{"id":77,"date":"2026-04-02T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/how-to-file-a-hail-damage-insurance-claim-a-step-by-step-walkthrough\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:00:00","slug":"how-to-file-a-hail-damage-insurance-claim-a-step-by-step-walkthrough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/how-to-file-a-hail-damage-insurance-claim-a-step-by-step-walkthrough\/","title":{"rendered":"How to File a Hail Damage Insurance Claim: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A COMPLETE WALKTHROUGH: FILING YOUR HAIL DAMAGE ROOF CLAIM<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Insurance companies process thousands of storm claims after every major weather event. Knowing the process &#8211; and having the right documentation &#8211; is the difference between a full restoration payout and a partial settlement that leaves you covering the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">KEY TOPICS COVERED IN THIS GUIDE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>When to Call a Roofer vs. Your Insurer First &#8211; Why the order of your first two calls after a storm determines how your claim plays out.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>What Adjusters Look For &#8211; The specific damage types that trigger full replacement vs. repair-only payouts.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Documentation That Wins Claims &#8211; Photos, measurements, and reports that prevent your claim from being underpaid.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>How Rafton Supports Your Claim &#8211; What our storm response team does on your behalf from tarp to final settlement.<br><\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">STEP 1 &#8211; CALL A ROOFER BEFORE YOU CALL YOUR INSURER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the most important and most ignored piece of advice in storm recovery. Call Rafton first. We document the damage in detail before anything is disturbed &#8211; the same way an accident scene is documented before cars are moved. Your insurer&#8217;s adjuster works for the insurance company. Our specialist works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">STEP 2 &#8211; GET THE ROOF TARPED WITHIN 24 HOURS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most policies include a duty-to-mitigate clause &#8211; meaning you&#8217;re required to prevent further damage after a storm event. A professional tarp applied within 24 hours satisfies that clause and stops interior water damage from escalating your repair costs before the claim is even filed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">STEP 3 &#8211; DOCUMENT EVERYTHING BEFORE REPAIRS BEGIN<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rafton&#8217;s storm team photographs every hail strike, wind tear, impact point, and compromised flashing joint in a carrier-formatted damage report. This report uses the same measurement and notation format insurance adjusters use internally &#8211; which dramatically reduces the chance of line items being disputed or removed from your settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">STEP 4 &#8211; FILE YOUR CLAIM AND SCHEDULE THE ADJUSTER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">File your claim with your carrier as soon as the damage report is in hand. When the adjuster visit is scheduled, request that a Rafton specialist be present on the roof during the inspection. Our team walks the adjuster through every documented damage point in real time &#8211; ensuring nothing is missed, minimized, or written off as pre-existing wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">STEP 5 &#8211; REVIEW YOUR SETTLEMENT BEFORE SIGNING<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before you accept any settlement offer, have Rafton review the adjuster&#8217;s scope of loss against our damage report. Underpayments are common &#8211; especially on older roofs where adjusters apply depreciation aggressively. If the settlement doesn&#8217;t cover a full restoration, we can submit a supplemental claim on your behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">STEP 6 &#8211; RESTORATION BEGINS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the settlement is approved and the check is issued, Rafton schedules your full restoration &#8211; tear-off, deck inspection, underlayment, and new roof &#8211; with the same crew that documented the damage. Backed by a 25-year workmanship warranty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most homeowners leave thousands of dollars on the table after a storm because they don&#8217;t know how the claims process works. Here&#8217;s exactly how to file &#8211; and how to make sure your adjuster doesn&#8217;t miss anything.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-roofing-guides"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.uncoderbuilder.com\/rafton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}