What you receive
A storm damage roof inspection gives you a written record of your roof on a named date. The findings are set out slope by slope in plain words, each one photographed close enough to see and wide enough to place, with a statement of cause where the evidence supports one and an open statement of doubt where it does not. At the end there is a repair scope: the work the roof needs, item by item, in enough detail that another contractor could price it.
The value of that document is that it stops changing. Roofs weather, debris gets cleared, a well meaning neighbor bends the edge metal back and a temporary repair covers the hole. Memory softens too. A dated photograph log made in the days after the weather reads the same a year later, when the questions have got harder.
What we do, and what we do not
We inspect roofs and we write documents. That is our own work, and the report is yours: put it in your own file and send it to whoever you choose. Nothing we write is legal, financial or insurance advice, and coverage is decided by your policy and your carrier. Where a claim needs somebody to act for you, we can introduce you to a partner who is a licensed public adjuster or an attorney in your state, and they take it up with you directly.
We also do not describe a finding as storm damage because it would be convenient. Where the evidence is genuinely mixed, and on an older roof it usually is, the report says so and explains what points each way. We do not open up the roof or make repairs on the visit, and we do not tell you what your claim is worth.
When people book one
Usually in the days after the weather, once it is safe to be on a roof and before anyone starts clearing up. Sometimes before reporting the loss at all, because an owner wants to know whether there is anything up there worth reporting. Sometimes after the carrier’s adjuster has already been, when the owner wants a record of their own.
The early visit gives you evidence. The late one gives you a repair and an argument about what caused it. If the weather was serious and the house matters to you, the walk is worth doing before there is a reason for it.
Common questions
Should I wait for the adjuster before having the roof inspected?
You do not have to wait, and there is a reason to go first. Meeting the adjuster with a dated report and photographs already in hand starts the conversation from a record rather than from memory.
- You can ask that specific findings be looked at while everyone is there
- The roof is documented closer to the event, before cleanup changes it
- Nothing we produce replaces the carrier's own inspection
- We attend as the people who documented the roof, not as your representative
The carrier decides what it will pay from its adjuster's findings and your policy wording, and our document is evidence you can hand to whoever you choose. Where you want somebody in that role, we can introduce you to a partner who is a licensed public adjuster or an attorney in your state. Ask the carrier whether we may attend at the same time.
Can you inspect the roof once a tarp is already on it?
Yes, with a limit worth understanding before we arrive. A tarp covers the part of the roof that was most obviously open, which is often the part that matters most to the record.
- We inspect everything around it and describe what shows at the edges
- We cannot photograph what is underneath without lifting it
- Lifting it may let water back in, and stopping water comes first
- A covered area that cannot be examined is recorded as exactly that
If the roof is not covered yet and it is safe to take pictures first, take them, note the date and keep the original files rather than a copy sent through a messaging app. If it is already covered, send whatever was photographed at the time and we will cite those images as material we did not take.
What happens if the damage does not look like it came from the storm?
We write what the roof shows. Storm damage tends to be sudden, directional and concentrated, at edges, corners and windward slopes, with fractures and lifted material rather than general erosion.
- Wear is gradual and spread out, with granules gone across whole slopes
- Sealant shrunk over years, fasteners backing out, material gone brittle
- A tired roof often has both, because weather finishes weak details
- So each finding is marked new, old or unclear, with the observation
- If it does not support the claim you hoped for, you hear it first
Where we cannot tell, the report says we cannot tell. A document that calls everything storm damage reads as advocacy, and a reader who finds one overstated line stops trusting the accurate ones. What the carrier does with any of it is a matter for your policy, your carrier and your own advisers.
Do I need to be at the property during the inspection?
It helps but it is not required. What we need is access: a safe way to reach the roof, entry to an attic or a room where water came in, and somewhere clear to set a ladder.
- A key left with a neighbor or tenant is usually enough
- Being there lets you say what you saw and when you saw it
- That often explains a finding faster than an hour on the roof
- You never need to be on the roof, and we will not ask
Before we arrive, tell us the date of the weather, what a neighbor or a roofer has said, where a stain appeared, whether the roof has been worked on and whether anyone has been up since the storm. Send old paperwork too, because a previous inspection or a repair invoice can settle what the surface cannot.
Can you tell me whether my claim will be paid?
No, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing. We inspect roofs and write documents, and nothing we write is legal, financial or insurance advice.
- Coverage is decided by your policy wording, your carrier and your state
- What we can do is describe the roof accurately on a named date
- The report is evidence, not an argument, a demand or a settlement
- Ask and we will introduce a partner who carries the claim from there
- That partner is a licensed public adjuster or an attorney in your state
They work with you directly. We will also say plainly when we do not think an inspection will help you, for example where the damage is obviously below a deductible you have described to us. Your deadlines are set in your policy and in the letter your carrier sends after you report. Read both.