Is a Free Roof Inspection After a Storm Safe to Accept?

Updated 2026-10-24 · Sources checked

Is there a catch? Should I be looking into anything else?

One homeowner asked that in a roofing thread after a storm. A free inspection is fine if you pick the roofer, watch from the ground and sign nothing that day. The catch is a roofer who finds you first: in North Dakota, unsolicited offers and pressure to sign quickly are listed as signs of storm contractor fraud¹. A good visit ends with photos of every problem and nothing signed on the doorstep.

Quick answer:

Look for dents and spatter marks on A/C units, gutters and downspouts² from the ground.
Photograph the damage before anything is moved, cleaned up or tarped.
Choose the inspector yourself, and sign nothing on the doorstep.
Check your policy and your wind and hail deductible before you call your insurer.

On this page

What can I check from the ground without hopping up on the roof?
What should a proper inspection show me?
What not to sign that day
Should I call my insurer or a roofer first?
What to do while you're still waiting on the visit
Checklist before the inspector arrives
Quick questions

Today you control three things: who gets on the roof, what you photograph first and what you sign.

What can I check from the ground without hopping up on the roof?

Start with metal and soft items, because hail marks them. Look for spatter marks or impact dents on A/C units, gutters, metal flashing, downspouts or even patio furniture². These marks help separate hail damage from normal wear and tear².

Then stay off the roof. Assess damage from ground level, and leave the closer look and any repairs to a professional roofing contractor³.

What should a proper inspection show me?

It should show you the damage itself, in photos or in person, for every problem the roofer names. On asphalt shingles, hail leaves a random pattern of impact marks, bruises (soft spots), and cracks or breaks where it struck².

Ask for a photo of each problem, and ask whether the roofer ties it to hail or to age. A photo of the exact spot lets you check it against what you see from the ground. Also ask which parts of the roof the roofer checked, so you can see what was left out. You can send this:

Please send me a written list of the parts of the roof you checked. For each problem, please include a photo and say whether it comes from hail or from age.

You can also watch. One reply: "if you’re going to have anyone up on your roof to do a free storm inspection, grab yourself a sweet tea and a lawn chair and park yourself outside and watch them". From the lawn you can see where the roofer goes and what gets photographed.

What not to sign that day

Sign nothing on the first visit. Upfront payment, and a request to sign an Assignment of Benefits¹, are warning signs too. An Assignment of Benefits means transferring your insurance claims rights to a third party¹, so the claim stops being only yours.

In Texas, never sign a contract that has blank spaces⁴. Anything left blank can be filled in after you sign.

Walk away from a roofer who offers to waive your deductible, the part of a repair you pay yourself before insurance pays. In Texas, it is illegal to waive a homeowners deductible under state law⁴.

If the visit is free, what does the roofer get out of it? What to know before saying yes to a free inspection.

Should I call my insurer or a roofer first?

Either can be your first contact, as long as you chose them. A roofer who knocked on your door is not that. One reply in a thread said it plainly: "call a local roofing company you find yourself (not one that finds you) and ask for an honest inspection."

Whichever you pick, prepare first:

Stay safe and document. Photograph or videotape the damage⁵, then make only temporary protection. Keep receipts for anything you buy.
Check your numbers. Read your policy to see what your responsibilities are⁵, and ask your agent whether the deductible for wind and hail damage is different⁶. If the damage looks smaller than your deductible, a claim may pay nothing, and a written estimate from a roofer you chose helps you decide⁷.
Make the first contact. Report the damage to your insurer, or ask a roofer you chose to look. Have your questions ready, and write down names and dates.
Let the adjuster see it. In Texas, don't make permanent repairs until your insurance company sees the damage⁸.

What to do while you're still waiting on the visit

Water coming in: put a bucket under the drip and move belongings away from it.
Protect, don't repair: take reasonable steps to protect your property from further damage⁵. A tarp is a temporary repair⁸, and the repairs belong to a professional roofing contractor³, not to you. Ask the roofer you chose whether they can put one up.
Keep what fell: save a few loose shingle pieces somewhere dry. They show the roofer and the adjuster what came off.
If nobody can come today: after the next rain, look again from the ground and from inside the house, and add dated photos.

Is a claim worth opening if the inspection finds hail damage? Should you file a hail damage roof insurance claim.

Checklist before the inspector arrives

Dated photos of the damage, taken before anything was touched.
Your policy and your deductible answer.
A request that the roofer show you a photo of each problem and say which are hail and which are age.
The question of where the company is based, because out-of-state crews are on the list of warning signs¹.
Findings and any estimate in writing, and more than one estimate to compare before you agree to work.

Besides the photos, what else should you ask the roofer who is coming? Questions to ask a roofer before hiring.

Before you sign: what to get in writing

Answer a few quick questions. You'll get a list of what to ask for in writing, what to do if anyone pushes you, and a message you can send. Nothing you choose leaves this page.

Your browser isn't running scripts, so here is the general list. It fits most roof jobs.Ask for these in writingTick each one when you have it in writing. You can print this list.

The work and the materials. A written estimate should describe the work to be done and the materials, with the completion date and the price.^10,11

Start and completion dates.^11,12

The total price and a breakdown of the costs, not just one number.¹³

The payment schedule: what you pay at each stage. Keep the final payment until the work is done.^14,10

A price per unit for hidden damage, for example per sheet of decking, and your signed change order before any extra. Rotted decking found mid-job is the kind of surprise a change order covers. In California and Maine, a change to the contract price must go on a written change order.^15,14,16

Who pulls the building permit. A contract should say who does it.¹⁴

Proof of license and insurance, including liability and workers' compensation certificates. Confirm the license with your state or county government.^10,12

The warranty details, and what would void the warranty.^13,12

Every promise made out loud, including what the roofer will and will not do.¹⁷

Repair or replacement?

Ask every roofer to quote the same job and to show you a photo of each problem they list. If one quotes a repair and another a replacement, ask each to explain why in writing.

Your quotes

Ask for written estimates from at least 3 roofers, each with the same items.¹¹

If they push

If anyone pushes you to sign today, you can wait. Never give in to high-pressure sales tactics.²

If a roofer won't put this in writing, that is an answer too: weigh it against the bids that do.

Before you sign

Never sign a contract that has blank spaces.⁴

Quick questions

Does granule loss mean hail damaged my roof? No. Some granule loss alone does not prove hail damage², so look for the marks above.

If I see nothing from the ground, is the roof fine? Not necessarily: storm damage is often hidden and not obvious right away⁹. That is why a closer look is worth asking for.

What if two roofers disagree about hail versus age? Ask each to show photos of the exact marks they mean, then ask a roofer you chose to look as well.

What happens if another storm rolls through before the inspection? Photograph again with the date, and tell whoever inspects the roof that there were two storms.

Sources

1. North Dakota Insurance Department, "Beware of contractor scams and fraud following recent storms

2. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, "Is It Hail Damage?

3. National Roofing Contractors Association, "Roof Repairs After a Storm

4. Texas Department of Insurance, "Hail damage to your home or car? What to do next

5. Insurance Information Institute, "How to file a homeowners claim

6. Texas Department of Insurance, "Insurance and your roof: What to know when buying a policy or filing a claim

7. Texas Department of Insurance, "Will my premium go up if I file a claim?

8. Texas Department of Insurance, "When are water damage and mold covered by insurance?

9. North Dakota State University Extension, "Building owners should determine full extent of storm damage

Also cited by the Before you sign tool on this page:

10. FTC: How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam

11. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): Tips for Hiring a Roofing Contractor

12. NRCA: Selecting a Contractor

13. North Carolina Department of Insurance: Avoiding predatory roofing scams

14. California Contractors State License Board (CSLB): Terms of Agreement: A Consumer Guide to Home Improvement Contracts

15. Oklahoma Insurance Department (Strengthen Oklahoma Homes program): Change Order Information (template)

16. Maine Office of the Attorney General: Home Construction and Repair

17. California Contractors State License Board (Department of Consumer Affairs): Tips for Hiring a Roofing Contractor

18. New York State Attorney General: Contractors and home maintenance

19. Federal Trade Commission: How To Avoid Scams After Weather Emergencies and Natural Disasters

20. California Contractors State License Board (CSLB): What You Should Know Before You Hire a Contractor

21. Texas Department of Insurance: Do you know the signs of a contracting scam?

22. North Carolina Department of Insurance: Prepare your home, be wary of roofing scams as Hurricane Dorian approaches the East Coast

23. Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner: Filing a homeowner insurance claim

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