How to Document Roof Storm Damage for an Insurance Claim

The wind is still blowing, or it just stopped, and your first instinct is to get outside and look. Wait. The National Weather Service says to go inside a sturdy building during a high wind warning and to treat power lines lying on the ground as live. FEMA's recovery guidance says to treat all loose or downed lines as energized and to remember that tree limbs and debris can hide them.

If a tree or large limb is on the house, get everyone out and call 911 before you do anything else. Our posts Tree Branch Falls on a Roof: What Do I Do? and What To Do When A Tree Causes Damage to Your Roof cover that scene. Do not go onto the roof, and do not set a ladder against it. Everything in this guide can be done from the yard, from windows and from the attic hatch.

If water is coming in now, the sibling guide on what to do about a roof leak right now comes first. Contain the water, move belongings, and come back to this list once the drips are in a bucket.

Adjusters match damage to a weather event, so the record starts with a timestamp. Write the date and the approximate time you noticed the damage, and the date and time of the storm if they differ. Screenshot any NWS warnings on your phone and keep local news clips about the storm.

Two official sources back up your note. The NWS Greenville-Spartanburg office, which covers Anderson County, publishes event summaries for significant storms on its website. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information maintains a Storm Events Database that collects storm reports; it is a place to look for what was reported in your county on your date. Note the hail size people reported in your neighborhood using the NWS size names: the NWS treats hail of 1 inch (about a quarter) or larger as severe. The sibling guide on metal roofs in hail, wind and hurricanes explains what each storm type tends to do.

The SC Department of Insurance (SC DOI) says to document the damage first, by photo or video, before any cleanup or repairs, and not to discard damaged items because the adjuster will want to see them. Set your phone to show the date and time in the photo details, then work around the house in the same order each time.

• One wide shot of each side of the house from the yard, so every slope appears in context. Then zoom shots of anything lifted, missing, bent or stained.
• Collateral damage. The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) lists dents in metal flashing, dents in air conditioner fins, and spatter marks where hail knocked dirt off metal as indicators that hail occurred. Add gutters, downspouts, window screens, the mailbox, siding, the deck and vehicles.
• Debris: shingles, screws, trim pieces and limbs in the yard, and where they came to rest relative to the house. Photograph before you pick anything up.
• Inside: every stain, drip or bubbled paint, with a wide shot that shows which room and a close shot of the mark. Open the attic hatch and photograph wet insulation or daylight with a flashlight, without climbing in further than the hatch.
• A short walking video narrating what you see and the date. It fills gaps the still photos miss.
• A list, written the same day, of each damaged item and where it is. SC DOI's disaster guide suggests preparing a list of structural damage and giving yourself several days to finish it before the adjuster visit.

Policies expect you to limit further damage, and SC DOI's guidance is specific: make only temporary repairs until you get advice from your insurance company, keep all receipts for materials used, and do not have permanent repairs made until the insurer has inspected the property. SC DOI's severe weather page describes covering a roof opening with a tarp as one such measure.

The tarp is a crew job, not yours. Covering a wet roof in wind is one of the most dangerous things a homeowner can attempt, and the National Roofing Contractors Association urges owners not to attempt repairs on their own. Call a roofer for temporary cover, keep the invoice, and photograph the roof before and after the cover goes on. Inside, move furniture and electronics out of the drip path and keep receipts for fans, plastic sheeting or buckets you buy.

SC DOI says to immediately file a claim with your insurance company once the area is safe. When you call, give as much detail as possible about the damage and every phone number where you can be reached. Write down the claim number, and when the adjuster is assigned, record the adjuster's name, phone number and company as SC DOI's disaster guide suggests.

Before the visit, finish your damage list and gather your photos, your weather notes and your receipts. SC DOI suggests obtaining written, itemized bids from licensed contractors and keeping copies of everything you submit. If you and the adjuster disagree on the amount, SC DOI's guide says to have your contractor review each line of the estimate with the adjuster, and that either party can invoke the policy's appraisal provision if that fails. In South Carolina the contractor can explain what the estimate covers; the negotiation itself stays with you, which the next section explains.

Your photos show what you can see from the ground. A roofer's inspection adds what you cannot: the condition of each slope, the flashings, the fasteners and the decking, photographed up close with locations noted. Our roof repair and maintenance page says we can inspect and document roof damage for your insurance claim, and our city pages put it the same way: we give you photos and an itemized estimate to use with your insurance company, you handle the claim with your insurer, and we do the approved work. The request a quote form asks whether the job is an insurance claim so the visit is planned that way.

The limit is set by state law. S.C. Code 40-59-25(D)(1) says a builder or contractor shall not represent or negotiate, or offer or advertise to represent or negotiate, on behalf of an owner on any insurance claim for roof repair or replacement. Subsection (D)(2) says you may consult a contractor for an evaluation of your roof and use that evaluation in your negotiation. So the report is yours to use; the claim is yours to run. The sibling guide on insurance claims vs paying out of pocket covers deductibles, actual cash value and the warning signs of contractors who ignore that line.

Check any contractor's registration through the SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation's licensee lookup, and ask for insurance certificates. Anderson Metal Roofing and Shingles states that it is licensed and insured; check it yourself as you would with anyone.

Some situations outrank the camera. A tree through the roof, a sagging ceiling over a bedroom, a burning smell or sparks near wet wiring are 911 or electrician calls first. SC DOI's guidance says not to use electricity until it is safe and to report downed or exposed wires to the utility. If the damage turns out to be a few shingles on an otherwise sound roof, the record you built still matters, but the decision may be to pay out of pocket rather than file.

When you are ready for the roof inspection, contact us or call (864) 287-2378 during business hours, Monday to Saturday 8:00 am to 10:00 pm and Sunday 1:30 to 6:00 pm. Have your photos, your date and time note and your claim number ready, and we will add the roof-level photos and the itemized estimate to your file.