Your Roof Insurance Claim, Step by Step

The claim starts with evidence, not a phone call. Get a professional inspection with dated photos of the damage: shingles, soft metals, flashing, and collateral damage around the property. That documentation anchors the storm date and the scope of damage.

Call your carrier or file online with your policy number and the storm date. Keep your description factual: hail or wind damage observed after the storm on a specific date, documented by a roofing contractor. Do not speculate about cost or cause beyond what you can show.

The adjuster's inspection decides the claim. Have your roofer there. Adjusters work fast, and damage on steep back slopes or high ridges gets missed when nobody is pointing at it. We walk the roof with the adjuster and make sure every damaged slope is in the notes.

Initial scopes are often light: repair-only decisions, missing line items, or pricing below local market rates. A supplement is a formal request to correct the scope with photos, code requirements, and manufacturer specs. Supplements are normal and legitimate. Most full approvals we see involve at least one.

Once approved, the work gets scheduled. You typically receive the recoverable depreciation after the work is completed and invoiced. Keep every document. A clean paper trail also matters at resale, since buyers and their insurers ask about roof history.