Roof Insurance Claim Process: What to Do, in Order

Updated 2026-10-24 · Sources checked

"Could I pay to repair the shingle damage, change providers, then file a claim for the hail damage?"

A homeowner who started a thread on r/homeowners asked that about hail damage. The order of the steps is the answer. Photograph the damage, make only temporary repairs, check your policy and deductible, and wait for the insurer's inspection before any permanent repair. You can run this sequence yourself.

Quick answer:

Photograph or film the damage with dates, from the ground, before any repair, and keep damaged items: in Texas, pictures come before repairs, and damaged items stay until the adjuster has seen them¹.
Read your policy², and ask your agent whether the deductible for wind and hail damage differs from the one for other damage³.
Contact your insurance company or a roofer you choose, not one who shows up uninvited⁴.

On this page

What is the order of a roof insurance claim?
While you wait for the roofer or the adjuster
What the numbers on your policy mean in dollars
What does the adjuster do, and what comes after?
Will filing a roof claim raise your rates?
Choosing a reputable roofing company and getting it in writing
Checklist, then a free look if you want one
Quick questions

None of these steps commits you to filing. They help you gauge the process and decide whether to file.

What is the order of a roof insurance claim?

Work through the process in this order: document, prepare, make contact, then let the adjuster inspect:

Document first, then protect. Photos and a list of the damage come before the temporary fix. In Texas, you make temporary repairs to protect your house and belongings¹. On a roof, that means a tarp put on by a roofer you choose, so nobody goes up there themselves. Keep the receipts.
Put the deductible next to the damage. In Texas, if repairs cost about the same as or less than your deductible, you may decide it's not worth filing a claim⁵. If you doubt the damage is above your deductible, a written estimate from a roofer you choose helps you decide.
Make contact, with your questions ready. With the photos and the policy check done, the first contact is your insurance company or a roofer you choose, not one who shows up uninvited⁴. In Texas, filing deadlines vary by policy and some are one year⁶, so find yours in the policy instead of assuming.
Let the adjuster see the damage. In North Carolina, you should not have permanent repairs made until your insurance company has inspected and you have agreed on the cost⁷.

While you wait for the roofer or the adjuster

If water is coming in, catch it and dry wet things: if wet materials are dried 24 to 48 hours after a leak, in most cases mold will not grow⁸.

Offered a free inspection while you wait, and unsure whether to accept it? Is a free storm inspection safe to accept.

What the numbers on your policy mean in dollars

Your deductible is what you pay before the insurer pays anything. Actual cash value is what the roof is worth today, not the price of a new one, so an older roof can pay far less.

In Texas, a 20-year-old roof with an actual cash value of $4,000 and a $4,000 deductible means the policy would pay $0, while a 5-year-old roof valued at $8,500 would pay $4,500⁹. Your numbers will differ.

Replacement cost coverage works in two payments. In North Carolina, the insurer may first pay the actual cash value, then reimburse the extra after the work is done and the receipts are submitted¹⁰. Which kind of coverage you have is in your own policy.

What does the adjuster do, and what comes after?

In Texas, the adjuster decides how much damage you have and estimates the cost to repair or replace your property¹¹. The company may also ask for a signed, notarized proof of loss form¹¹. Ask your adjuster to explain the process to you, starting with these questions:

Which repairs does your estimate include, and how did you reach the amount?
Is any payment held back until the work is done, and what do I send for the rest?
Do you need a proof of loss form from me, and by when?

If you think the adjuster's estimate is too low, in Texas you send the insurer supporting documentation, such as a contractor’s estimate for the repairs¹². Your own roofer’s estimate can serve as that document.

Whose side is the adjuster on, and can your roofer be at the visit? What a roof insurance adjuster does.

Will filing a roof claim raise your rates?

In an r/Roofing thread about a hail claim, one person wondered: "I wonder how much your insurance will go up after filing a claim?"

It can. In Texas, home insurers can raise your premium for filing most types of claims⁵, but they cannot charge you more for damage from natural causes, including weather⁵. Wherever you live, ask your agent how a weather claim affects your premium before you file.

In Tennessee, insurers report to the CLUE database not only claims they pay but also files they set up for a possible claim¹³. A call that makes the insurer open a file can therefore show up there even if nothing is paid. There, insurers are advised not to report claims information when you contact them to simply ask a question about coverage or your deductible¹³. That is advice, not a promise, so say that is all you are asking.

Do the rules on a first weather claim change from state to state? Does a roof claim raise your insurance rates.

Choosing a reputable roofing company and getting it in writing

You pick the contractor. In Washington, you may select your own contractor to do the work on your home¹⁴. One roofing commenter put the doubt about door-knockers bluntly: "The people who just drop by after a storm seem sketchy." In Texas, a contractor who asks you to sign before giving you an estimate of repairs¹⁵ is a sign of a contracting scam.

Hiring a roofer should be a transparent process, so ask each one to list every repair with its price, to set beside the adjuster's estimate. If a roofer pushes you to sign today or won't put this in writing, that is an answer too: weigh it against the bids that do. You can send this:

Please list every repair in your estimate with its price. Please send me a photo of each problem you found. Please also write down whether you would adjust your estimate if the inspection finds something different.

Checklist, then a free look if you want one

Before you call anyone, have these together.

Your photos and the damage list.
Receipts for any temporary repair.
The policy page with your deductible, including the wind and hail figure.
A roofer's written estimate, if you are unsure the damage tops the deductible.
The questions for the adjuster from above.

Quick questions

What is the 25% rule for roofing? It is a Florida building-code rule, and it applies to roofs built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later¹⁶. On those roofs, when 25 percent or more of the roofing system or roof section is repaired, replaced or recovered, only that portion has to meet the code¹⁶. Ask your roofer whether it applies to your roof.

What not to say to home insurance? Keep to what you saw, when, and what your photos record. If you don't know the cause or the age of the damage, say you don't know instead of guessing.

Which damage does home insurance usually not cover? That list is in your own policy, under exclusions. Ask your agent to explain any roof line you don't follow.

What if the adjuster hasn't returned your calls? Send an email asking for the inspection date, so your request is in writing, and keep the answer with your photos.