The storm has passed. Your neighbor already has a truck in the driveway and someone is knocking on doors. Before you sign anything, work through this.
Hour one to hour forty eight
- Stay off the roof. A wet or steep roof after a storm is how people get hurt. There is nothing up there you need to see today.
- Photograph from the ground. Gutters, downspout outlets, window screens, siding, deck furniture, the air conditioner, and any vehicles. Metal dents are your proof that hail of a certain size fell on your address.
- Check the downspout outlets for piles of granules.
- Walk the attic with a flashlight. Look for wet sheathing, staining, or daylight at penetrations.
- Contain any active water. Move belongings, catch what you can, and call for an emergency tarp. In this metro the next round of rain is often within two days.
- Record the storm date. Save a local weather report or news coverage for your area. Proof of loss starts with proving the storm happened where you live.
Week one to week two
- Get a documented inspection first. A written report tells you whether you have functional damage before you involve your carrier.
- Read your declarations page. Find three things: your deductible and whether it is a flat amount or a percentage of the dwelling value, whether the roof is covered at replacement cost or actual cash value, and any reporting deadline.
- File the claim yourself if the damage supports it. Under Missouri law your contractor cannot negotiate it for you.
- Be home for the adjuster. Have your contractor there with the documentation.
- Do not authorize permanent work until the scope is settled. Emergency tarping is the exception, and it should be.
The two clocks you are running against
The reporting deadline. Many policies require a storm claim to be filed within a set window after the date of loss, commonly twelve months. Miss it and the carrier can deny real damage.
The ten year mark. Most carriers settle a roof under ten years old at replacement cost and switch to actual cash value after that, subtracting depreciation. A roof that ages past that line while you think about it can cost you thousands in settlement value.
What Missouri law allows a contractor to do
Missouri statute RSMo 407.725 prohibits a roofing contractor from offering to pay or rebate your deductible and from representing or negotiating your insurance claim. What a contractor can do is inspect, document the damage the way an adjuster needs to see it, meet the adjuster on the roof, and perform the work. Knowing that line ahead of time makes every conversation after a storm easier.
Anvil Roofing Co is based in Ballwin and serves the St. Louis metro. Free inspection, written report, emergency tarping available.