Key numbers
State Farm paid more than $3.8 billion for hail-damaged home repairs and over $1.2 billion for auto repairs in 2024 (State Farm (newsroom), 2024).
| Nearly $2,000 | State Farm's average hail claim rose by nearly $2,000 from 2021 to 2022, its largest year-over-year increase to date. Source: State Farm (newsroom), 2022 |
|---|---|
| 62% | Homeowners policies accounted for 62% (1,711,094) of U.S. hail loss claims from 2017 to 2019. Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau, 2017-2019 |
Usually, call a roofer first. A free inspection from a local roofer tells you whether there is storm damage worth a claim before anything goes on your insurance record. If there is real hail or wind damage, then you call your insurer and an adjuster comes out. If there is not, you have saved yourself a claim that would have been denied or paid less than your deductible.
Why the order matters
- An adjuster’s visit is a claim. Calling to report damage opens a claim file whether or not it pays. In Texas, insurers can see claims history through CLUE reports, which the Texas Department of Insurance says cover the last seven years, and a company can charge more or refuse to sell a policy based on that report.
- Asking a question is not a claim. In Colorado, an insurer may not cancel or refuse to renew a homeowners policy solely because you asked about coverage, as long as the question is not tied to an actual claim (C.R.S. 10-4-110.8(1)). So you can call your agent to ask what your deductible is without reporting a loss.
- Damage under your deductible pays nothing. The Colorado Division of Insurance notes that if the damage estimate comes in below your deductible, the insurer will not issue a payment. With 1, 2 or 5 percent wind and hail deductibles now common, a roofer’s look first can save a pointless claim. Our guide to how a claim affects your premiums goes further.
What a good roofer inspection gives you
- Photos of the damage, or of the lack of it, on the roof surface, flashing, vents and gutters.
- A plain answer: functional storm damage, wear and tear, or nothing to report.
- If there is damage, an honest view of whether it is likely to exceed your deductible.
- If there is no damage, a recommendation not to file. We would rather tell you that than send an adjuster to an undamaged roof.
When to call your insurer right away
Call your insurer first, before any inspection, if water is coming into the house, a tree or large limb is on the roof, or the roof has holes you can see from the ground. Protect the home from further damage with a tarp or plastic, and save every receipt. The Texas Department of Insurance notes your policy may pay for temporary repairs, and the Colorado Division of Insurance also tells homeowners to limit further damage. Our hail claim timeline for Colorado and Texas covers the first few days after a storm.
If you have already filed
Get your own inspection before the adjuster visit, so you know what the adjuster should find. You can have your roofer on the roof at the same time. That does not make the roofer your adjuster: Colorado and Texas both bar roofing contractors from acting as public adjusters. What it does is make sure nothing gets missed in the scope while the claim stays yours. Read what a roofer should do before your claim and your rights on a Colorado storm claim.
Book the inspection
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews. We reach out the same business day. Book a free inspection in Colorado Springs at (719) 488-2800, Denver at (303) 209-0152, or Austin at (512) 610-5897.
Sources: C.R.S. 10-4-110.8 and 6-22-105 (unofficial reproduction); Colorado Division of Insurance, hail consumer advisory (May 22, 2024); Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance guide; TDI, Hail damage to your home or car?; TDI, Roofing and insurance: know the law.
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