A roofer's guide to documenting hail damage

Hail damage can be subtle, but with the right process and documentation, you can build a strong insurance claim and get your customers the coverage they deserve. In this guide, we'll walk through what to look for, how to take the right photos, and how to compile a clear, claim-ready report using Skallix.

1. Know what hail damage looks like

Hail can bruise shingles, knock off granules, and create impact marks that aren't always visible from the ground. Look for dark spots, circular patterns, and exposed matting. Check gutters, vents, and soft metals for dents as well. A slope can look fine from the street and still be bruised across the field.

Mark a test square on a representative slope, not only on the worst spot. Count the hits inside that square and write the number down while you are still on the roof. Soft metal on a box vent or a gutter mitre is useful because a dent there supports what the shingles are showing.

2. Photograph it the way an adjuster expects

Take one photo of the whole slope, then a closer photo of the test square, then a detail of a single bruise. Include a gutter, a vent, and any soft metal in the same pass. If you only shoot the close-ups, the carrier cannot tell where on the house the damage sits.

Keep the horizon straight and stay consistent with the order: overview, test square, detail. Skallix stores those photos on the job, so the person writing the claim is looking at the same set you captured in the field.

3. Turn the photos into the claim file

Write what you saw in plain language: which slopes, how many hits in the test square, and which metals were dented. Attach the photos in the same order you shot them. When the carrier asks for more, add the new photos to the same job instead of starting a second folder.

A clear file is what shortens the back and forth. The adjuster can see the slope, the count, and the dents without calling you back to describe a picture.