Hail roof insurance claims: a homeowner's guide for Hastings
How a roof claim usually works after hail, and which Nebraska rules protect homeowners.
General information only. This is not legal or insurance advice. Read your own policy and contact your insurance company about your claim. For legal questions, talk to a lawyer licensed in Nebraska.
The usual order of things
- Make the house safe and stop more damage. Keep receipts for any emergency repairs or tarping.
- Write down the date of the storm and take photos and video of the damage from the ground and inside.
- Read your policy. Check your deductible, whether it has a separate wind or hail deductible and what it says about roof age and repair or replacement.
- Report the damage to your insurer. Your insurer decides coverage and explains the next steps, including whether an adjuster will inspect the roof.
- Get a written estimate from a local roofer. Check that the roofer meets Nebraska rules for contractors before you sign.
- Read any contract before you sign it, including the cancellation terms. Nebraska law gives homeowners some rights, summarized below.
What Nebraska law says
Summaries of Nebraska rules from research notes, each with its source. Laws change, so check the source or ask a lawyer before relying on any of them.
Your right to cancel a contract
Two rules. (1) Insurance-paid repair contracts: the homeowner may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing or after the insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered (Neb. Rev. Stat. 44-8603). (2) Home solicitation sales made at the home: three business days to cancel, contract must carry a 'BUYER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL' notice, refund within 10 days (Neb. Rev. Stat. 69-1601 to 69-1607). Home repair the homeowner requested may be exempt from the home solicitation rule.
Deductibles and roofing contracts
The Insured Homeowners Protection Act bans residential contractors from promising to pay, rebate or offset any part of an insurance deductible, including discounts or allowances, as an inducement. Only items of nominal value allowed. Contracts paid from insurance must carry a signed rebate-ban notice that goes to the insurer. Homeowners who accept a rebate can also break the law.
Who can negotiate your claim
Acting for an insured in negotiating or settling a first-party claim requires a public adjuster license (Public Adjusters Licensing Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. 44-9201 to 44-9219, from LB743 in 2018). A licensed public adjuster may not agree to repair the property they adjust. Contractors currently get claim rights mainly through post-loss assignments. The Department of Insurance warns homeowners about those and says no one has to sign one. LB1137 (2026), which would have banned contractor assignments and contractor negotiation with insurers, was indefinitely postponed on 2026-04-17 and is not law.
Need a roofer?
This site can connect you with an independent local roofer in Hastings for an estimate. The roofer works for you, not for this site, and this site does not deal with insurance companies.