Roof Claim Answers

Do home insurance companies do inspections?

Short answer. Yes. Home insurers inspect at two points: when they write or renew a policy (an underwriting inspection, often exterior only and sometimes done from aerial images) and when you file a claim (an adjuster inspection of the damage). The first decides whether and how they insure the house; the second decides what they pay.

Underwriting inspections

After you buy a policy, many insurers send an inspector within the first weeks or months to confirm what they insured. The visit is usually exterior only and short, and you may not even be home. The inspector photographs the roof, measures the house and notes hazards: worn or curling shingles, missing shingles, tarps, overhanging limbs, debris on the roof, or a pool without a fence. More and more of this is done from aerial imagery, so a roof can be reviewed with no visit at all.

The result can be nothing, a request to repair something by a deadline, a change to how the roof is covered (for example, moving it to actual cash value), or a non-renewal. If a letter arrives, read the deadline and the exact items it lists.

Claim inspections

When you report damage, the insurer assigns an adjuster, staff or independent, to inspect that specific loss. On a roof claim that means climbing or droning the roof, counting hail hits in test squares, checking for wind creases and measuring for the estimate. See what roof adjusters look for and how to prepare for the visit.

Why the difference matters

An underwriting inspector is not deciding a claim, and a claim adjuster is not supposed to be re-underwriting your policy. Both, however, write down the roof's condition, and those notes stay in your file. Keeping the roof maintained, gutters clear and limbs trimmed helps you in both visits. Your own dated photos of the roof protect you if a later inspection blames storm damage on age.

In depth

What is a hail test square, and how many hits does a roof need?How adjusters use 10 by 10 test squares to count hail hits per slope, why 8 to 10 hits is a carrier guideline,Why did my insurance company send an engineer to inspect my roof?Why insurers hire engineers on roof claims, what the reports address (cause, timing, functional damage, wear) What do insurance adjusters look for on a damaged roof?How adjusters judge roof damage: functional vs cosmetic, hail bruises, dented soft metals, wind creases and th

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