Ask Your Insurer for the Roof File in Writing

When an insurer inspects a roof after a storm, it leaves a file behind. That file holds the adjuster's photos, the roof measurements, notes on which slopes were climbed and which were only viewed from the ground, and sometimes a report from an engineer or an outside inspector. Many homeowners never see it. It is the record the settlement figure is built from, so it is worth asking for in writing before you respond to the estimate, not after.

Keys Roofing documents damage on its own schedule, with dated photos and measurements, and puts a written scope with those photos in your hands. Keys does not handle your claim. Missouri law (RSMo 407.725) bars a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim, so the request for your insurer's file is yours to make, and the conversation with your adjuster stays with you. Keys can attend the inspection as the contractor while you deal with your own insurer. If you want a second set of roof photos taken before you reply, the office number is (314) 220-2333.

Insurance claim

A general request for your file often gets a general answer, so name each item. Write to the claim representative, quote the claim number from your most recent letter, and list what you want:

• The field inspection report, with the date the inspector was on the property.
• Every photo taken of the roof, the gutters, the siding and any soft metal, in original resolution with the file names intact.
• The roof measurements and the diagram they came from, including the pitch and the number of squares used.
• Any engineer or independent inspector report, if one was ordered.
• The pricing output behind the settlement figure, with each line for tear-off, underlayment, drip edge, ventilation and ice barrier at the eaves.

Send the request by email if the carrier accepts that channel, and keep a copy in your file. If you mail it, use a method that gives you a delivery record. The date on the letter matters. It shows you asked before a decision was made, and if the insurer does not answer, it shows the gap.

Missouri has no matching statute for roofs, so whether a partial slope has to match the rest of the roof turns on the policy wording. The photos will not settle that question alone, but they will show which slopes the carrier actually looked at, and that is the starting point for any comparison you make.

Read the photos for what they show and what they skip

An inspector's photo set can look complete and still leave gaps. A common pattern is a set of close-ups of the shingles on the windward slope, with no shot of the leeward side, no shot of the ridge, and no shot of the gutters. Hail often leaves its clearest marks on the windward slope first, but wind and hail can strike several sides of a house, so a missing slope is a question to ask.

Check the soft metal. Dents in gutter sections, downspouts, vent hoods and flashing show where hail struck the house, and they are often easier to read than granule loss on shingles. If the carrier's set has no photos of the soft metal, ask why. The answer will be in the report, or it will be absent, and both are worth knowing.

Check the eaves for ice damming history. In St. Louis, freeze and thaw cycles lift shingles at the eave and push meltwater back under them. An inspector who notes old repairs, lifted tabs or stained fascia has recorded something about the roof's condition before the storm, and that record matters when the carrier decides which damage came from the storm and which was already there.

Compare the dates. A contractor's photo taken in October, in low light, on a wet roof will look different from an adjuster's photo taken in July. Put both sets side by side, sorted by slope, and mark where they disagree. A disagreement is not proof of anything, but it tells you which slope to ask about first.

What it costs

The request costs an email or a stamp and the time it takes to write the list. Carriers do not usually charge for a copy of a file sent to the policyholder, but if a fee is quoted, ask for it in writing before you agree to pay it. Keep the answer with the rest of your claim papers.

A contractor's roof walk has its own cost, set by that contractor, and the photos and measurements from it are yours to keep whether or not you hire that contractor. File them with the insurer's set rather than in a separate folder, so the two can be compared on one page.

What to ask

Before you reply to the estimate, put these questions to the claim representative in writing. Each one can be answered with a yes, a no, or a document reference.

• Which slopes were climbed, and which were viewed from the ground?
• Were the gutters, downspouts and vent hoods inspected, and where are the photos?
• What age and number of layers did the inspector record for the existing roof?
• Which shingle product was priced, and does the estimate assume a match to the existing color and profile?
• Is ice and water shield included at the eaves and valleys, and at what length?
• Does the estimate include drip edge, starter course and ridge cap on each slope?
• If a line item was removed or reduced, what document explains why?

If the carrier's answer refers to an engineer's report or a pricing sheet you have not seen, ask for it by name. A settlement letter that refers to a document you have not read is one you have not finished reviewing.

When a file arrives with pages missing, write back with the specific gap and the date you noticed it. A short, dated list of what is still missing is easier to act on than a general complaint, and it leaves a record that you asked for each item. If the photos still do not show the slopes you dispute, a second set taken on your roof by a contractor who attends the next inspection gives you something to put beside them. Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333 for that.