A hailstorm passes in ten minutes. The claim that follows can take weeks. What happens in between depends heavily on how well you documented the damage, because an insurance adjuster is evaluating a roof that may already have been rained on, dried out, and walked across by three different salespeople.
This guide covers what to record, what a roofing contractor can and cannot do for you, and what to ask before you sign anything. It is not legal advice, and it will not tell you how a claim turns out. Coverage terms, deductibles, and filing windows vary by carrier and by state, and the only reliable source for yours is your policy and your insurer.
Start With Safety, Then the Storm Itself
Do not climb on a wet or damaged roof. Hail-struck shingles lose granules, and a granule-covered slope behaves like a slide. Most of what you need can be documented from the ground, from a window, or from a ladder at the eave.
Before you look at the roof at all, write down the storm. Note the date and roughly what time the hail fell, how long it lasted, and the size of the stones. Size is the detail people forget. Photograph a hailstone next to a coin or a ruler if you can get one before it melts, and put a timestamp on it. Local news coverage or a weather report from that day is worth saving too, because carriers often want to tie damage to a specific storm event.
Photograph the Soft Targets First
Hail rarely hits only the roof. The metal and vinyl around your house tell the story better than shingles do, and adjusters look at them closely because they dent in a way that is hard to fake or misattribute.
Photograph these from the ground:
- Gutters and downspouts. Dents on the top edges and along the round face of downspouts.
- Fascia, drip edge, and flashing. Any bruising or dimpling in the metal.
- HVAC condenser fins. The outdoor AC unit is one of the first places an adjuster checks. Photograph the fins straight on.
- Vents, turbines, and pipe boots. Roof-mounted metal that shows strike marks.
- Siding, garage door, mailbox, deck rails, window screens. Anything with a visible dent or splatter mark.
Shoot wide first so the location is obvious, then move in close on each dent. A photo of one dent floating against a gray background proves nothing about where it is.
Then the Roof, and the Interior
If you can safely see the roof from a ladder at the eave or from an upstairs window, look for dark spots where granules have been knocked away, exposed asphalt, cracked or split shingles, and piles of granules collecting in the gutters or at the bottom of downspouts. Photograph what you can see. If you cannot see it safely, leave that to a contractor.
Inside, check the attic and top-floor ceilings for water stains, damp insulation, or daylight coming through the decking. Photograph any stain and note when you first saw it. Interior water damage from a storm is a separate part of the picture from the roof itself, and it is easy to forget once it dries.
Two more records worth keeping:
- Before photos, if you have any. Old listing photos, a picture from a birthday party in the yard, a home inspection report. Anything showing the roof intact before the storm helps establish that the damage is new.
- Every receipt and every temporary repair. If you tarp a leak or pay someone to board something up, keep the receipt and photograph the work. Most policies expect you to prevent further damage, and that work is usually documented as part of the claim.
Do not throw anything away before the adjuster sees it. Not the dented gutter section, not the broken shingle you found in the yard, not the damaged screen.
How the Claim Usually Moves
Steps and timelines differ by carrier and state, so treat this as the general shape rather than a schedule.
You report the loss to your insurer. They open a claim and assign an adjuster. The adjuster inspects the property, usually in person and often on the roof, and writes an estimate of the damage using their own pricing software. The insurer then issues a decision and, if the claim is approved, a payment based on your policy terms. There is often more than one payment, and the sequence depends on how your policy handles depreciation.
That is the part people get surprised by, so ask about it directly: how your policy handles depreciation, what your deductible is, and whether there is a separate wind and hail deductible. Do not guess at those numbers, and do not let anyone else guess at them for you. Read the policy or call your carrier.
Ask your insurer what their filing window is for storm damage. It is a real limit and it varies. Find out yours rather than assuming you have all season.
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What a Roofing Contractor Actually Does Here
A good roofer inspects the roof properly, marks and photographs the damage, documents it in a written report, and can meet the adjuster on site to walk the roof with them. That meeting matters. An adjuster and a roofer standing on the same slope looking at the same test square resolve disagreements that would otherwise turn into three phone calls.
A contractor can also give you a written scope and estimate for the repair or replacement. What they should not be doing is negotiating your claim for you or interpreting your policy, which in many states is restricted work.
The Truck That Shows Up the Next Morning
Hail brings storm chasers. Crews follow the weather, work a neighborhood hard for a few weeks, and move on to the next radar signature. Some are competent. Plenty are not, and the homeowner is the one holding a roof and a warranty after the phone number goes dead.
What the pattern looks like:
- Door-knocking within a day or two of the storm, often with a clipboard and a line about inspecting your roof for free while they are already in the area.
- Pressure to sign immediately. A same-day signature is the entire business model.
- An offer to "handle the whole claim" for you. Interpreting your policy and negotiating on your behalf is restricted work in many states, and the offer itself is a signal.
- Any suggestion that your deductible will not really be paid. Deductible-waiver arrangements are illegal in many states, and the homeowner who goes along is exposed alongside the contractor who proposed it.
- A contract that assigns your insurance benefits to the contractor. Read that document slowly, somewhere other than your doorstep.
- No local address, no local references, out-of-state plates, a phone number that goes to voicemail after the check clears.
A storm chaser also has an incentive you do not share: they want the largest possible scope approved and no relationship with you afterward. That is how homeowners end up nudged toward claiming wear that predates the storm. Do not go there. A denied claim is a bad afternoon. A claim built on damage that was not caused by the storm is a different category of problem entirely, and it is the homeowner's name on the paperwork.
The unglamorous protection is a roofer who was in your town before the hail and will be there next year. Ask how long they have been at the same address.
Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor
- Are you licensed and insured in this state, and can I see the certificate?
- How long have you worked in this area, and can you give me local references from the last year?
- Will you inspect the roof and give me a written report with photos before I file?
- Will you meet my adjuster on site?
- Is your estimate itemized, and does it include underlayment, flashing, and disposal?
- What is the workmanship warranty, and what does the manufacturer's warranty cover?
- Are you asking me to sign anything that assigns my claim or my insurance benefits to you? (Read that document carefully. Do not sign it on the doorstep.)
Get more than one estimate. After a big storm the good local roofers get busy fast, and the crews that appear overnight are the ones with time to knock on doors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file a hail damage claim? There is no single answer. Filing windows for storm damage are set by your policy and by state law, and they vary. Call your carrier or read the policy, and do it early rather than late. Waiting also makes it harder to tie the damage to a specific storm.
Should I get a roof inspection before I file a claim? It usually helps. A written inspection report with photos gives you a clear picture of what you are actually reporting, and it means you are not filing on a guess. Hire the inspection on its own terms, from a roofer you would use anyway, rather than from whoever knocked on the door.
What if my claim is denied? Ask the insurer, in writing, for the specific reason. Denials often turn on whether the damage is storm-related or on how the policy handles the roof's age. Your carrier can explain the appeal or reinspection process available to you, and a licensed public adjuster or an attorney is the right party to advise you on next steps. A roofer is not.
Can hail damage a roof without an obvious leak? Yes. Hail knocks granules off the shingle surface and can bruise the mat underneath without opening a hole. The roof can look fine from the street and still have a shortened life. That is exactly why the dents in the soft metal matter as evidence.
Do I have to use the contractor my insurer suggests? Generally you choose your own contractor. Insurers may offer a preferred list, and you can use it or not. What matters is that the roofer is licensed, insured, local, and willing to put the scope in writing.
Before You Call
Have your policy number, the storm date, and your photos ready. If you can describe the damage in a sentence, say it plainly: dents in the gutters and the AC fins, granules in the downspouts, a water stain on the upstairs ceiling. That is enough for a roofer to know what they are walking into.
Storm season is also when roofing offices are hardest to reach. A roofer standing on someone else's roof cannot pick up, and the call you make at 8pm on the night the hail falls tends to land behind forty others in the same voicemail box. Answara.ai answers inbound calls for home-services businesses around the clock and captures the intake details, so a homeowner with a fresh leak reaches a real answer instead of a full mailbox. Our roofing guides cover the rest of the season.