Hail damage on asphalt shingle is a fractured mat under the granules, which reads as a soft bruise rather than a hole. That is why homeowners look at a damaged roof and see nothing wrong.

An adjuster chalks a test square — usually ten feet by ten — and counts strikes within it rather than judging the roof as a whole. That count per square is what decides whether a slope is approved, which is why one elevation can be paid and another declined on the same house.

Dented gutters and other soft metal mean hail fell; they are a reason to have the roof inspected, not proof of a claim. And most policies run their filing window from the date of loss rather than the date you noticed, so establishing when the storm actually happened matters.

More on this

• Bruising you can feel but barely see
• Damage that might be under the deductible
• Gutters dented but the roof reads clean
• Straight-line wind damage mistaken for hail
• Hail damage on a roof under fifteen years old
• Prior storm damage that was never claimed
• Storm chaser knocking after a hail event
• Impact-resistant shingle and the insurance discount

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Written by Jaylan Jones. I Like To Exterior Services earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.