What should a roof report for a storm damage insurance claim include?
Short answer. A useful roof report ties damage to a specific storm and makes it easy for an adjuster to verify. It should include the date of loss and weather data, an overview photo of each slope, close-ups of damage with scale, test square counts for hail, collateral damage, roof measurements and pitch, the shingle product and age, and a line item scope of the repair.
The sections of a strong report
- Property and storm: address, date of loss, hail size or wind gusts reported nearby, and the source of the weather data.
- Roof description: material, product line if known, approximate age, layers, pitch and number of slopes.
- Measurements: total squares, ridges, hips, valleys, eaves and rakes, from tape measurements or an aerial measurement report.
- Slope-by-slope findings: an overview photo of each slope labeled by direction, then close-ups of representative damage with chalk marks and scale. For hail, the hit count in a test square.
- Accessories: vents, flashing, pipe boots, skylights, chimney caps.
- Collateral damage: gutters, downspouts, screens, siding, AC fins.
- Interior: attic and ceiling water stains.
- Repairability and matching: brittleness test results and product availability.
- Scope: a line item estimate in the format the carrier uses.
Measurement reports versus inspection reports
Aerial measurement reports provide dimensions, not damage. Carriers often use them for quantities, but they cannot show a bruised shingle. Your inspection report supplies the damage evidence. See Xactimate estimates.
Engineer and adjuster reports
If the carrier sends an engineer, ask for a copy of the report, check whether it covered every slope, and respond in writing with your own photos wherever it differs; see engineer inspections. Your roofer's report is your side of that record.