If you're reading this, something happened to your house. Wind. Hail. A fallen tree. Maybe just an unfamiliar leak. You want to know what to do — and you probably want to know whether your insurance is going to cover any of it.
Here's the truth: more than half of the homeowner-filed storm damage claims we see come in are filed the wrong way. They get denied, under-paid, or stretched out for months. Not because the damage wasn't real, but because the homeowner called insurance before they had any idea what was actually wrong. Without documentation, without an estimate, without a contractor in their corner.
This is how to do it right.
Step 1: Don't call insurance yet
This is the single most counter-intuitive piece of advice in this guide. Every instinct tells you to call your insurance company immediately. Don't.
Once you open a claim, that claim is on your record whether or not it pays out. A denied or withdrawn claim still counts in your loss history — and in some carriers' calculations, it affects rates. So before you call, you want to be sure:
- Damage actually exists and meets your deductible threshold
- You have photos that clearly attribute it to a recent storm event
- You have a written estimate of repair cost from a licensed contractor
If any of those are missing, calling insurance is premature.
Step 2: Document everything within 24 hours
From the ground, walk the perimeter of your house. Take date-stamped photos of:
- Every side of the home, including the roof line from a distance
- Any fallen branches, including the ground around them (shows recency)
- Hail-strike marks on gutters, siding, AC condenser fins, and outdoor surfaces
- Interior ceiling stains, especially in attic spaces
- Damaged or detached flashing around chimneys, vents, skylights
- Anything torn, dented, or displaced that wasn't before
Don't climb on the roof yourself. Damaged shingles are slippery and roof decking can be compromised after a storm. Photograph from windows, balconies, or with a long-pole camera if you have one. The actual roof-walk inspection is the contractor's job.
Step 3: Free inspection from a licensed local roofer
Pick someone with a verifiable Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) license, local physical address, real reviews from real homeowners, and the willingness to give you a written report — not just a verbal "looks like you've got hail damage."
A real inspection takes 30-45 minutes. The roofer walks every plane of the roof, photographs damage with their own camera, checks decking from the attic, and tells you honestly whether what they found meets a claim threshold.
If it doesn't, don't file. A "maybe" claim is worse than no claim.
If it does, you now have:
- A written photo report
- A line-item estimate (Xactimate-style) of repair cost
- An experienced advocate who can be in the room with you and the adjuster
Step 4: File the claim with documentation in hand
Now you call your insurance company. You tell them the date of the event, what you observed, and that you have photos and a contractor's estimate ready to share. You schedule an adjuster visit.
The most important question to ask: "When can I have my contractor present for the adjuster's inspection?"
This single question changes outcomes more than anything else in the process. Most homeowners don't know they can have their contractor at the inspection. The adjuster won't volunteer it. But it's allowed under every Maryland policy we've ever seen, and it's the difference between a fair payout and an under-paid one.
Step 5: Adjuster + contractor on the roof
Adjusters work for the insurance company. They are not roofers. They are not adversaries either — but they are looking for reasons to scope the claim narrowly. An experienced roofer next to them catches damage they miss, documents code-required upgrades they don't know about, and supplements the scope before it's finalized.
If the adjuster issues a scope you and your contractor disagree with, that's not the end. The contractor submits a supplement with photos and line items. Most reasonable supplements are approved. This is normal, expected, and how the process is designed to work.
Step 6: Approval, work, final inspection
Once the claim is approved, your contractor handles permits, code upgrades, dumpsters, material delivery, and final inspection. You handle the deductible. You should never pay more than the deductible on an approved claim, and you should never sign anything that says you'll cover overruns.
Final walk-through with your contractor. Warranty paperwork. Insurance closes the claim. Done.
What this looks like in practice
A homeowner in Huntingtown called us after a derecho came through Calvert County. Their insurance had visited the day before, told them the damage was "minor," and offered to pay $1,800 toward repairs. The roof was 14 years old, three-tab shingles, with visible hail bruising on the south slope.
We inspected for free, documented hail strikes across 3 of 4 slopes, photographed dented gutters and AC condenser fins (proving the hail event), wrote a supplemental scope, and met the adjuster on a return visit. Final approved claim: full roof replacement, code upgrades, gutters, and gutter guards. The homeowner paid their deductible. Nothing else.
That's not unusual. It's what happens when the homeowner has a contractor in their corner from day one.
What never to do
- Sign with a door-knocking contractor in the first 48 hours after a storm
- Let anyone climb on your roof without explicit written permission
- Accept a contractor's offer to "waive your deductible" — insurance fraud, federal crime
- File a claim without an inspection first
- Take the first adjuster scope as final without a contractor's review