Short answer: photograph everything from the ground with the date recorded, note the storm date, and get a professional inspection with photographs before you call your carrier. Documentation created before the claim is worth more than anything produced after it.
What to photograph, from the ground
- Gutters and downspouts. Dents in soft metal are the clearest proof hail hit your property.
- Window screens and sills, which show impact easily.
- AC condenser fins. Adjusters look at these specifically. Bent fins are strong evidence.
- Fences, mailboxes, outdoor furniture, anything soft enough to register impact.
- Granule piles at downspout outlets and splash blocks.
- Debris in the yard, including shingle pieces.
- Wide shots of each elevation of the house.
- Any interior staining, with a shot showing the room and a close up.
Getting the dates right
Claims attach to a date of loss. Note the storm date and keep it with the photographs. Phone photos carry timestamps automatically, which is one reason photographing with your phone is better than describing it later.
If the storm was weeks ago and you are only now looking, photograph anyway. Current condition still matters.
What you cannot document yourself
Most hail damage is invisible from the ground. Bruising fractures the shingle mat without breaking the surface and you find it by feel. Creased shingles look completely normal from the driveway while their seal strips are broken.
That is the gap a professional inspection fills, and it is why we do them free. You want a photographic record of the roof surface itself, taken by someone who knows what they are looking at.
The order that works best
- Photograph everything you can from the ground, same day if possible
- Note the storm date
- Get a documented professional inspection
- Decide whether you actually have a claim worth filing
- Then call your carrier
Filing first and finding out second is the common order and it is backwards. Our claim versus out of pocket comparison covers that decision.
Mistakes to avoid
- Cleaning up before photographing
- Climbing on the roof to take pictures, which is how people get hurt
- Letting a door knocker take your only photographs
- Signing anything before you understand what you have
- Waiting for an interior leak before acting, since filing deadlines run from the storm date
Our Storm Center walks through the full claim process. Request a documented inspection or call (210) 245-4125.
