After a major storm, the difference between a fully covered claim and a partially denied one is almost always documentation. Use this checklist to walk every part of your property in the first 72 hours.
The 72 hours after a major wind, hail, or tornado event are the most important window in a storm claim. Damage that is documented within that window is almost always covered. Damage that surfaces a month later is much harder to attribute to the storm and is often denied. This is the inspection sequence we walk every storm-damage homeowner through.
First: make sure it's safe
Don't climb on a roof after a storm. Don't enter a structure with visible structural damage, downed power lines, or partial collapse. If your gas line was damaged by debris, you'll smell rotten eggs — leave immediately and call the gas company. The checklist below is a ground-level visual inspection.
Roof and chimney
- Walk the perimeter of the house and look at the roof from every angle. Photograph every slope.
- Check the ground for shingle granules, full shingles, or pieces of flashing — these indicate hail or wind uplift.
- Look at the chimney for displaced bricks, cracked mortar, or a leaning chimney cap.
- Check ridge vents, soffit vents, and gable vents for damage or displacement.
- Look at metal flashing around skylights, valleys, and roof penetrations for dents or tears.
Gutters, fascia, and soffit
- Photograph dents in aluminum gutters and downspouts (a common hail indicator).
- Look for separated, sagging, or detached gutter sections.
- Check soffit panels for blown-out or buckled sections — a sign of pressure differential during high winds.
- Inspect fascia boards for water staining or detachment.
Siding and exterior walls
- Photograph each elevation of the home from far enough away to capture the full wall.
- Look for cracked, dented, or missing siding panels (vinyl, fiber cement, or wood).
- Check for paint chipping that exposes wood — wind-driven debris and hail will both do this.
- On brick, look for spalling (chipped face brick) and cracked mortar joints, especially around openings.
Windows, doors, and screens
- Inspect every window pane for cracks, even hairline ones.
- Check screens for tears, dents, and bent frames.
- Test every exterior door — a door that no longer closes square indicates the frame may have shifted.
- Look at storm doors and garage doors for dents and panel damage.
HVAC and exterior mechanicals
- Photograph the condenser unit (A/C) from all four sides — the fins are extremely vulnerable to hail and dent easily.
- Check exterior light fixtures for cracked lenses or detached housings.
- Inspect the meter base, electrical mast, and any exposed conduit for damage from falling limbs.
- Look at any exterior tankless water heater or generator for impact damage.
Yard, fencing, and outbuildings
- Photograph fallen trees and limbs before any cleanup — note which ones hit the home, garage, or fence.
- Inspect fences for missing or cracked boards, leaning posts, and damaged gates.
- Walk every outbuilding (sheds, detached garages, pool houses) and document the same way.
- Check pool equipment, screen enclosures, and any outdoor kitchen for damage.
Interior — start at the top
- Go into the attic with a flashlight. Look for daylight through the roof deck, water staining on rafters or insulation, and displaced insulation.
- Inspect the top floor ceilings for fresh stains, sagging, or active drips.
- Check the upper corners of every room for cracks in drywall — wind events can rack the framing slightly and crack drywall at the corners.
- Walk every floor checking for new cracks in walls, separated trim, and doors that no longer latch.
Documentation pack to send your adjuster
Once your inspection is complete, package everything into a single PDF or shared folder organized by location: 'Roof,' 'Siding,' 'Windows,' 'Interior — Master Bedroom,' etc. Include the date and time each photo was taken. Add a brief written summary describing the storm event (date, time, wind speed if known, hail size if applicable). This packet is what makes the difference between an adjuster spending 20 minutes scoping versus 3 hours.
Why a contractor inspection matters too
Homeowner inspections catch the obvious damage. Contractor inspections catch the damage that costs the most to miss — uplifted shingles that didn't blow off but lost their seal, hailed-on but not yet leaking flashing, and impact damage to roofing that won't show up until the next rain. We provide free post-storm inspections in our service areas, and we'll write up the findings whether you ultimately hire us or not.