Storm and insurance
Storm damage and roof insurance claims
Damage against wear, ACV and RCV, deductibles, the first 48 hours after a storm, and the doorstep tactics to refuse.
Written by HyreRoof Research Desk Primary-source research and fact checking
The short answer
If this is happening now: Stay off the roof. Keep well away from downed power lines and call the utility or 911. If a ceiling sags, the structure has shifted or water is near wiring, leave that part of the house and call for help before you think about a claim.
Whether a claim pays, and how much, depends on your own policy: what it covers, whether it settles at actual cash value or replacement cost, and your wind and hail deductible.
Read your declarations page and ask your insurer. Before anyone works on the roof, photograph each side of the house and the gutters, and write down the date of the storm.
What should you know before you call your insurer?
A hail bruise that cracks the shingle mat is damage. Twenty years of granule loss is wear. Your policy wording decides how each is treated.
Actual cash value pays a depreciated amount. Replacement cost value pays to replace, and can pay in two parts.
Some policies set the wind and hail deductible as a percentage of the home’s coverage, not a flat amount.
Nobody should offer to cover it, and several states bar that promise by law.
Find a roofer after a storm
Free, with no obligation. A person at HyreRoof replies by email. Matching with roofers is not live yet.
How do you tell storm damage from wear?
From the ground, the two can look alike. These are the clues you can see without climbing anything.
| What you see | What it can mean |
|---|---|
| Dents in gutters, downspouts or vents | Hail struck hard enough to mark metal. The roof took the same storm, so ask for an inspection. See what hail damage on shingles looks like. |
| Granules in the gutters | Can be hail or normal aging. A roofer tells the two apart on the roof, not from the gutter. |
| Lifted or missing shingles after wind | Wind damage. Photograph it from the ground and note the date. |
| Curling or cracking on every slope | Wear from age. Ask your insurer how your policy treats wear before you file. |
What should a good storm inspection give you?
A written report you keep, not a phone screen you are shown on the driveway.
Not just the worst one.
Where hail is claimed, on each slope that faced the storm.
Gutters, vents and flashing, where hail leaves marks you can check.
Stains, wet decking and daylight tell you what the shingles hide.
What should you do in the first 48 hours?
Six steps, in order. None of them involves climbing onto the roof.
Move belongings away from leaks and catch dripping water. An emergency tarp is a job for a roofer. It is not a repair, but it limits damage inside.
Each side of the house from the ground, ceiling stains inside, and the gutters, downspouts, vents and flashing you can see.
Insurers work from a date of loss. A hailstorm three months ago and one last week are different claims.
Check whether the roof settles at ACV or RCV, and whether the wind and hail deductible is flat or a percentage.
For tarps and other emergency work. Ask your insurer what it reimburses and what records it wants.
Not a contingency agreement, not an “authorization to inspect”. Take the paper away and read it.
What do ACV, RCV and the deductible mean?
Your declarations page, the summary at the front of the policy, lists which of these you hold.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Actual cash value (ACV) | Pays what the roof was worth at the time of loss, after depreciation. On an older roof that can be far less than a new roof costs. |
| Replacement cost value (RCV) | Pays to replace the roof. Some policies pay it in two parts, holding the second until the work is done and documented. |
| Percentage deductible | A wind and hail deductible set as a share of the home’s insured value. On a higher-value home it can be several times a flat deductible. |
| Flat deductible | A fixed dollar amount you pay before the policy pays. |
Which of these you hold, and what your policy covers, is for your policy and your insurer to say. This page explains the terms; it cannot tell you what your policy pays.
Should you file a claim?
That depends on your policy, your deductible and your claims history, and only you and your insurer can weigh those. Ask your insurer how a claim is recorded, paid or not.
Get the roof documented first. The hail claim estimator works through depreciation and your deductible on your own numbers, and it does not tell you whether to file.
What to ask your insurer and your roofer
Does my policy settle the roof at actual cash value or replacement cost?
Is my wind and hail deductible flat or a percentage, and what is it in dollars?
Do you reimburse emergency tarping, and which records do you need?
How long do I have to report the damage?
Will you give me dated photos of every slope and a written report?
Will you wait for the adjuster before any work beyond an emergency tarp?
Where is your office, and who honors the workmanship warranty once the crew has left?
Which mistakes can hurt a storm claim?
Nobody should offer to absorb, waive or “take care of” it. Eight of the nine states in our storm-chaser study bar that promise by statute, and the claim still carries your name.
It is a contract, however casually it is presented. It can commit you to that roofer before an adjuster has seen the roof.
Beyond an emergency tarp, let the adjuster see the damage first. Repairs made before then can be hard to prove.
Some crews travel after big storms, and some are good. The workmanship warranty is only worth something if the company is still reachable. Ask where the office is.
Your inquiry
Tell us about the work
Nothing goes to a roofer unless you agree.
A person reads it and replies by email, free and with no obligation. Matching is not live yet, so this is not a quote. If water is coming in now, call a local roofer directly and check their license first.
Find a Roofer
One short form: your address and how to reach you. A person at HyreRoof reads it and replies.
Questions
Does homeowners insurance cover roof damage?
What is the difference between ACV and RCV?
What is a declarations page?
Should I file a roof insurance claim?
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HyreRoof Research Desk
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Information on this page is general and may vary by location, building code, roof design, insurance policy and your own circumstances. It is not insurance, legal or engineering advice.
HyreRoof is not a roofing contractor: we do not repair, replace or inspect roofs, and we do not supervise or warrant roofing work. This page explains the work so you can judge a quote and a contractor.