🚨 24/7 Emergency Roof Repair AvailableCALL NOW
← Back to Chapter 03 · Pay for it
Printable checklistThe Honest Roof Guide

The Insurance Claim Walkthrough

Step by step for filing a roof claim in North Carolina. Read this before you file. Filing wrong is more expensive than not filing at all.

Time to use: About one hour the day of the storm, then 2 to 4 weeks

Step 1. Before you file

  • Take your own photos (use the Photos to Take checklist).
  • Get one or two honest roof inspections, free, before you call the carrier. We do this and don't charge a dime.
  • Confirm there is real damage. If a roofer cannot show you damage on the roof itself, do not file. A denied claim still counts against you.
  • Find your policy. Check the deductible. Check if it is a flat dollar amount or a percentage of the home value (in NC, hail/wind is often a 1% or 2% deductible).

Step 2. The phone call to your carrier

  • Use the word "report" not "claim". "I want to report a storm event so it is on file."
  • Give the date of the storm. Ask them to log it.
  • Do not commit to a claim on this call unless damage is confirmed.
  • Write down the claim number and the adjuster's name when you get them.

Step 3. Day-of-adjuster prep

  • Have your photos ready, printed or on a tablet.
  • Have your roofer there for the adjuster meeting. This is a routine, not pushy. Adjusters expect it.
  • Make sure the adjuster gets on the roof. If they "spot-check" from the ground only, that is a problem.
  • Get a copy of the adjuster's written report (the "scope of loss") before they leave or within 48 hours.

Step 4. After the inspection

  • Compare the scope of loss to the roofer's estimate. Mismatches are normal. Your roofer files a supplement to correct them.
  • Do not let work start until you have the carrier-approved scope and the depreciation released.
  • Sign nothing that uses the words "Assignment of Benefits" (AOB). You stay in control of the money.

What never to do

  • Never let a roofer file the claim for you.
  • Never sign a contract with a roofer before the adjuster has approved the scope. "Contingent" is fine; signed-and-paid is not.
  • Never accept anyone's offer to "waive your deductible" or "pay your deductible for you". That is insurance fraud, and the homeowner is the one with the address on it.

A clean insurance claim in NC takes about three to five weeks from storm to new roof. A bad one takes six months and a denial. Doing it in the right order is the whole game.