve a pre-existing uniform appearance. Other policies reduce what you're paid on siding. Aviva Canada's Alberta Roof and Siding Limitation Endorsement applies an age-adjusted cost factor, similar to depreciation, to vinyl and aluminum siding and to asphalt shingles (other than Class 4 hail-resistant shingles) damaged by hail, wind or the weight of ice, snow or sleet.

This is different from parts of the United States. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' model claims settlement regulation includes a provision that when replaced items don't match in quality, colour or size, the insurer replaces all items in the area to a reasonably uniform appearance, and some states have adopted matching rules. Don't assume a U.S. article's matching rules apply to your Alberta policy.

Start by asking the adjuster to explain the decision in writing, with reference to your policy wording. Send your photos, the supplier's confirmation that the product is discontinued, and your contractor's scope.

If that doesn't resolve it, the Government of Alberta lays out the next steps: contact the adjuster's claims supervisor or manager, then your insurer's complaint liaison officer or ombudsperson, and then the General Insurance OmbudService (GIO). Concerns about an insurer's market conduct go to the Alberta Superintendent of Insurance. Alberta's statutory conditions also provide a dispute resolution process for disagreements over the amount of a loss. It can't start until one side has demanded it in writing and the proof of loss has been delivered. See the appraisal clause and roof claim complaints in Alberta.