After you file, the insurance company sends an adjuster to walk the property and, usually, get on the roof. They mark and photograph hail hits, check gutters and other soft metals, take measurements, and write up a scope of repairs. Plan on thirty to ninety minutes. Be there, have your contractor there, and get a copy of the estimate.
The adjuster visit is the most important hour of a roof claim. Almost everything afterward — what gets approved, what gets paid — traces back to what got written down while the adjuster was on your roof. Here's how it goes and what I'd have you do before, during and after.
When does the adjuster come out?
You file the claim with your insurance company — by phone, through their app, or through your agent — and you get a claim number. The carrier then assigns an adjuster. That might be one of their own staff adjusters or an independent adjuster they contract with; after a big storm, carriers often bring in extra adjusters from out of the area to handle the volume.
The adjuster, or someone from their office, calls you to set up the inspection. How fast depends on the carrier and how many claims came in from the same storm. Ohio's claims-handling rule requires an insurer to acknowledge a claim within 15 days of being notified (Ohio Administrative Code 3901-1-54), and Kentucky's regulation sets the same 15-day acknowledgment window (806 KAR 12:095). Acknowledging isn't the same as inspecting, but if you've heard nothing at all after a couple of weeks, call and ask.
When they call, write down the adjuster's name, company, phone number and email, and ask whether they plan to get on the roof. Then call your contractor with the date and time.
How long does a roof adjuster inspection take?
Most take somewhere between thirty minutes and an hour and a half. A simple, walkable roof with obvious damage goes quicker. A steep or cut-up roof, a detached garage or shed, siding and gutter damage on several sides, or an interior leak all add time. Some adjusters won't walk a steep roof and will work from a ladder, a harness or a drone instead, which can change what they're able to see up close.
What does the adjuster actually look at?
A good hail or wind inspection is methodical. Here's what you'll typically see:
- Test squares. On hail claims, the adjuster usually marks off a 10-by-10-foot square on each slope that faced the storm, chalks every hit inside it, and counts them. Each carrier has its own threshold for how many hits make a slope qualify, and it isn't always shared with you.
- The kind of damage on the shingles. Hail bruises, fractured mats, granules knocked loose at the point of impact, cracked or torn tabs — versus blistering, granule loss from age, foot traffic or manufacturing defects, which insurance doesn't pay for. That distinction is where a lot of disagreements start.
- Wind damage. Creased, lifted or missing tabs and broken seal strips, usually along the edges and on the windward side.
- Soft metals. Roof vents, pipe flashing, drip edge, gutters, downspouts, and the fins on your AC condenser. Dents in soft metal show that hail hit, roughly how big it was, and which direction it came from. They're the adjuster's corroborating evidence.
- Collateral damage. Siding, window screens, window wraps, fences, painted surfaces, the mailbox. It backs up the roof findings and gets its own line items when it's damaged.
- Measurements. Roof area, pitch, ridges, hips, valleys, eaves and rakes. Those numbers drive almost every line of the estimate, so they matter as much as the hit count.
- Inside, if there's a leak. Ceiling stains, wet insulation and damaged drywall go on the claim too.
Should I be home for the adjuster?
Yes. You know things nobody on the roof knows: when the storm hit, when the stain on the ceiling showed up, what the gutters looked like before. You can walk the adjuster to the interior damage, and you'll hear firsthand what they're thinking before the estimate arrives. If you truly can't be there, make sure your contractor is, and that the adjuster can get into the yard and the attic.
Should my contractor meet the adjuster?
I think so, and it's the question homeowners ask me most. Two people on a roof find more than one, and the time to point out a missed slope, a dented vent or a cracked ridge cap is while the adjuster is standing next to it — not in a letter three weeks later.
On my jobs, I'm usually at the adjuster meeting, and usually up on the roof with the adjuster.
I usually bring my own photos of the damage, my own measurements and my own line-item estimate, so the adjuster and I can compare what we each found, slope by slope.
It's worth being clear about what a contractor's job is at that meeting: show the adjuster the damage and give an accurate estimate for fixing it. The claim itself stays between you and your insurance company. Kentucky's law says it directly — KRS 367.628 bars contractors from representing a homeowner on an insurance claim, while still allowing them to give estimates and confer with the insurer's representative about the damage. In Ohio, the person licensed to represent you on a property claim for pay is a public insurance adjuster (Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3951).
What should I have ready before the adjuster comes?
- Your claim number and the date of loss. The date matters — it ties the damage to a specific storm.
- Your policy's declarations page. Know your deductible, whether you have a separate wind/hail deductible, and whether the roof is covered at replacement cost or actual cash value.
- Your own photos. Hail on the ground, dented cars or patio furniture, interior stains, and any older photos that show what the roof looked like before.
- Receipts for emergency work. If you had a leak tarped, keep the invoice and the before-and-after photos. Most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, and that cost is usually part of the claim.
- A short list of what you've noticed. Leaks, stains, dented gutters, cracked siding, the side of the house that took the worst of it.
- Clear access. Gates unlocked, dogs inside, a path to the attic hatch.
What happens after the adjuster leaves?
The adjuster writes up an estimate — often called the scope — listing every line item the carrier agrees to pay for, with quantities and prices. Most large carriers build these in Xactimate. You'll usually get it within a few days to a few weeks, depending on the carrier and the storm volume.
Ask for it in writing, and ask for the photos and report if they'll share them. In Ohio, when a partial loss is settled from a written estimate prepared by or for the insurer, the insurer is required to give you a copy of that estimate (Ohio Administrative Code 3901-1-54). The same Ohio rule gives the insurer 21 days after it receives a properly executed proof of loss to accept or deny the claim, or to tell you why it needs more time. In Kentucky, the regulation calls for any payment due to be offered within 30 days of proof of loss (806 KAR 12:095).
When the estimate arrives, read it line by line against what's actually on your house. Check the roof area and waste, starter strip, drip edge, ice and water shield, ridge cap, pipe boots and vents, and whether gutters, siding and screens made it in. Then look at how it pays: on a replacement-cost policy the first check is usually the actual cash value, with depreciation held back until the work is finished, and if there's a mortgage the check will likely be made out to your lender too. I walk through that part in Can I Keep the Insurance Check and Not Fix My Roof?
What if the adjuster missed damage or I disagree?
A first estimate that misses things isn't unusual, and it isn't the end of the conversation. The usual path looks like this:
- Supplement. When items were missed, or turn up during tear-off — rotted decking, a second layer of shingles, code-required items — you send the carrier a supplement request with photos, measurements and a line-item estimate for what was left out. The carrier reviews it and decides.
- Reinspection. If the disagreement is about the damage itself, ask in writing for a reinspection. Sometimes a different adjuster comes out.
- Appraisal. Many homeowners policies include an appraisal clause for disputes over the amount of a loss, where each side picks an appraiser and an umpire settles what they can't agree on. Read your policy's wording before you invoke it.
- A complaint to the state. If you think a claim isn't being handled fairly, the Ohio Department of Insurance and the Kentucky Department of Insurance both take consumer complaints.
On my jobs, the supplement documentation is my own updated estimate — the photos, the measurements and the line items for what was left out — so the carrier has what it needs to review it.
If the claim is denied, ask for the reason in writing, along with the policy language they're relying on. That's what you, your agent, or anyone else you bring in will need to look at.
What should I not do during an adjuster visit?
- Don't sign anything you haven't read. That includes an assignment of benefits or any paper that hands control of your claim or its payments to someone else. Take it home and ask your agent.
- Don't guess. If you don't know when a stain appeared, say so. A guessed date hurts a claim more than an honest "I'm not sure."
- Don't argue on the roof. Point things out, ask questions, and save disagreements for the written process.
- Don't let anyone "help" the damage along. Creating damage to make a claim bigger is fraud — Kentucky's statute makes it a fraudulent insurance act and criminal mischief when a contractor does it.
- Don't lose the paper trail. Keep the claim number, the adjuster's contact info, and copies of everything in one place.
Straight Answers
What happens during a roof insurance adjuster visit?
The adjuster inspects the roof and the rest of the exterior for storm damage. On hail claims they usually mark test squares on the slopes and count hits, check soft metals like vents, gutters and AC fins, look for collateral damage to siding and screens, measure the roof, and take photos. They use that to write an estimate of what the insurer will pay for.
Should I be home for the roof insurance adjuster?
Yes, if you can. You can show the adjuster interior damage, tell them when the storm hit and what you noticed, and hear their findings firsthand. If you cannot be there, have your contractor meet them and make sure they can get into the yard and attic.
Should I have my contractor meet the insurance adjuster?
Yes. A contractor on the roof with the adjuster can point out damage while everyone is standing next to it, so it gets documented in the first estimate instead of argued about later. The contractor's role is to show the damage and estimate the repair; the claim itself stays between you and your insurance company.
How long does an insurance roof adjuster visit take?
Usually thirty to ninety minutes. Steep or complicated roofs, detached structures, siding and gutter damage, or an interior leak can make it longer. The written estimate typically arrives afterward, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks later depending on the carrier and storm volume.
What if the adjuster misses damage or I disagree with the estimate?
Ask for a copy of the estimate and read it line by line. Missed items can be sent back as a supplement with photos and a line-item estimate, you can request a reinspection in writing, and many policies include an appraisal clause for disputes over the amount of the loss.
If a storm came through and you haven't filed yet, start with a free roof inspection so you know what's actually up there before anyone from the insurance company sees it. Here's more on what I do on a hail damage claim, and if you want to know how your policy pays, read Does Homeowner Insurance Cover Hail Damage in Ohio? Or call or text me at (859) 420-7382.
