Storm Damage Resources

Should I Call My Insurance Company
or a Roofer First After Storm Damage?

Most homeowners get this backwards. Here is why the order matters, and what happens when you get it wrong.

The short answer is: call a roofer first.

Almost every homeowner we talk to assumes the right first move after a storm is to call their insurance company and report potential damage. It feels responsible. It feels like the right sequence. It is not.

Here is what happens when you call insurance first.

The moment you file a claim a clock starts running. An adjuster gets assigned to your file. That adjuster schedules a time to come inspect your property. When they arrive they produce an estimate of damage — and that estimate becomes the baseline for your entire claim.

If that estimate is incomplete, if it misses damage areas, underestimates scope, or uses outdated pricing, you now have an uphill battle. You can push back but the insurance company's documentation already exists. The adjuster already signed off. Reversing that baseline is harder than preventing it from happening in the first place.

Here is what happens when you call a roofer first.

A qualified roofing contractor inspects your roof before anyone else. They document every damage area with photographs and written notes. They identify soft metal indicators, measure hail density, assess every slope, and build a file that reflects the actual scope of what happened to your property.

Now when the insurance adjuster arrives you are not a homeowner hoping they find everything. You have your own documentation. Your contractor can be present at the adjuster meeting with a complete file. The conversation shifts from the insurance company controlling what is found to both parties reviewing what the evidence shows.

What about the adjuster meeting itself?

When a roofer is present during the adjuster inspection the dynamic changes significantly. Adjusters, especially less experienced staff adjusters, move quickly. They are working multiple claims in a day. Having a contractor present who can walk the roof alongside them, point to specific damage indicators, and reference documentation built to HAAG engineering standards changes what gets included in the final estimate.

We have seen adjusters approve the full scope of a claim at the first meeting when proper documentation was in place. We have also seen homeowners who went through the adjuster meeting alone walk away from fifteen thousand dollars in approved claim value they were legitimately owed. That difference comes down to preparation and presence.

The one exception.

If you have active water intrusion causing immediate damage to interior structure or contents, mitigating that damage comes first. Most policies require you to take reasonable steps to prevent further loss. Tarping an active leak or covering a breached area is appropriate. Document everything you do. Then call us before calling your insurance company.

The inspection is free. The order of operations is not. Get the inspection done first.

Related questions.

Had a storm recently?

Call us before you call your insurance company.

Free inspection. We document everything. You decide whether to file. No pressure either way.

(816) 866-4235 · Smithville, Missouri · Missouri Licensed and Insured