A homeowner's guide to a roof insurance claim in north Georgia.
The insurance process trips up more homeowners than the damage itself does. This page walks through what actually happens, roughly in order, so you know what's normal at every stage and what's worth a second look. Read it before you talk to anyone else.
Most policies limit how long you have after a storm to file a claim. If you think you have damage, get it documented now. An inspection costs you nothing and starts the clock on your side.
What this page is, and isn't. This is general information about how residential roof claims typically work in Georgia. It is not an interpretation of your policy and not a substitute for talking to your carrier or agent. Georgia law reserves negotiating an insurance claim on a policyholder's behalf to licensed public adjusters. Shiloh is a roofing contractor, not a public adjuster: we will not tell you what your policy covers, and we do not negotiate your claim. What we do is inspect your roof, document the damage, and write an estimate for our own scope of work, then stand behind that scope with the carrier if questions come up about it.
What qualifies as storm damage, and what doesn't
Wind damage usually looks like creased, torn, or missing shingles, or tabs that lifted and broke their seal. Hail damage is subtler: bruising or fractures in the shingle mat, sometimes with granule loss that exposes the mat underneath. Soft metal, like vents, gutter aprons, and flashing, often shows hail hits more clearly than shingles do, and is usually the easier tell from the ground.
What typically doesn't qualify: granule loss and wear from ordinary age and sun exposure, algae streaking, and a roof simply reaching the end of its expected service life. Insurance covers sudden, specific damage from a storm event, not a roof wearing out on schedule. Whether a given roof's condition meets that bar is a coverage determination the carrier and adjuster make, not something a contractor decides or promises in advance.
What happens when you file
You contact your carrier or agent, by phone, app, or online portal, and report the date and type of damage. You'll receive a claim number, and the carrier assigns an adjuster: a staff adjuster who works directly for the insurance company, or an independent adjuster contracted for the area, especially during high claim volume after a widespread storm. Some carriers now run an initial pass using aerial or satellite imagery before scheduling anyone in person, but a physical inspection is still standard for roof damage claims.
What the adjuster does on the inspection, including test squares
The adjuster walks the roof (or reviews aerial imagery and measurements), documents visible wind and hail indicators, and typically marks off one or more test squares, a 10-foot by 10-foot section on each roof slope, to count hail hits within a defined area. Carriers use hail-hit density within a test square against their own internal guidelines to decide whether a given slope meets the threshold for covered damage. Because hail rarely falls evenly, it's common for one slope of a roof to qualify while another doesn't. That's a normal outcome, not an error.
It's common, and reasonable, to have your contractor present for the adjuster's inspection. Someone who's on roofs daily may spot damage indicators a brief visit could miss, and walking the roof together means everything visible gets into the adjuster's report the first time. That's documentation, not negotiation. The adjuster still makes the coverage call.
What ACV, RCV, and recoverable depreciation mean
- RCVReplacement Cost Value
- What it costs to replace the damaged item today, at current material and labor prices, before any deduction for age.
- DepreciationAge-based deduction
- The amount subtracted from RCV to account for the roof's age and remaining expected life at the time of loss.
- ACVActual Cash Value
- RCV minus depreciation. On most policies, this is the amount of the first check.
Most residential policies are Replacement Cost policies. If yours is, the depreciation withheld up front is usually recoverable: the carrier pays it back once the work is completed and proof of completion is submitted. If a policy has a non-recoverable depreciation provision, that portion is never paid regardless of completed work. Which applies to your policy is on your declarations page or a question for your agent, not something a contractor's estimate can tell you.
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Replacement Cost Value (RCV) | $30,000 |
| Less: Depreciation (age-based) | −$13,500 |
| Actual Cash Value (ACV) | $16,500 |
| Less: Deductible | −$2,000 |
| First check (ACV − deductible) | $14,500 |
| Second check (recoverable depreciation, paid after completion) | $13,500 |
| Total received (RCV − deductible) | $28,000 |
Real RCV, depreciation percentage, and deductible amounts come from your specific policy and your adjuster's estimate. This table exists only to show how the math connects, using round numbers.
Why the first check is roughly half the total
Using the example above, the first check ($14,500) is less than half of the RCV estimate ($30,000) and only about half of what's ultimately paid out ($28,000). That surprises people every time, and it isn't a lowball offer or a sign something went wrong. It's how a Replacement Cost policy is structured. The first check is the ACV: RCV minus depreciation minus your deductible. It's sized to get the work started, not to cover the entire job before a single shingle comes off. The remaining recoverable depreciation follows once the work is done and documented.
The deductible, and who pays it
Your deductible is the amount you're responsible for on any claim, set on your declarations page. The carrier withholds it from the first (ACV) check rather than billing you separately. In Georgia, as in most states, a contractor offering to waive, rebate, or absorb your deductible as a sales inducement is illegal. It's a business Shiloh won't do. If another contractor offers to "eat your deductible" to win the job, treat that as a warning sign, not a selling point.
What a supplement is, and why scopes come in low
A supplement is an additional submission to the carrier when the real, on-the-roof cost of completing the covered scope exceeds what the adjuster's original estimate allowed. This happens more often than not, for ordinary reasons. Current code often requires items the adjuster's software doesn't include automatically. Drip edge, for example, or ice-and-water shield in areas that didn't require it when the roof was last done. Additional damage is also routinely found once tear-off starts and the decking is exposed. Adjuster estimates are built from standardized software and regional pricing tables, which can run under actual current material and labor cost in a given market.
A supplement is a normal part of the process, not a sign that a contractor is padding the job. It's Shiloh documenting the additional scope, with photos and line items, and submitting it to the carrier for additional payment on our portion of the work. It's still bounded by our own scope and documented cost, not a broader negotiation of your claim.
How the mortgage company can hold and release funds in draws
If your home has a mortgage, insurance checks for roof damage are frequently issued jointly to you and your mortgage servicer, since the lender has a financial interest in the property being repaired. You'll typically need to endorse the check and send it to the servicer's loss-draft department, which may hold the funds and release them in draws. For example, a portion up front and the remainder after an inspection confirms the work is underway or complete, rather than releasing the full amount at once. This step happens between you and your lender; Shiloh isn't part of that process, but it commonly affects payment timing on a job and is worth knowing about before it comes up mid-project.
Realistic timelines: 60 to 90 days
Start to finish, a typical claim runs somewhere in the 60 to 90 day range, though it moves faster or slower depending on the carrier, the material, and how recently a major regional storm has flooded every carrier's inspection schedule at once. Roughly: filing to adjuster inspection can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. Inspection to first check is often similar. Scheduling and completing the work depends heavily on material. Asphalt shingle replacement moves quickly, while cedar, slate, tile, and some metal profiles require longer lead times to source correctly. After completion, submitting documentation and waiting on the recoverable depreciation payment or a final mortgage draw release adds more time. None of this is unusual, and none of it means anything has gone wrong.
What Shiloh does at each step
- Inspect and document.
- A roof inspection with dated photos of the damage we find, slope by slope.
- Meet your adjuster, if you'd like us there.
- Walking the roof together so visible damage gets into the record the first time.
- Write a detailed estimate for our scope.
- Line-item pricing for the roofing work itself, not an interpretation of your coverage.
- Flag likely supplement items.
- Code-required items and additional damage found once work begins, documented and submitted to the carrier.
- Complete the work to spec.
- Installed to the manufacturer's specification for the material you chose.
- Provide completion documentation.
- What your carrier or mortgage servicer needs to release remaining funds.
What we don't do: interpret your policy, tell you what's covered, negotiate your claim on your behalf, or manage your mortgage company's loss-draft process beyond providing proof the work is done. For coverage questions, your carrier, your agent, or your declarations page are the right source, every time.
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