What to Do After Hail Damage in DFW: A Step-by-Step Guide

The storm just passed. Now what?

DFW gets more hail than almost any metro in America. The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety ranks us at the top of the list. You probably already knew that if you live here.

When a storm rolls through, most homeowners don't know what to do first. Here's the sequence that actually works.

Step 1: Don't call your insurance company yet

Sounds backwards. It's not.

Filing a claim before you know what was damaged is one of the most common mistakes we see. Carriers track claim frequency, and too many claims can hurt your rates or your renewal. A claim that gets denied or closed short is still a claim on your record.

Get a professional inspection first so you know whether the damage actually clears your deductible. We inspect free and tell you straight whether there's a viable claim.

Step 2: Document before anything gets repaired

Photos and video of:

• The roof surface, if you can get to it safely
• Gutters — look along the top rail for dents
• Window screens and frames
• The AC condenser — the fins dent visibly after big hail
• Wood fence — hail leaves round impact marks
• Siding, especially vinyl or wood
• Any vehicles in the driveway (adjusters use car damage as a calibration point)

Let your phone timestamp the photos. That metadata is part of your file.

Step 3: Get a professional inspection

A trained roofer sees hail strike patterns that homeowners miss and that adjusters in a hurry sometimes miss too. We document every impact with photos and measurements. That becomes the evidence file when the adjuster shows up.

Roof, gutters, windows, siding, fence, HVAC — it all gets inspected in one walkthrough. Storm damage almost never affects just one surface.

Step 4: File with documentation in hand

Once you know what you have, start the claim process yourself. Your contractor should help you describe the damage in the terminology carriers expect. Vague descriptions lead to underpaid claims.

In Texas, most standard homeowner policies give you two years from the date of loss to file a storm claim.

Step 5: Be there — with your contractor — for the adjuster

Adjusters are pros, but they're also under pressure to move fast. Your contractor on site means nothing slips through, and any disagreement on scope gets handled in the moment instead of weeks later in an email chain.

We show up to every adjuster meeting for our clients.

Step 6: Read the scope before you sign anything

The adjuster writes a scope of loss — line by line, what they're covering and at what value. Read it carefully before you sign any Assignment of Benefits or cash the first check.

Items that routinely get missed or undervalued:

• Ridge cap replacement
• Drip edge
• Pipe boots and penetration flashing
• Interior ceiling damage
• Gutter downspouts
• Satellite dish reinstallation

We document damage and present the scope every week. Finding legitimately missed items is what separates a well-handled claim from one where you end up writing checks.

Bottom line

Hail claims in DFW are common. They aren't simple. The difference between a well-handled claim and a poorly-handled one is often thousands of dollars.

If a storm just hit your area, contact us for a free inspection. We'll tell you straight what you have.