What pictures of a hail damaged roof do you need for an insurance claim?
Short answer. You need photos that prove three things: that hail of damaging size hit your address on a specific date, that the roof has functional damage on each slope, and where water got inside. That means storm-day hailstones with a ruler, dents on gutters and vents, wide shots of every slope, chalk-marked close-ups with a scale, and any interior stains.
The shot list
- Storm day: hailstones next to a ruler or coin, hail piled in the yard, a timestamped video. These melt fast.
- Soft metals from the ground: dented gutters, downspouts, mailbox, light fixtures, AC condenser fins, window screens.
- Each side of the house: a wide shot of the front, back and both sides, so every later photo has context.
- Each roof slope: a wide overview, then close-ups of individual hits circled in chalk with a tape or coin for scale.
- Roof accessories: dented box vents, ridge vents, pipe boot collars, flashing and skylight frames.
- Inside: ceiling stains, wet insulation in the attic, damaged belongings.
How to make photos count
- Keep the original files; the date and location data inside them help prove timing.
- Shoot in soft light. Harsh midday sun washes out the dark bruise on a shingle.
- Label each photo by slope (north, south, east, west) in the file name or a short log.
- Do not pressure wash or sweep the roof before photos; it disturbs granules.
Leave the roof to a pro
Walking a roof is dangerous, and boots can scuff shingles in ways that confuse the evidence. Take what you can from the ground and from a ladder at the gutter line, and let a roofer handle the slopes, often with a drone for steep or high roofs. Our pages on what adjusters look for and hail versus wear show what a convincing hail photo looks like next to an aging roof.