It’s Been Two Weeks Since the Hailstorm — Is It Too Late to File a Roof Insurance Claim?

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:01]A hailstorm just hit Dallas-Fort Worth and homeowners across this area are already making the same mistakes we often see after every major storm. Some of these could cost you thousands of dollars in denied or underpaid claims.

[00:00:15]Here's the five you need to avoid.

[00:00:17]Mistake one, waiting for a leak before filing for hail damage. Almost hail doesn't cause immediate leaks. It knocks the protective layer off your shingles and over time that causes your roof to deteriorate at an accelerated rate. But by the time the water comes in, the claim window may be closed. Don't wait for a symptom, get an inspection now.

[00:00:41]Mistake two, calling your insurance company before getting an independent inspection. Your insurance adjuster works for the insurance company. If you file before you have your own documentation, you're negotiating without any evidence of your own.

[00:00:57]Get a contractor's written inspection report first, then file. Now you have two independent sets of documentation.

[00:01:05]Mistake number three, using an out-of-town storm chaser. After every hailstorm, these out-of-town guys come in your neighborhood. Some of them do fine work, but many will be gone from your market in a couple of months or so.

[00:01:19]If anything goes wrong after that, you're going to have to hire someone local to fix the damage and that's going to cost you money. Use a contractor with real local presence.

[00:01:30]Mistake number four, signing an assignment of benefits without reading it. In fact, read everything you sign, right?

[00:01:37]You don't want to pass your rights to your claim to a contractor without making sure that they're fully vetted and have everything in place to handle your claim properly.

[00:01:50]Mistake number five, accepting the first estimate as final. Insurance estimates come from software and they miss things.

[00:01:59]Material cost change, line items get skipped, code requirements get overlooked. A good contractor reviews that estimate and submits a supplement for anything that's missing. That's not aggressive, that's just making sure the claim reflects what the job actually costs. You're 2 weeks out from the storm. You still have time to do this right, but every one of these mistakes gets harder to fix the longer you wait.

[00:02:26]Get a local inspection, find out find out what's actually on your roof.

[00:02:31]Everything else follows from that one step. We're Rufus Roofing, free inspections, no pressure, just honest information. We'll see you in the next one.