The 12-point monsoon checklist every Valley homeowner should run

When a monsoon cell hits the Valley, the difference between a $400 repair and a $25,000 insurance claim is often documentation captured in the first 48 hours. Roof damage from wind and hail accumulates quietly, and by the time water shows up inside, the proof of cause is usually gone.

This is the checklist we run with our own customers after every significant storm event in their area. Run it yourself before you call anyone.

From the ground (safe, no ladder needed)

1. Walk the perimeter of the house. Photograph all four sides at full-house scale. These wide shots establish what the roof looked like immediately after the event.

2. Photograph the ground. Look for shingle granules in flower beds, broken tile fragments on patios, displaced ridge cap pieces. Photograph anywhere you find debris. These prove tile or shingle failure.

3. Check gutter and downspout outlets. Heavy granule loss in gutter discharge is evidence of shingle damage even when the roof field looks intact.

4. Photograph fence damage and downed branches. This is corroborating evidence of wind strength in your specific microclimate, useful when an adjuster asks "was it really that bad here?"

5. Look at neighboring roofs. If three houses on your street have missing tile, your claim becomes easier to support. Photograph their roofs too (with permission if visible from public sidewalk).

From inside the attic (if accessible)

6. Look for new daylight. Any pinholes, gaps, or beams of light visible from inside the attic that weren't there before. Photograph the location relative to a recognizable feature (vent stack, rafter, etc.).

7. Touch insulation for moisture. Damp or wet insulation is a leak indicator. Photograph wet spots before they degrade visibility as they dry.

8. Smell for mustiness. Fresh moisture in the attic has a distinct smell. Note it in writing with a date.

From a safe vantage (ladder, second-story window, or drone)

9. Photograph missing or lifted tile. Even one missing field tile is enough to file. Document the location relative to a roof feature (valley, ridge, chimney).

10. Photograph damaged flashing. Lifted, bent, or torn flashing around penetrations is the highest-likelihood leak path post-storm.

11. Photograph cracked tiles in place. Hail strikes leave hairline cracks across the top of concrete and clay tile. Side-light (early morning or late afternoon) makes them easiest to see.

After the photos

12. Write down the date, approximate time of storm, and which direction the wind came from. Most Valley monsoon damage is from west or northwest outflow. The direction matters for the adjuster's wind-load assessment.

What to do with all this

Don't file a claim yet. Call us first (or any roofer you trust) for a free post-storm inspection. Roughly 30% of post-storm calls we take turn out to be no-claim repairs ($300 to $900 range), and filing an unsupported claim can sometimes count against your loss history even when denied.

If we do see claim-worthy damage, the documentation you captured in the first 48 hours becomes the foundation of the scope we file. We meet your adjuster on the roof, walk through findings together, and supplement the scope where the initial adjuster's report misses code-required items.

For a free post-storm inspection in Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, or anywhere else in the Valley, call (480) 582-3122. We typically dispatch within 24 hours of monsoon events.