Roof insurance claims
The adjuster visit: what actually happens
Your carrier sends an adjuster to inspect the roof, photograph and measure the damage, and write a scope of repairs. It is an inspection, not a negotiation, and nothing gets decided on your driveway that day — the decision comes later, from the photographs and measurements taken while they were there.
That is why we ask to be on the roof with them. One inspection, one set of measurements, and a roofer present to answer roofing questions in person.
Know who you're dealing with
The adjuster works for your insurance company
That is a statement of fact, not a warning. Adjusters are generally professional, and most of the ones working Baldwin and Mobile County know coastal roofs well. But their job is to determine what your policy owes, and their report is written for the carrier.
After a large storm the carrier may send an independent adjuster instead of a staff one — contracted help brought in to handle volume. Some carriers also start with a desk review or a drone or aerial-imagery pass before anyone comes out. If that happens on your claim, it is worth knowing that the roof was assessed from a photograph.
The practical takeaway is simple: what ends up in that inspection determines what ends up in the scope. Anything not photographed on the day is difficult to raise afterwards, which is the single strongest argument for having a roofer up there at the same time.
What we are there to do, and what we're not
We attend as the roofing contractor. We show what we found in our own inspection, answer questions about the roof's construction and materials, and take our own photographs and measurements. That is the entire job.
We do not argue coverage, we do not negotiate pricing, and we do not speak for you with your carrier. Public adjusting is licensed work in Alabama and a roofing license is not that license.
We document, we meet the adjuster, we do the work. Coverage decisions are between you and your insurer.
Inspection day
What gets checked and documented
Adjusters vary in method, but a roof inspection covers roughly the same ground every time. Here is what to expect, and what we are photographing alongside them.
Photographs, lots of them
Overview shots of each elevation, close-ups of every area of damage, and the address or a slate board in frame to tie the photos to your property. The photo set is the evidence file the whole claim gets decided from, back at a desk, days later.
Measurements and a diagram
Either measured by hand on the roof or pulled from an aerial measurement report: slope lengths, pitch, squares of material, ridge and hip footage, valley and eave runs. These numbers drive every quantity in the estimate that follows.
Test areas on each slope
For hail, adjusters commonly chalk off a test square on each elevation and count impacts inside it to judge whether damage is widespread or isolated. For wind, they look for creased tabs, lifted or unsealed shingles, missing pieces, and a directional pattern consistent with the storm.
The details, not just the field
Ridge cap, valleys, step and counter flashing, pipe boots, vents, drip edge, and soft metals like gutters, downspouts, and vent hoods — soft metals dent before shingles bruise, so they often carry the clearest hail evidence on the property.
Decking and structure where visible
Soft spots underfoot, sagging planes, and anything visible in the attic. Rotten or delaminated decking usually stays hidden until tear-off, which is why what gets found later has to be documented carefully.
The inside of the house
Ceiling stains, wet insulation, water marks around vents and light fixtures. Interior damage ties the roof loss to a date and shows water actually got in — worth walking them through it rather than mentioning it in passing.
Four practical reasons
Why having your roofer on the roof matters
None of these are about pressure or advocacy. They are about two people looking at the same roof and writing down the same things.
1. One roof, one look, at the same time
When the adjuster and the roofer inspect separately, they end up describing two different roofs from two different sets of photos. Standing on it together removes that entirely.
2. Questions get answered on the spot
Whether a shingle line is still manufactured, how a valley was built, what a repair would actually involve up there — those are roofing questions, and they are far easier to answer on the roof than in an email a week later.
3. The measurements reconcile
If our square count and theirs disagree, it is better to find out with both parties on the ground and a tape in hand than after a scope has already been issued.
4. Nothing quietly gets skipped
Steep or high slopes sometimes go uninspected. We are already set up to get on the roof safely, and we can show what is up there if access is the obstacle.
The morning of
How to prepare for the visit
- Have your claim number, policy number, and the date of loss written down
- Print or pull up your own photos — especially anything taken right after the storm
- Make a short written list of every problem you have noticed, inside and out
- Clear access to the attic and to at least one side of the house for a ladder
- Put the dogs somewhere else for the hour, and move vehicles off the driveway
- Ask your roofer to be there, and confirm the appointment time with both parties
One more: be there yourself if you can. You know when the stain on the ceiling appeared and nobody else does.
After they leave
The scope, the deductible, and supplements
A written scope comes back from the carrier — line items, quantities, pricing, and your deductible subtracted. Read it next to your contractor's estimate. They should describe the same roof; where they do not, that is the conversation to have with your insurer before anyone starts tearing off.
Some things genuinely cannot be seen until the old roof is off. Rotted decking is the usual one. When we find it, we stop, photograph it, measure it, and give you a written supplement document — an itemized record of what was uncovered and what it takes to fix. You submit it to your insurer. That is the correct order, and it keeps everyone on the right side of the line.
There is no promised timeline here, from us or from anyone honest. Carriers move at their own pace, and it varies enormously after a named storm.
Keep reading
Before and after the visit
What the adjuster is deciding, and why they were sent in the first place.
The roof claim, start to finish
The five stages of a coastal Alabama roof claim, and who does what at each one.
Read itDoes insurance cover roof replacement?
One distinction decides most of it: sudden damage is generally covered, age and wear generally are not.
Read itRoof age and insurance
Why carriers are tightening on older roofs, and what a non-renewal letter actually means.
Read itWind and hail claims
Alabama storm damage is mostly wind. Hail is real too, and the two get treated differently.
Read itWater damage from a roof leak
The interior loss and the roof can land under different parts of the policy — the sudden-vs-gradual hinge.
Read itACV vs RCV
Why the first insurance check is smaller than the estimate, and what recoverable depreciation means.
Read itCommon questions
Adjuster visit FAQ
- What does a roof insurance adjuster do?
- An adjuster works for your insurance company. They come out to inspect the roof, photograph and measure what they find, determine what damage they believe the reported event caused, and write a scope of repairs with line items and pricing. Some are salaried carrier employees and some are independent adjusters contracted by the carrier, especially after a large storm. Either way, they represent the insurer — not you.
- Should my roofer be there when the adjuster comes?
- We think so, and most adjusters have no problem with it. Having the contractor on the roof at the same time means one inspection instead of two, roofing questions get answered on the spot, and the measurements on both estimates come from the same roof. We are there as the contractor documenting the work — not as your representative and not to negotiate anything.
- How do I prepare for a roof insurance inspection?
- Have your claim number and the date of loss handy, pull up any photos you took after the storm, and write a short list of everything you have noticed — inside the house included. Clear ladder access to at least one side, open a path to the attic, and put the dogs up. Then walk the adjuster through the interior evidence rather than assuming they will find it.
- What happens after the adjuster's visit?
- The adjuster writes a scope: a line-item document listing what they are covering, the quantities, and the pricing, with your deductible subtracted. It usually arrives by email or through your carrier's portal. Read it against your contractor's estimate line by line. If something on the roof is not on the list, that is worth raising with your insurer in writing before work begins.
- What if the adjuster's scope misses something we found?
- We put it in writing. Photographs, measurements, and a description of the item go into a written supplement document that we give to you. You are the one who submits it to your insurer, because the policy is a contract between you and them. We are not permitted to negotiate a claim on your behalf in Alabama and we do not try to.
Free inspection · no obligation
Adjuster coming out? Let's be there.
Tell us the date and time and we'll meet them on the roof — with our own photographs, our own measurements, and a written estimate already in hand. No charge for the inspection, and no obligation to hire us.
Licensed Alabama roofing contractor #7430. We are not a public adjuster and we do not take assignments of benefits.
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