What your insurance actually covers after storm damage

After a storm, most people do not know whether they have a claim, and the fear of "making a claim and getting dropped" stops a lot of homeowners from even asking. So here is the process without the sales pitch.

Two of our team hold adjuster licences. Not to work claims — to understand from the inside how a scope gets built, approved and paid. Everything below comes from that.

What is generally covered

Most homeowner policies in Georgia cover sudden, accidental damage from wind and hail. That is what a storm claim is. It is a different thing from wear and tear, which policies exclude — and that distinction is the single biggest reason claims get denied.

A roof that failed because it is twenty-five years old is maintenance. A roof that was fine until hail bruised it last month is a claim. An adjuster is looking for evidence of which one they are standing on.

Damage that is real but easy to miss

Adjusters are not being difficult when they miss some of this. They are walking a great many roofs after a storm event, often on a tight schedule. The fix is documentation, not confrontation.

• Hail bruising, which you often cannot see from the ground at all — it shows as soft dimples where the granules have been knocked loose
• Creased shingles, where wind lifted a shingle and dropped it back, breaking the mat even though it looks flat again
• Damaged pipe boots, vents and flashing, which take the impact even when the field of the roof survives
• Gutters and downspouts dented by the same hail that hit the roof
• Siding, soffit and fascia damage on the elevation the storm came from
• Interior damage from water that got in before anything was covered

What to do in the first 48 hours

• Stop the water. Emergency tarping is normally covered, and carriers generally expect you to prevent further damage rather than let it run
• Photograph everything before anything is moved or cleaned up, including inside the house
• Keep receipts for anything you spend — tarps, a hotel night, a plumber
• Call your carrier and open the claim
• Get an independent set of eyes on the roof, ideally before the adjuster comes out, so you know what is up there

What a supplement is, and why it matters

The first scope an adjuster writes is an estimate, not a final answer. When the roof comes off and we find damage nobody could see, or when the original scope simply missed something, that goes back to the carrier as a supplement.

This is a normal, routine part of the process. It is also where a lot of homeowners lose money, because it takes documentation and follow-up that most people are not set up to do while also living their life.

We write supplements with photographs and measurements attached. Not an argument — evidence.

Mistakes that cost people money

• Waiting. Policies have deadlines for reporting damage, and a roof left open turns a roof claim into a ceiling, insulation and flooring claim
• Cleaning up too well before it is photographed
• Taking the first number as final when the scope has obvious gaps
• Signing a contract that hands over your claim rights before you understand what you have signed
• Hiring a company that appeared in the neighbourhood the day after the storm and will not be here next year to honour a warranty

What we do and what we do not do

We document damage, meet your adjuster on site, walk the roof with them, and supplement the claim with evidence when the scope comes back short. Then we do the work — roof first, then whatever the water reached on the way down, because we self-perform drywall, ceilings, insulation, flooring and paint as well.

What we do not do is act as your public adjuster or negotiate your claim on your behalf as your representative. That is a licensed role and a different job from ours. We are your contractor, we know the process well, and we make sure the damage is properly on the record.