Storm & hail damage
Storm damage? Free inspection within 48 hours.
Don’t climb up there to check. We photograph every hit, give you a report your insurer can use, and meet your adjuster on the roof.
Hail hit Dublin, Hilliard, Upper Arlington on Oct 14. We’re prioritising inspections there this week.
Water coming in right now?
Put a bucket under it, move what you can, and call. We tarp active leaks the same day — then sort out the rest.
Check from the ground
Four signs your roof took damage
You can spot most storm damage without a ladder. Please don’t go up — a wet or hail-softened roof is slippery, and we do this every day.
Granules in the gutters or at downspouts
Looks like coarse black sand. A cup or more after a storm means the shingles took hits.
Dents on metal vents, gutters or the AC unit
If hail dented soft metal, it bruised the shingles too.
Shingles on the lawn, or bare strips on the roof
Wind lifts tabs and breaks the seal — those roofs leak in the next storm.
Stains on the ceiling or in the attic
Water gets in long before you see a drip.
How a claim works
Who does what, step by step
Seven steps from the storm to the final check — and which of them are on you, on us and on your insurer. Tap a step.
Inspection
- You
- Book a free storm inspection.
- Kestrel
- Check every slope, photograph each hit, send a photo report within 24 hours.
- Insurer
- Nothing to do
File the claim
- You
- Call your insurer or file online. Write down the claim number.
- Kestrel
- Give you the report and photos to attach.
- Insurer
- Opens the claim, assigns an adjuster.
Adjuster meeting
We’re on the roof with you- You
- Be there if you can — it’s your claim.
- Kestrel
- On your roof with the adjuster, pointing out every hit and measurement.
- Insurer
- Adjuster inspects and writes the scope.
Scope review
- You
- Forward us the scope of loss.
- Kestrel
- Check it line by line. If code items are missing — drip edge, ice & water shield — we send a supplement.
- Insurer
- Reviews the supplement, updates the scope.
First check
- You
- Deposit the check, sign our fixed-price contract.
- Kestrel
- Order materials, schedule your one-day install.
- Insurer
- Pays actual cash value (ACV) minus your deductible.
ACV check: see the worked example below.
New roof
- You
- Nothing — you don’t need to be home.
- Kestrel
- Replace the roof, clean up, photograph the finished work.
- Insurer
- Nothing to do
Final payment
- You
- Pay us the insurance money plus your deductible — never more.
- Kestrel
- Send completion photos and the final invoice to your insurer.
- Insurer
- Releases the held-back depreciation.
Depreciation: see the worked example below.
Questions during a claim? Call your project lead at (614) 555-0142.
The money, with real numbers
Example only — your policy decides the numbers. Most Ohio policies pay in two checks.
- Full replacement cost
- $16,000
- 1st check (ACV)
- $11,000$16,000 − $4,000 depreciation − $1,000 deductible
- 2nd check
- $4,000Depreciation released after the work is done
- You pay out of pocket
- $1,000Your deductible. Never more.
At the adjuster meeting
What we do on your roof — and what we don’t
We do
- Show the adjuster every hit we photographed
- Measure test squares together
- Point out code items — drip edge, ice & water shield — the scope must include
- Answer technical questions so you don’t have to
We don’t
- Negotiate your claim — we’re roofers, not public adjusters
- Promise a claim will be approved
- Offer to “cover” your deductible
- Ask you to sign anything on your doorstep
After every big storm
How to spot a storm chaser
Out-of-town crews follow hail across the Midwest. Some do fine work; many are gone before the first leak. Watch for these.
Knocks on your door
Real local roofers are busy after a storm — they don’t need to knock.
Out-of-state plates, no local address
Ask where their office is. Ours: 2150 Bethel Rd, Suite 4, Columbus.
“Sign today” pressure
A contingency agreement on the doorstep can lock you in before your insurer has looked.
Offers to waive the deductible
It’s fraud, and it puts you on the hook, not them.
A recent claim
Hilliard: approved on the first adjuster visit
Hail bruising on all four slopes, 9 hits in a 10 × 10 ft test square. We met the adjuster with 212 photos; full replacement approved. The owner paid the $1,000 deductible — nothing else.
See more projectsFAQ
Storm & insurance questions
Will a storm claim raise my premium?
A weather claim usually isn’t treated like an at-fault claim, but every insurer is different. Ask your agent before you file — we’ll give you the report either way, free.
How long do I have to file?
Many Ohio policies require you to report storm damage within one year of the storm — some sooner. Check your policy, or call your agent with the storm date.
Can you “cover” my deductible?
No — and be careful with anyone who offers. Waiving or hiding a deductible is insurance fraud. You pay your deductible; we never charge more than the insurance payment plus it.
What if the adjuster says there’s no damage?
We review the report with you. If our photos show damage the adjuster missed, we can ask for a re-inspection. If we don’t think you have a claim, we’ll say so and not waste your time.
Do I have to use the roofer my insurer recommends?
No. In Ohio you choose your contractor. Your insurer pays for the damage, not for a particular company.
Free storm inspection
Find out if your roof took damage. It’s free.
- 30–45 minutes, and you don’t need to be home
- Photo report within 24 hours
- A fixed price — or an honest “not yet”
Serving Columbus, Dublin, Westerville, Hilliard, Upper Arlington and 13 more towns