How do you file an insurance claim for a hole in your roof?
Short answer. Photograph the hole and any interior damage, get it tarped the same day, keep receipts, and report the claim with the date and cause, such as a fallen limb, wind, or lightning. Holes from sudden events are generally covered; holes from rot, pests, or long-term leaks generally are not.
A hole changes the clock: water damage grows with every rain, so the order of steps matters.
- Stay safe. Keep people out of rooms with sagging or wet ceilings, and turn off power to fixtures in a soaked area.
- Photograph everything: the roof from the ground, the attic underside if you can reach it safely, and every stained or damaged ceiling. Photograph what caused it, such as the limb, before it is cut up.
- Cover it the same day. A secured tarp, or plywood under a tarp, limits further damage. Reasonable emergency repairs are usually part of the claim, so keep receipts.
- Report the claim with the date and cause. A sentence like "a pine limb came through the roof during the storm on the 14th" is enough to start.
- Dry the interior. Wet insulation and drywall should come out quickly, since many policies limit mold coverage.
What the estimate should include
A proper repair covers more than shingles: broken decking, any cracked rafters or trusses, underlayment, the shingles needed to tie in and match, and the interior repairs below. If a large section was damaged, the adjuster may approve replacing the whole slope. Many policies also pay to remove a tree that struck the house, usually up to a set limit, so ask about it.
Coverage depends on the cause. Wind, falling trees, and lightning are generally covered; holes from rot or animals usually are not. For more, see wind damage roof claims, tarping and the duty to mitigate, and interior water damage coverage.