Storm damage and your roof: the first 48 hours

The first 48 hours after a storm damages your roof determine whether your insurance claim succeeds, whether interior damage is contained, and whether scope-creeping contractors get a foothold. Below is the order of operations we recommend to every Boston homeowner.

Hour 0 to 6: stop the bleeding

• Document the damage before you touch anything. Photos of exterior damage from every accessible angle. Photos of interior damage including water stains, fallen ceiling material, soaked insulation. Time-stamp the photos — most phones do this automatically.
• Mitigate the leak without permanent repair. Tarps over visible damage if it can be done safely. Buckets and tarps inside. Move furniture and valuables. Do not start drying out walls or replacing ceiling material yet.
• Call your insurance carrier. Open a claim. Get a claim number. Note the adjuster's name and phone. Do not give a final scope yet — you don't know it.

Hour 6 to 24: prevent the second wave

• Permanent tarp if the leak is active and rain is still in the forecast. Most roofers will tarp without a full assessment. We do.
• Be skeptical of door-knockers. Storm chasers fan out into damaged neighborhoods within 24 hours. They will offer to 'handle the insurance' and 'do it at no out of pocket cost'. They will also disappear when warranty work is needed in year three.
• Run the Storm Damage Triage calculator (link below). It will tell you honestly whether the damage is worth a claim, worth out-of-pocket repair, or possibly both.

Hour 24 to 48: build the documented scope

• Get a local-roofer assessment from a non-storm-chaser contractor. They walk the roof, document the damage, write a scope, and quote.
• Compare the contractor scope to the adjuster's scope when it arrives. The two usually disagree. The adjuster's number is the floor your insurance will pay; the contractor's number is the ceiling of what the work actually costs.
• If the gap is significant (>20%), request a re-inspection. Adjusters often miss damage on the first walk, especially on steep slate roofs they don't go up on.

Mistakes to avoid

• Don't sign anything in the first 24 hours unless it's an emergency tarp work order.
• Don't pay any deposit larger than 10-25%. Storm-chasers will ask for 50-100% upfront and then never deliver.
• Don't let the insurance settle the claim for less than the documented scope. You can request re-inspection. You can hire a public adjuster. You can negotiate.
• Don't let the contractor 'handle the insurance' for you. The insurance contract is between you and the carrier, not between you and the contractor.