Readiness check

Is your crew ready to document a storm or hail claim?

On a storm job the assessment and the paperwork decide whether the claim holds, not the tear-off. Skip the storm verification, the chalked test squares, or the located and dated photos and the carrier can call the damage old wear and stall or deny a valid claim. Touch the deductible or argue coverage and you have crossed from contractor into fraud or unlicensed adjusting, which is where careers end.

1. Do you pull storm verification and set the real date of loss before or with the inspection?Yes. We pull a NOAA or hail-map report that places a storm of a given size over the address on a specific day, and the date of loss on the claim matches it.We note an approximate storm date from memory or the news, but there is no weather-data report in the file.We use the date the damage was noticed or the day we climbed up, with no storm verification.

2. Do you inspect the whole envelope and chalk a test square, not just eyeball the shingles?Yes. We check the soft metals first (gutters, vents, hoods, condenser fins), then chalk a 10 ft by 10 ft test square on each slope and mark every hit.We walk the shingles and spot-check a slope or two, but we do not chalk a full test square or work the soft metals.We assess from a ladder or the ground with no test square and no soft-metal check.

3. Do you separate real storm damage from cosmetic marking, blisters, foot traffic, and age?Yes. We confirm hail by a fractured mat and soft feel and a random pattern, confirm wind by a crease in the mat, and rule out blisters, scuffs, and worn granules. We do not invent damage.We identify hits by sight but do not press for the soft mat or consistently rule out the things that mimic hail.We call visible surface marking damage without checking whether the mat is actually fractured.

4. Are your damage photos located, dated, scaled, and showing the chalked hit count?Yes. Every file has the date of loss and address, wide shots that place each slope, close shots with something for scale, the chalked squares with the count visible, and the soft-metal dents.We take close-up damage photos but many have no location, no date, or no scale, and the test-square count is not always shown.We shoot a handful of loose phone photos with no labeling, date, or context.

5. Do you measure the roof so a scope can be built and checked against the carrier's estimate?Yes. We record roof area in squares, the slopes, and the accessories, so the scope can be built and later checked line by line against the carrier's scope.We take rough measurements or an eyeball count but not a full slope-by-slope record.We do not measure; we wait for the carrier's number.

6. Is the deductible kept as the homeowner's, with no waiver, rebate, or assignment-of-benefits pressure?Yes. The deductible is the homeowner's every time, we never offer to waive, eat, or rebate it, and we do not push an assignment of benefits or a same-day signature.We name the deductible as the homeowner's but sometimes soften it with discounts or upgrades that blur who pays it.We offer to cover or work around the deductible, or push an assignment of benefits to close the deal.

7. Do you stay in the contractor lane and send coverage disputes to a licensed professional?Yes. We present documentation to the adjuster and supply supplements for real missed and code scope with photos, and we send any coverage or dollar dispute to a licensed public adjuster or an attorney.We document well but tend to argue scope or coverage with the adjuster ourselves rather than referring the dispute out.We negotiate the claim, interpret the policy, or promise the homeowner a payout figure.

8. Is fall protection in place before anyone goes on the roof to inspect?Yes. Nobody goes up unprotected from the edge; we confirm which fall-protection rules apply to the work and use guardrails, personal fall arrest, or a warning-line setup accordingly.We have gear on the truck but do not always rig it for a quick inspection walk.We walk the roof edge with a camera and no fall protection.