Ansvar has lost a dispute over whether about $200,000 of hail damage to a church happened in 2012 or just two years ago.  

The policyholder said corrugated iron roofs on a house and the church were battered in December 2023.

A builder found hail dents across about 40% of the surface and said full roof replacements were warranted, quoting almost $64,000 for the home and more than $140,000 for the church.  

Ansvar declined the claim, saying the dents were probably from a 2012 storm and the roofs were in a poor state due to gradual deterioration and wear and tear, which was excluded.

Its building consultant said a satellite image taken three weeks before the 2023 hailstorm showed the roof was already in a bad condition.

Ansvar said there was minimal evidence of hail damage, and the dents found would not affect the roof’s functionality any more than its deteriorated state.

But the Australian Financial Complaints Authority says the 2023 hailstorm caused the loss and Ansvar must reassess the damage and settle the claim.

“The complainant says that, prior to the storm, neither roof leaked,” an ombudsman said. “The insurer has not provided any information to contradict that.

“There is no basis to conclude that the hail damage to the roofs was caused by gradual deterioration or wear and tear.

“I am not satisfied that the insurer has established that the roofs had, before the storm, ceased to be functional. Whether or not the hail indentations are sufficient to have compromised the roofs’ utility or structural integrity, those indentations still amount to storm damage to the roofs.”

The complainant said radar images, recorded hail sizes and photos of hailstones at the home all supported its argument that damage occurred in December 2023.

The dents appeared to be largely clean of airborne pollutants, there were few signs of corrosion in them and there was evidence of paint damage in some, indicating the damage was not more than a decade old, the claimant said.

See the ruling here.