A hard hailstorm can pass in fifteen minutes and leave damage that costs thousands. What you do in the hours and days afterward affects both your home's condition and how your insurance claim turns out. Here is the order we recommend to homeowners across our service area.
1. Wait until it is safe, then look from the ground
Do not climb onto a wet or hail-slick roof. From the ground, check the gutters, downspouts, and any metal accessories for dents, and look for granules washed out at the downspouts. Note the size of any hail you can still see; quarter-size or larger is enough to damage shingles.
2. Document the date and conditions
Write down the date and time of the storm and take a few photos of any hail on the ground or visible damage. Insurers ask when the damage happened, and a contemporaneous record helps. Spatter marks on AC fins and screens also help date the event.
3. Tarp active leaks, do not improvise a repair
If water is getting in, the priority is to stop it. We respond the same day for emergency tarping across our service area. A tarp is a stopgap, not a repair, but it protects the interior until the roof can be properly assessed and fixed. See storm damage restoration.
4. Get a documented inspection before you file
An inspection tells you whether the storm did damage worth filing on. We chalk-test each slope and photograph everything, so you make the claim decision with evidence rather than a guess. Read the 7 signs of hail damage to know what we are looking for.
5. File while it is fresh
If the damage is real, file promptly. Damage gets harder to date over time, and most policies limit the filing window. Our step-by-step guide to filing a roof insurance claim walks through the rest.