A storm passes overnight. By seven the following morning a roofer has forty voicemails, and most of the callers have never made a claim in their lives.
They want to know whether they are covered, what to do first, whether they can have it fixed today and who pays. Almost none of them know that photographing the damage before anything is touched matters enormously.
Several will have work done immediately, without contacting their insurer, and will discover afterwards that they have complicated their own claim.
1. Tell them to make it safe first
Nobody should climb anything in poor conditions, and the priority is people rather than the building. This has to be the first thing said to a frightened caller.
2. Tell them to photograph everything before touching it
Including the inside damage, the outside if it can be seen safely, and any debris. Photographs taken before a temporary repair are what support a claim later.
3. Explain the difference between temporary and permanent work
Preventing further damage is expected and usually covered. Permanent repair before the insurer has been contacted can complicate a claim considerably.
4. Tell them to contact the insurer early
Before commissioning permanent work. Most policies require notification and some require the insurer to be involved in appointing a contractor.
5. Explain what storm damage means for a policy
Sudden damage from a specific weather event, rather than deterioration. This distinction is the basis of most declined claims and homeowners rarely understand it.
6. Explain why maintenance history matters
Insurers assess whether damage resulted from a lack of maintenance. A roof already in poor condition may be declined, and this should be explained honestly rather than discovered.
7. Explain the excess and whether claiming is worthwhile
For smaller damage the excess may exceed the repair. An honest assessment of this is a genuine service and it protects the customer's future premiums.
8. Explain who appoints the contractor
Some policies direct the work and some allow choice. Establishing this before instructing anybody prevents an awkward conversation later.
9. Provide a proper written assessment
Cause, extent, what is required and photographs. A clear report is what supports a claim and it is a service homeowners value considerably.
10. Do not overstate the damage
Ever. Inflating a claim is fraud, it exposes the homeowner and the contractor, and the reputational consequence is permanent.
11. Keep the temporary repair proportionate and documented
What was done, when, why and what it cost. Temporary works are usually recoverable and only where they are evidenced.
12. Explain the timescale honestly
Assessment, insurer response, scaffolding and materials. Homeowners want it fixed today and the honest sequence is considerably longer.
13. Handle the overnight volume properly
Everybody calls in the same three hours, which is the pattern in storm damage enquiries that pour in overnight.
14. Answer at seven in the morning after a storm
An assistant that tells somebody to make it safe, photograph everything, contact their insurer before commissioning work, and captures the address, the damage and the urgency means forty callers get the right first instruction rather than a voicemail. The claim process itself sits in insurance work and what roofers should explain, the lead capture in how roofers capture storm damage leads with a chatbot, and the same liability conversation appears in insurance and liability questions about stored goods. See features, start at try, and the sector view sits under roofing.