Aging damage
If your home or business was hit by wind or hail in 2025, the clock is already ticking. Here’s what Missouri property owners need to know before next summer’s claim season arrives.
Missouri Got Hit Hard in 2025. Insurers Know It.
Missouri sits squarely in the heart of tornado alley and the broader severe weather corridor that stretches from the Plains to the Ohio Valley. In 2025, the state saw significant wind and hail events across the metro areas, the Ozarks, and rural communities statewide. Roofs were battered. Gutters were shredded. Siding was dented. HVAC units took direct hits.
What many property owners don’t realize — and what insurance companies are counting on them not to realize — is that the same damage that qualifies for a full claim today can be reclassified as something entirely different a year from now.
That “something different” has a name: wear and tear.
What Is the “Wear and Tear” Exclusion?
Every standard homeowners and commercial property insurance policy includes a wear and tear exclusion. The language typically reads something like this:
“We do not cover loss caused by wear and tear, marring, deterioration, mechanical breakdown, latent defect, or inherent vice.”
This exclusion exists for a legitimate reason: insurance is not a home maintenance plan. A shingle that has simply aged past its useful life is not a covered loss. A rusting gutter that was never replaced is not a covered claim.
But here’s where it gets problematic.
Wind and hail damage — real, sudden, storm-caused damage — can look remarkably similar to aged deterioration once enough time has passed. A cracked shingle from a hailstone impact will weather, curl, and discolor within one to two seasons. Granule loss caused by hail becomes nearly indistinguishable from natural granule loss over time. Dented metal flashing begins to rust. Sealant around penetrations cracks.
Insurance adjusters — especially those dispatched during high-volume claim seasons — are trained to look for these signs of “age” as a basis for denial. And when a homeowner files a claim a year or more after the storm? The insurer’s position is simple: “We can’t determine this was storm damage. It looks like normal wear and tear.”
What Insurers Are Planning for Summer 2026
The insurance industry operates on predictable cycles. After a major storm season, companies process claims throughout the following year. But their internal teams are also preparing for what comes next: the second wave of claims, filed by homeowners who didn’t act immediately.
These late filers face a much harder path. Here’s why adjusters will be ready and waiting to classify 2025 storm damage as wear and tear by the time summer 2026 rolls around:
1. Physical evidence degrades. Hail spatter marks on soft metals (like AC condenser fins, roof vents, and gutters) are most visible in the weeks and months immediately following a storm. Sun, rain, and oxidation erode these markers.
2. Inspection photos aren’t date-stamped in usable ways. Insurers will argue that without contemporaneous documentation, there’s no proof the damage is storm-related.
3. Missouri’s statute of limitations creates pressure. Missouri generally allows five years to file a lawsuit on a written contract, but most insurance policies require you to file a proof of loss and initiate a claim within a much shorter window — often one to two years from the date of loss. Miss that window, and your claim can be barred entirely.
4. Repairs made in the interim complicate things. If you patched your roof without documenting the pre-repair condition, you may have inadvertently destroyed the evidence needed to prove storm causation.
5. Competing storm events muddy the waters. By mid-2026, there will have been additional hail and wind events in Missouri. Insurers will argue your current damage came from a more recent storm — one they may also be denying.
The “Concurrent Causation” Problem
Missouri follows what’s known as the efficient proximate cause doctrine, which means that if a covered peril (like wind or hail) is the dominant cause of a loss — even if wear and tear contributed — the loss may still be covered. However, this doctrine requires that the storm event be clearly identified as the primary cause.
When you delay reporting, you lose the ability to establish that causal chain. The insurer’s adjuster walks your property and sees a mixture of old and new damage. Instead of attributing the primary cause to the storm, they write a report attributing the damage to “long-term weathering and deterioration,” and your claim is denied — or sharply reduced.
Filing promptly keeps the causal story clean.
What Missouri Law Requires — And What Your Policy May Require Even Sooner
Missouri Revised Statutes set outer limits on insurance-related legal action, but your policy’s own requirements are often stricter and are fully enforceable. Common policy provisions include:
- Prompt notice requirements: Many policies require you to notify your insurer of a loss “as soon as practicable” or within a specific number of days. Failure to provide timely notice can be used as grounds for denial, particularly if the insurer can argue the delay prejudiced their ability to investigate.
- Proof of loss deadlines: Policies routinely require a signed, sworn proof of loss within 60 to 90 days of a request from the insurer. Once you’ve filed a claim, these deadlines activate.
- Suit limitation clauses: Even within the broader Missouri statute of limitations, most policies include a clause requiring any lawsuit to be filed within one or two years of the date of loss — not the date of denial. This is a critical distinction many policyholders miss.
The bottom line: your window to act is far shorter than most people assume.
The Practical Steps Every Missouri Property Owner Should Take Now
If your property was affected by wind or hail in 2025, here is what you should do immediately:
Document everything, today. Walk your property with a smartphone and photograph your roof, gutters, siding, windows, AC units, fencing, and any outbuildings. Photograph from multiple angles. Capture dents, granule displacement, cracked caulk, and lifted shingles. Date-stamped cloud storage is your friend.
Request a professional inspection. A licensed roofing contractor or — better yet — a public adjuster can document storm damage in a way that holds up during the claims process. This inspection creates a contemporaneous record that is extremely difficult for insurers to dismiss.
File your claim now, not later. Even if you’re uncertain about the extent of the damage, filing a claim preserves your rights. You can always close a claim if the damage is minimal. You cannot reopen a claim that was never filed.
Do not make major repairs before documentation. If your roof is actively leaking, make emergency temporary repairs and document them thoroughly. But do not reroof or perform major repairs before a claim has been opened and an adjuster has had the opportunity to inspect.
Keep records of all correspondence. Every phone call, email, and written communication with your insurer should be logged. Note the date, time, representative’s name, and what was discussed.
Do not accept a denial without a second opinion. A denial letter is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of a process. Public adjusters and insurance attorneys routinely overturn initial denials — particularly in cases where wear and tear was cited as the reason.
Why a Public Adjuster Is Your Best Ally in This Fight
Insurance company adjusters work for the insurance company. Their job — regardless of how pleasant they may seem — is to evaluate your claim in a way that protects the insurer’s financial interests. This is not an accusation; it’s simply the nature of the relationship.
A licensed public adjuster works for you, the policyholder. Their job is to:
- Document your damage thoroughly and professionally
- Interpret your policy language in your favor
- Present your claim in a way that accurately reflects the full scope of the loss
- Negotiate with the insurer on your behalf
- Ensure that legitimate storm damage is not reclassified as maintenance issues
This is particularly important in Missouri, where storm seasons can be severe and where insurers have become increasingly aggressive in applying wear and tear exclusions to avoid paying claims they owe.
The Bottom Line
The wind and hail that hit Missouri in 2025 caused real, covered damage to real properties. That damage does not disappear because a year has passed — but your ability to prove it does.
By summer 2026, insurance company adjusters will be well-prepared to look at your storm-damaged roof, point to signs of aging and weathering, and write a report that calls your covered loss “wear and tear.”
The best defense against that strategy is action, taken now.
If your property was affected by wind or hail in 2025, contact a licensed Missouri public adjuster today. A no-cost inspection can tell you exactly where you stand — and protect you from losing a claim that is rightfully yours.
James H. Bushart, missouripublicadjuster.org, 314-803-2167. Free claim review.
This article is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Every insurance policy is different. Consult a licensed public adjuster or insurance attorney for guidance specific to your situation.
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