Should I call insurance before a roofer?
Get a free professional roof inspection first — so you know whether there's real, documentable damage — then contact your insurance company to open a claim with that documentation in hand.
Call a roofer for a free inspection before you call your insurance company. If you file a claim and an adjuster finds no significant damage, that claim can still count against you later even though nothing was paid out. A documented inspection first means you're only filing when there's something real to file.
The local reality in the Texas Panhandle, South Plains, and DFW
In the Panhandle, South Plains, and DFW/Abilene corridor, storm season brings a wave of claims to every major carrier at once, which means adjuster visits can take days to schedule. Having your own inspection documentation ready before the adjuster arrives — photos, a written scope, timestamps tied to the actual storm date — tends to make that visit faster and the outcome clearer.
Sal's experience
Having worked storm restoration across the country before founding the company in Amarillo in 2008, Sal has been through this sequence with homeowners many times: the ones who get an independent inspection first generally have a smoother claims process than the ones who call their insurer on a guess.
Real evidence, not a sales pitch
Documented hail damage — the kind of evidence a written inspection report captures before a claim is filed.
A written inspection report with photos, dated to the storm event, is the kind of documentation that supports a claim rather than just a hopeful phone call. That's what a proper free inspection produces.
Start with the inspection
See insurance claim assistance — documentation and adjuster support are part of the process, not an extra step.
Common questions
Will filing a claim with no damage found hurt me?
It can — an unsubstantiated claim can still show up in your claims history and potentially affect future premiums, even if nothing is paid out.
Does an inspection cost anything before I decide?
A free inspection is standard practice and doesn't obligate you to file a claim or hire the company that performed it.
Can a roofer file the claim for me?
A roofer can help document damage and communicate with the adjuster, but the claim itself is filed by the homeowner with their insurance company.