Storm damage roof repair

What storm damage actually looks like

Hail and wind leave different signatures, and neither is reliably visible from the ground.

• Hail: bruising that fractures the shingle mat, granule loss concentrated in impact marks, and a soft spot you can feel rather than see.
• The soft metals are the tell. Dents in gutters, downspouts, vents and flashing are the same impacts that hit the covering.
• Wind: creased or lifted shingles, units missing along a rake or ridge, and damage concentrated on the windward elevation.
• Impact: a limb or debris strike, which is usually obvious and localised.
• Interior staining appearing after the event rather than before it.
• Damage on more than one elevation, which points at a weather event rather than age.

What a good storm assessment produces

A storm assessment should produce the documentation below. It is the standard to hold any roof inspection to, whoever is paying for it.

• Dated photographs of each slope, not a selection of the worst spots.
• A count of hits per test square where hail is claimed. This is the measure adjusters work from.
• Notes on the soft metals, because they corroborate hail on the covering.
• An attic check for daylight, staining and wet insulation.
• A written report you keep, rather than a conclusion shown on a phone in the driveway.
• Findings separated from recommendations, so you can tell observation from proposal.
• An honest statement of what is not storm damage, which is the part that tells you the assessment is real.

The order to do things in

Doing these out of order is what costs money, and the pressure after a storm is always to skip to the end.

1. 01

   Make it safe and stop the water

   Emergency tarping limits interior damage. Do not get on the roof yourself. Keep receipts: reasonable mitigation is usually covered.

2. 02

   Document everything, dated

   Each elevation from the ground, interior staining, and the soft metals. Write down the date of the event.

3. 03

   Find your declarations page

   Confirm whether you hold actual cash value or replacement cost, and whether the wind and hail deductible is flat or a percentage.

4. 04

   Get it assessed

   By a roofing professional, an independent inspector, or both. Two opinions cost little next to a contested claim.

5. 05

   Decide whether to file

   Weigh the likely payout against the deductible. A denied claim is still a claim on your record.

6. 06

   Let the adjuster see it

   Before work beyond mitigation starts. Your assessment and the adjuster’s are separate, and both matter.

7. 07

   Then contract

   With a written scope, the same way you would for any replacement. Storm work is not exempt from comparing quotes.

What moves the price

Storm work is priced like the underlying repair or replacement, with three variables the other pages do not have.

HyreRoof publishes no national average price for this work. Regional labour, disposal and material rates move it far enough that a single figure would mislead.

What to ask before you sign

• Will you document each slope with dated photographs, and give me a copy?
• Where hail is claimed, will you count hits per test square?
• Did you check the soft metals and the attic?
• Which of what you found is storm damage, and which is wear?
• Are you asking me to sign anything before the adjuster has seen the roof?
• Are you local, and where is your physical address?
• Who will actually do the work, and are they your crew or a subcontractor?
• What is your workmanship warranty, and will you still be reachable in year six?

The full ten-point checklist is on choosing a roofer.

What to have ready

• The date of the storm, and any local news or weather record of it.
• Dated photographs taken from the ground, before anyone works.
• Your policy declarations page: ACV or RCV, and the wind and hail deductible.
• Receipts for any emergency mitigation.
• A note of any pre-existing damage, so it is not confused with the event.

Where this goes wrong

Common questions

Does homeowners insurance cover storm damage to a roof?

Insurance covers sudden accidental damage such as wind or hail. It does not cover wear or age. Whether a specific claim succeeds depends on the policy, the cause, the exclusions, the condition of the roof and applicable state rules. It is not a question anyone can answer from a website, including us.

How do I know if I have hail damage?

From the ground, usually you do not, because hail damage and normal weathering look alike at that distance. What is checkable from the ground is the soft metals: dents in gutters, downspouts, vents and flashing are the same impacts that hit the roof. A proper assessment counts hits per test square on each slope.

Should I use the contractor who knocked on my door?

Possibly, but not on the doorstep and not that day. Some storm-following companies are excellent and add capacity a local market cannot supply. The risk is not that they travelled. It is that the workmanship warranty is only as good as the company’s presence in your area in year six, and that the pressure to sign is highest in exactly this window.

How long do I have to file a storm damage claim?

It varies by policy and by state, and some states have shortened the window in recent years. Your declarations page and your insurer are the authority. Do not assume the deadline is generous, and do not let a contractor tell you what it is.

Will filing a claim raise my premium?

It can, and a denied claim still appears on your record. That is why the decision is worth making deliberately rather than at a contractor’s prompting. Weigh the likely payout against your deductible first.

What is a storm chaser?

Shorthand for an out-of-area contractor following storm events. The label is less useful than it sounds: it convicts legitimate companies that travelled to meet real demand, and acquits local firms doing the things the label warns about. Judge the behaviour, not the plate. We published a study on where out-of-state roofing activity actually follows storms.

Sources

• How to file a homeowners claim, Insurance Information Institute. Checked September 16, 2026.
• Storm Events Database, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Checked September 16, 2026.