Hail and storm damage photo checklist
After a storm, the photos decide how smoothly the claim and the repair go. Shoot the same set on every house, in the same order, and nobody has to come back for a picture you missed.
Printable photo checklist: PDFWordExcel
The checklist
Work from the ground up, then inside. Print the checklist or keep it on the phone, and tick each shot as you take it.
Before you go up
The front of the house with the house number in the frame
All four sides, one wide shot each
Damage on the ground: torn screens, dented siding, broken landscaping, debris
Damage that looks older than the storm, noted as you find it
Soft metals
Gutters and downspouts, close up and from a distance
Window wraps and screens
The air conditioner's fins and cover
Painted wood, fences and anything else that dents
Each slope
A wide shot of the whole slope
A marked test square, photographed whole with a tape measure in the frame
Each hit inside the square, close up with a coin or a tape for scale
Ridge and hip caps
Vents, pipe boots and flashing (they are soft metal too)
Wind
Creased, lifted or missing shingles, where they are on each slope
Exposed nails, underlayment or decking
Debris on the roof
Inside
Ceiling stains, room by room
The attic: wet decking, daylight through the boards, wet insulation
Wrap-up
Temporary protection, such as a tarp, before and after it goes on
Anything you couldn't inspect, and why
Shoot each finding three ways
A wide shot shows where the damage is on the house. A medium shot shows it in its surroundings. A close-up shows the damage itself, with something in the frame for scale. Mark hits with chalk before you shoot, so they stand out and so you don't count the same one twice.
Test squares
Many adjusters look at a marked test square on each slope that faces the storm, often 10 by 10 feet. Chalk the square, count the hits inside it, and photograph the whole square with a tape measure across it before you shoot the hits one by one. Write the count on the shingle or in your notes, slope by slope. Ask the carrier or the adjuster what they want to see; requirements differ.
Hail, or something else?
Not every mark is hail. Blistering, foot traffic, tool marks and plain age can look similar in a photo. Photograph what you see and describe it honestly. If you aren't sure of the cause, say so in your notes and leave the call to the adjuster; a report that overstates storm damage loses trust quickly.
Keep the originals
Don't crop, filter or edit the photos you'll rely on. Keep the full set in one place with the date, time and location, and share a report or a link instead of forwarding screenshots, which often lose that information.
Doing it in FieldPix
Every FieldPix photo has the time, date and location burned into the image and is filed to the job as you shoot, even with no signal. Tag photos by slope or area, circle the hits right on the photo, and turn the job into a PDF report with your logo for the homeowner or the adjuster. FieldPix doesn't file claims or deal with insurers for you. See FieldPix for roofers.
