Storm claim, step by step

Storm claims go wrong in predictable places: a claim filed for less than the deductible, a garage door left off, a depreciation check never collected, a contractor who is gone before the warranty is needed. The ten steps below are in the order that avoids each one.

1The ten steps

1. Before you call the insurer at allGet 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.
2. Establish that hail actually fellThe 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.
3. Work out whether it was wind or hailMany 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.
4. Get everything inspected, not just the roofThe 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.
5. Understand what the adjuster will doThey 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.
6. Check whether you are on ACV or RCVActual 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 check because nobody told them it existed.
7. If a contractor offers to cover your deductibleDecline. See the warning below this list.
8. Vetting whoever knocks after a stormAsk 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.
9. If the claim is denied or underpaidYou 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.
10. When replacement is approvedThis 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.

2File or don’t file

Check which deductible applies. If your policy has a separate wind and hail deductible, it may be a percentage of the insured value rather than a flat figure.

Insurance claim after hailWind damage vs hail damage

3What to keep in your claim file

• The storm date and a copy of the NOAA storm events entry for your county.
• Your own photos from the ground, dated, of each side of the house.
• The contractor’s photos of chalked test squares on each slope.
• Every estimate, yours and the insurer’s, line by line.
• A call log: who you spoke to at the insurer, when, and what was said.
• Receipts for any emergency tarping or board-up.
• The final invoice, which you will need to collect depreciation on an RCV policy.

4Getting the inspection right

The inspection is where money is gained or lost. Ask your contractor to cover the garage door, gutters, siding, window frames and screens as well as the roof, and to be there when the adjuster comes. If the same hits are counted in the same test squares, there is less to argue about later.

6Related

• Is that hail damage?
• Hail damage roof repair
• Storm damage repair
• Storm chaser knocking after a hail event
• Damage that might be under the deductible
• Roof replacement