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What a Free Hail Inspection Covers and How a Claim Works

Red Roan Construction provides free hail inspections in Boerne and San Antonio, and every finding goes into a written report the homeowner keeps. That report is the first document an insurance claim file needs. Below: what the inspector looks at and how a Texas claim runs from the first call to the final payment.

By Red Roan Construction Last updated

A free hail inspection from Red Roan Construction in Boerne or San Antonio ends in a written report with photographs, the first document an insurance claim file needs.

Claims are common here. The Insurance Information Institute counts 902 major hail events in Texas in 2025, the most of any state. State Farm’s newsroom reports $1.4 billion paid on Texas hail claims that year.

What Does a Free Hail Inspection Actually Cover?

The inspector checks every accessible part of the roof, because most hail damage doesn’t show from the driveway. Hail can bruise the fiberglass mat beneath a shingle or crack the rubber collar around a vent pipe. Neither leaves a mark you’d spot from the ground. If the inspector finds an active leak, roof leak repair is the next stop, and damaged gutters go to gutter installation and repair.

Every significant finding gets a photo. Each condition comes with a plain-language note on what it means for the roof down the road.

Six areas get a close look:

  • Shingles, including bruised or split ones, bare spots where the protective granules have worn off, and damage that reaches the fiberglass mat
  • Soft metal, the thin metal that dents easily, where dents can show the size of the hailstones
  • Flashing, drip edge and pipe boots: the metal strips that seal joints, the strip along the roof edge and the rubber collars around vent pipes, where hail damage can let water in
  • Gutters and downspouts, which also record hail impact
  • Vents and other openings through the roof
  • Water stains or damp spots inside the attic or living space, if the inspector can reach them

The report sorts its recommendations into three groups: what to address now, what to monitor and what to plan for later.

What Does the Inspection Report Include?

Each finding gets a photo and a short explanation of why it matters, and the inspector walks you through the report and answers questions as you go.

From there you can repair the roof, replace the roof or hold off. The report stays with you as a record of the roof on that date. You can add it to a claim file, set it beside future inspections and decide on repairs with facts instead of hunches.

How Do You Start a Hail Damage Insurance Claim in Texas?

File quickly, and start documenting the damage the same day. The Texas Department of Insurance says to call your insurer quickly and hold off on permanent repairs until the damage is documented.

Before calling the insurer, complete these five steps:

  • Take photographs and video of all damage, outside and inside the house
  • Make a list of everything damaged, covering each elevation of the roof and each room of the house
  • Prevent further damage where you can by covering open areas with a tarp, removing standing water and closing broken windows
  • Save every receipt for temporary or emergency repairs, because the policy may cover those costs
  • Keep damaged materials and items until the insurer approves disposal

After filing, do these three things:

  • Write down who you talk to at the insurance company, with their contact information
  • Be there for the adjuster visit so you can point out everything you found
  • Ask whether your policy covers extra living expenses if the house isn’t safe to stay in after a storm

A storm damage evaluation gives that file a professional report, and the guide on how to tell if your roof has storm damage covers the signs to look for beforehand.

What Rights Does a Texas Homeowner Have During a Claim?

Your first right is that a roofer can’t also be your adjuster. The Texas Department of Insurance lays out this rule and the others that protect you.

On the Contractor You Hire

Texas Insurance Code section 4102.163 bars a contractor from acting as a public adjuster on a job it’s being paid for. The same law covers advertising to do so. A roofer doing the work also can’t negotiate your settlement.

Texas Business and Commerce Code section 27.02 makes it illegal to offer to waive, rebate or absorb your deductible. The Texas Department of Insurance says state law requires any contract for $1,000 or more that involves an insurance settlement to carry a notice that you must pay the deductible. Your insurer can ask for proof that you did.

On the Estimates You Get

Get more than one estimate before you sign anything, as the Texas Department of Insurance recommends, so you can compare bids for the same roof.

Don’t pay in full before the work starts, don’t sign a contract with blank spaces, and hold the final payment until the work is done.

What Should You Expect from Your Insurer?

Under the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act, your insurer works to three deadlines, which the Texas Department of Insurance summarizes on its consumer page:

  • Acknowledge your claim, begin its investigation and request what it needs within 15 days of receiving notice of the claim (Texas Insurance Code section 542.055)
  • Say whether it will pay within 15 business days after it receives everything it asked for, and a written reason lets it add 45 days
  • Send payment within 5 business days once it agrees to pay all or part of your claim

These deadlines can stretch by 15 more days after a weather-related catastrophe, the Texas Department of Insurance says.

If the insurer denies the claim, it owes you the reason in writing. If the payment looks too low, send documentation that backs up your position and ask the insurer for a review, as the Texas Department of Insurance recommends.

Schedule a Free Hail Inspection

A free hail inspection from Red Roan Construction in Boerne ends with a written report with photographs that belongs to you whatever you decide next. Red Roan Construction covers homes in Boerne, homes in San Antonio and the Hill Country. It backs its work with a 5-year workmanship warranty and has more than 10 years of experience. Book a free hail inspection or call (830) 388-1502.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which San Antonio roofing companies offer free hail damage inspections and help with insurance claims?

Pick one that inspects for free and hands you a written report with photos, because that report is the first thing a claim file needs. The claim itself is between you and your insurer. Texas law doesn’t let a roofer doing the work act as your public adjuster on that job.

Which San Antonio roofers specialize in hail damage insurance claims?

Go for the roofer who documents the damage, not the one who promises a settlement. Ask what the report records: where the hail hit, what kind of damage it caused and whether it’s functional or cosmetic. Functional damage lets water in or keeps the roof from doing its job. Cosmetic damage only changes the look.

Who can fix a storm-damaged roof fast in San Antonio?

Get the damage documented fast. That protects the claim and stops small openings from growing. Tarp anything that’s open, hang on to every receipt for temporary repairs and call a local roofer you can actually visit for a free inspection and a written estimate.

Which companies should you get quotes from after hail damage in San Antonio?

Document the damage first, so every contractor prices the same roof. Then get the workmanship warranty term from each one in writing and hold their bids up against the same inspection report. Anything one contractor adds or leaves out will jump out when you compare.

How do you choose a roofing company for storm damage repairs in San Antonio?

Look at what a company will put in writing. It should give you an inspection report and a stated workmanship warranty before you sign anything. It should also have a local address you can visit, and it should never offer to cover your deductible.

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