What happens, in order
You file it. We document it. Here is every step between the storm and the second check — including the parts nobody warns you about.
The vocabulary
Carriers and adjusters use these constantly and rarely stop to define them. None of it is complicated once somebody does.
Step by step
Ten steps in the order they happen — who does what, how long each part really takes, and where the law says our job stops.
Write down the date. Photograph what you can safely see from the ground — hail on the grass, downed limbs, debris, dented gutters. Save the local weather report or NWS confirmation for that date. If there is an active leak, get it covered and keep every receipt; almost every policy requires you to prevent further damage.
We inspect the roof, all four elevations, the soft metals, and the attic. We run test squares on each slope, photograph everything, and measure. Then we tell you plainly whether what we found looks storm-related and worth filing on — including when we think it is not.
You keep the photo report either way, whether you hire us or not.
You call your carrier or agent, give them the date of loss, and write down your claim number and the adjuster's contact information. This call is yours to make — a contractor filing on your behalf is not something we do, and in several of the states we work in it is not something we may do.
What we do is aid in the filing process. We assist so that all questions the claims representative presents are answered and there is no lapse in communication between our company and your insurance company. That way we can coordinate a date to meet your adjuster at your property.
Deciding whether to file is your decision. We can tell you what we found on your roof; we cannot tell you what your policy covers. That is a question for your carrier or a licensed public adjuster.
You should be there. With your permission we meet the adjuster on the roof, walk them through what we documented, and hand over our line-item estimate and photos. Adjusters cover a lot of ground after a storm, and a second set of eyes that already knows where the damage is tends to make the inspection more complete.
We are there to present what we found and answer technical questions. We are not there to negotiate or advocate on your behalf — we are not licensed public adjusters, and negotiating your claim is not something we do in any market we work in.
If the claim is approved you get the carrier's estimate and the first check — the ACV amount, which is the replacement cost minus depreciation minus your deductible. It is usually made out to you and your mortgage company together.
Wisconsin. A claim not paid within 30 days of written notice is legally overdue and accrues 7.5% simple interest (Wis. Stat. § 628.46).
Connecticut. Insurers must settle with reasonable promptness under the Unfair Insurance Practices Act (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-816(6)), and losses under the standard fire policy must be resolved within 30 days of proof of loss.
New York. Once an amount is agreed, the insurer must pay within five business days, and must accept or reject a claim within 15 business days of receiving proof of loss (11 NYCRR 216.6).
Confirm what applies to your own policy with your carrier.
If you have a mortgage, that first check goes to your lender's loss-draft department to be endorsed and released. This step surprises people and it is often the slowest part of the whole process. Start it the day the check arrives.
We compare the carrier's scope line by line against what the job actually takes and document anything missing — with photos, measurements, and the code citation where a code drives the requirement. One or two rounds is normal, not a sign anything has gone wrong.
Most residential re-roofs are a one- or two-day build. Scheduling depends on material lead time and how backed up the market is after a big storm event.
We send the final invoice matching the approved scope, completion photos, the closed permit, the registered warranty, and a lien waiver. You submit it, and the carrier releases the recoverable depreciation — the second check.
Your deductible is your responsibility under your insurance policy. While certain discounts, promotions, or other forms of assistance may be available, homeowners should be cautious of any contractor promising to pay, absorb, or eliminate 100% of the deductible. A reputable contractor should be transparent about pricing, insurance proceeds, and any discounts or credits being applied to your project.
A clean claim with no mortgage escrow and no disputes usually runs four to ten weeks end to end. After a major storm — with carrier catastrophe teams, escrowed proceeds, and multiple supplement rounds — three to six months is realistic. Anyone promising you a fixed timeline has not met your carrier.
Do not let the clock run out
The deadline you find online is usually the deadline to sue, not the deadline to file. Your policy separately requires prompt notice — and late notice is its own reason for a denial.
Wis. Stat. § 631.83(1)(a). Critically, the clock runs from when the loss occurred — not from when you discovered it. For hail damage that goes unnoticed for a season, that is unforgiving.
CGS § 38a-307 also requires immediate written notice of loss and a proof of loss within 60 days unless extended in writing. Confirm the exact suit deadline against your own policy.
New York sets its own limits, and the controlling deadline lives in your policy rather than in a single statewide rule. Ask your carrier to point you to it before you assume the deadline is a long way off.
Straight talk
Not every damaged roof gets paid for. It is better to hear the common reasons now than to hear them from an adjuster after you have filed.
The most common denial by a wide margin. Cupping, clawing, granule flaking, and thermal splitting are maintenance conditions, not storm damage, and every policy excludes them.
Reported too long after the date of loss for the carrier to verify what caused it.
Further damage that happened because an active leak was left uncovered.
Some policies — more often on metal roofs — exclude damage that is visual only and does not affect function. Worth checking your declarations page before a storm, not after.
Real damage, but the repair costs less than your deductible, so there is nothing to pay out.
If it does not go your way
You can request the carrier send someone back out, particularly with new documentation the first inspection did not have.
Most policies contain one. Each side names an appraiser, the two pick an umpire, and the resulting decision resolves the amount of loss — though not whether the loss is covered at all.
A public adjuster works for you, not the carrier, and is the only party who may legally negotiate your claim on your behalf. We are not one, and we cannot be.
Wisconsin: Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.
Connecticut: Department of Insurance, and the Department of Consumer Protection for contractor conduct.
New York: Department of Financial Services for insurers. Home improvement contractors are not county-licensed in Monroe County, so contractor complaints go to the Attorney General’s Consumer Frauds Bureau, which keeps a Rochester regional office.
Where we stand
The states we work in each set limits on what a roofing contractor may do on an insurance claim, and the lines are drawn in slightly different places. Rather than work to whichever rule is loosest, we hold to the same standard everywhere — because a contractor who crosses those lines is putting your policy, and you, at risk.
We do not negotiate, adjust, or settle claims on your behalf, and we do not advertise that we do. We document what is on your roof and we write an estimate for repairing it. Coverage decisions belong to your carrier.
We will not promise to pay, rebate, or absorb any portion of your deductible to win your business. Any discount or credit applied to your project appears on the estimate in plain sight, so you, your carrier, and we are all working from the same numbers.
We will tell you honestly what we found, including when we do not think it is worth filing. The call to your carrier is yours to make — and we assist through the process so nothing gets lost between you and your adjuster.
Our photo report is yours whether you hire us or not. It is your roof and your evidence.
Free, and no obligation
The inspection is free and the photo report is yours either way — including when we tell you the damage is not worth filing on.
Before anything gets filed, somebody needs to look. That part is free and it is yours to keep.
Eversafe Roofing