Get the two-page checklist
Much is settled in the days right after hail: which photos exist, how much more water gets inside, who ends up on your roof, and whether the insurer hears about it in time. This checklist puts those steps in order on two pages you can stick to the fridge.
What the seven sections cover
- The first hour. Power lines, keeping people out of wet rooms, staying off the roof, and writing down when the storm hit and how big the hail was.
- Photos. Which pictures count most, from bent AC unit fins to dinged gutters, vents and torn screens, since they prove how big the hail was at your house.
- Limiting damage. Buckets, moving belongings, asking a roofer for an emergency tarp, and keeping receipts.
- Your policy. The percentage wind and hail deductible, replacement cost versus actual cash value, and the time limit to report.
- Opening the claim. The claim number, the roofer's inspection, and the adjuster's visit.
- Hiring safely. Insurance certificates, permits, a written scope, how much to put down, and why no Texas contractor may cover your deductible.
- After the work. Final invoice, city paperwork, warranty papers, and getting back any depreciation the insurer withheld.
Why a checklist helps after a DFW hailstorm
Hail damage is easy to underestimate from the yard. Bruised shingles can look fine for months before they start to leak, and by then the storm date is hard to remember. A short written record made in the first days, with dated photos, makes the conversation with your insurer and your roofer much easier.
The checklist also helps you slow down. After a large storm, crews from outside the area often go door to door. A list of what to ask, and the reminder that Texas law does not allow a contractor to cover your deductible, keeps the decision yours.
Your deductible is yours to pay. The Texas Department of Insurance warns that a contractor may not waive your deductible, rebate it, or pad the estimate to cover it, and that a contract of $1,000 or more paid with insurance money must include a notice that you owe the deductible. Your insurer may ask for proof you paid it. A contractor also may not act as a public adjuster on a property it works on or may work on. If a roofer offers to "take care of" the deductible, hire someone else.
About this line: DFW Expert Roofers is a free phone line, not a roofing contractor. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local roofing company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. Calling the line costs you nothing. See how a call is handled.