Storm claim, step by step

Get the damage measured against your deductible first. A claim you barely recover on still goes on your record and can affect renewal and pricing. If the repair is close to or under the deductible, filing gains you nothing. This is the step most people skip and it is the one that costs them.

You can settle this one yourself. No call needed.

The NOAA storm events record establishes when hail fell in your county and at what size, and it is free to search. Knowing the date of loss matters because most policies have a filing window running from that date rather than from when you noticed the damage.

You can settle this one yourself. No call needed.

Many policies carry separate wind and hail deductibles set at different amounts, so this changes what you are owed. Wind lifts and creases shingles, usually along one exposure. Hail fractures the mat in circular bruises scattered across all slopes.

You can settle this one yourself. No call needed.

The garage door, gutters, siding, window frames and screens are all claimable and all routinely omitted when only the roof is assessed. Garage doors in particular dent readily and are the single most commonly missed item on a storm claim.

They chalk a test square, usually ten feet by ten, and count strikes within it. That count per square is what determines whether the slope is approved. Hail damage reads as a soft bruise under the granules rather than a hole, which is why a damaged roof can look fine from the ground.

You can settle this one yourself. No call needed.

Actual cash value pays the depreciated value and you absorb the rest. Replacement cost value pays depreciation back once the work is complete and you submit the invoice. Many people on RCV never claim the second cheque because nobody told them it existed.

You can settle this one yourself. No call needed.

Decline. That is a proposal to misrepresent the loss to your insurer, and it is your name on the claim rather than theirs. It is also the clearest signal available that the contractor should not be working on your house.

SAFETY — this one is about protecting you, not selling you anything.

Ask for a local business address, proof of general liability and workers’ compensation, and a warranty that will still exist in five years. Out-of-state crews follow storms and arrive in numbers wherever a big one has just landed. A warranty from a company that leaves your region in November is not a warranty.

You can settle this one yourself. No call needed.

You can request the adjuster’s report and ask for a re-inspection, and you can have your own contractor present for it. Supplements for items found once work starts are normal and are handled between the contractor and the carrier.

You can settle this one yourself. No call needed.

This is the moment to price impact-resistant Class 4 shingle. Many carriers discount for it in hail-prone areas, and if you are replacing anyway the discount sometimes pays back a meaningful share of the upgrade. Ask your insurer for their figure before you choose the product.