What to do (and not do) when the insurance adjuster comes to look at your roof

After you file a storm-damage claim, your carrier sends a field adjuster to inspect the roof and write a scope of loss. This meeting often determines whether your scope is fair, or whether you spend the next three months fighting for supplements. Most homeowners don't prepare for it. They should.

Before the adjuster arrives

Get your roofer there. This is the single highest-leverage thing you can do. An experienced roofer (we do this hundreds of times a year) knows what code-required items, hidden damage, and accessory replacement should be on the scope. An adjuster working solo will miss things, sometimes by accident, sometimes by training. Having a roofer on the roof during the inspection eliminates 80% of supplement work that would otherwise happen later.

Have your documentation ready. Photos from the day of the storm. Date and approximate time of the event. Direction of wind. Damage photos you've taken since. Neighboring damage if relevant. If you can't easily put your hands on it, the adjuster won't credit it.

Don't pre-clean. Don't sweep up granules, pick up tile fragments, or trim damaged branches. Anything you remove is evidence you can't produce later.

During the meeting

Let the roofer walk the roof. You don't need to climb up. Stay on the ground and let your roofer and the adjuster walk the roof together. We document everything we find, they document what they find, and the comparison happens in real time.

Ask what's being measured, not whether. Don't ask "are you going to approve this?" Ask "are you measuring full-perimeter drip edge replacement?" "Are you noting the cracked flashing at the chimney?" Specific questions get specific answers.

Don't volunteer information that isn't asked. This isn't about hiding anything. It's about not creating ambiguity. If the adjuster doesn't ask whether you've had previous roof work, you don't need to volunteer that you patched a leak two years ago.

After the meeting

Don't accept the first scope. The initial estimate is a starting point. Almost every storm-damage scope we see needs supplements for code-required items or items the adjuster didn't notice. We file these on your behalf (included in our scope at no extra fee) and most are approved without dispute.

Read the scope carefully. Even if your adjuster is reasonable and the scope looks fair, read it. Make sure it includes drip edge, underlayment grade, ventilation, ridge replacement, flashing, and any accessory items relevant to your roof.

Document everything in writing. Phone calls don't count. If the adjuster makes a verbal commitment ("we'll add that to the scope"), email them a recap. If they don't reply confirming, assume it didn't happen.

When to call in extra help

If the adjuster is openly adversarial, the scope is dramatically short, or the carrier is denying repair you can prove is storm-related, that's the time to bring in a public adjuster. They work for you (not the carrier), take 10 to 15% of the recovered amount, and are worth it on tough claims. We don't do PA work directly, but we'll refer you to PAs we've worked with effectively.

For Valley homeowners with active claims, call (480) 582-3122 to get HailCo on the roof during your adjuster meeting. We have the documentation flow down to a process, and the difference in approved scope is typically large.