The Roofing Claim Documentation Checklist for Your Own Scope of Work

There is a specific kind of pain that every roofing contractor learns the hard way: you walk a storm-damaged roof, you know the damage is real, you write the work up, and the claim comes back light. The carrier paid for a partial repair when the roof needs a full replacement. They left off the drip edge, the ice-and-water shield the code requires, the steep-and-high charges, the detach-and-reset on the gutters. And when you push back, the adjuster asks the one question you can't answer well because your file is thin: "Where's your documentation?"

The roofs that get paid correctly are not the ones with the most aggressive contractors. They are the ones with the cleanest files. Photos that prove the condition. Measurements that match the property. A line-item estimate that reads like it was built by someone who knows the code and knows Xactimate. A scope that documents what your crew will actually do to repair your work, anchored to evidence anyone can verify.

This is a checklist for building that file. It is written for the contractor's lane, and it stays in that lane on purpose, because the line between documenting your own scope and illegally handling someone else's insurance claim is exactly where good companies get into trouble. We will cover what to photograph and how, how to measure and write the estimate, how to assemble a supplement when the first payment is short, and the legal boundary you cannot cross. We will also be honest about what software can and cannot do for you, including our own.

The one rule that governs everything: document your scope, do not handle the claim

Before a single photo, understand the boundary, because it shapes every word you put in writing.

A roofing contractor is allowed to do a lot. You may inspect a roof. You may document damage with photos and measurements. You may prepare a detailed, accurate estimate to repair the work you are contracted to perform. You may state facts about your own scope to the carrier — what the roof condition is, what your crew will install, what the local code requires for that install, and what it costs at fair market pricing. None of that requires a license beyond your contractor's license, and all of it is legitimate.

What you may not do, in most states, is act as a public adjuster without a public adjuster license. The model law most states follow is the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Public Adjuster Licensing Act. Under that framework, "adjusting a claim" on behalf of the policyholder — for a fee or as part of your contract — is a licensed activity. That means, for the average roofer who is not a licensed public adjuster, the following are off the table:

• Do not negotiate, adjust, or "handle" the claim for the homeowner. You are not their representative against the insurer.
• Do not interpret the policy or coverage. You don't tell the homeowner what's covered, what their endorsements mean, or whether a peril applies. That is coverage interpretation, and it belongs to the carrier and the policyholder.
• Do not promise a specific payout or approval. You cannot tell a homeowner "insurance will pay for a full replacement" before the carrier has decided.
• Do not promise the deductible is waived, absorbed, eaten, or gone. In many states, advertising or arranging to absorb a homeowner's deductible is insurance fraud, full stop. Multiple state statutes make it an explicit crime.
• Do not advertise a "free roof" or "no out-of-pocket" roof. Same problem. The deductible is the homeowner's legal obligation.
• Do not represent the homeowner against their insurer. The moment your pitch becomes "we'll fight the insurance company for you," you've crossed into public adjusting.

Here's the clean mental model. The homeowner files the claim. The insurer decides coverage. The roofer's job is to document the roof thoroughly and write an accurate repair estimate, then hand that estimate to the homeowner so they can submit it. You are the expert on the roof and the cost to fix it. You are not the expert on their policy, and you are not their advocate against the carrier. Stay on the document-and-estimate side and you can be aggressive about quality without ever being exposed on legality.

Everything below is built to make your scope documentation airtight. None of it asks you to negotiate a claim.

What a strong claim file actually contains

When an adjuster or a desk reviewer opens your file, they are looking for a small number of things, and a thin file fails on all of them. A complete file for your own scope of work has eight components:

1. Identity and access record — who you are, the property, the date you were on the roof, weather conditions, and how you got up there.
2. Overview and orientation photos — the whole roof from the ground and from the air, slope-labeled, so anyone can place every close-up.
3. Damage documentation — the condition photos, with scale, location, and cause where it is observable.
4. Measurements — an accurate, sourced measurement of the roof area, pitch, and linear components.
5. Code and manufacturer requirements — the specific code sections and manufacturer instructions that dictate what your install must include.
6. The line-item estimate — an Xactimate-aligned scope that ties every line to a photo or a measurement or a code citation.
7. The narrative — a short, factual write-up of condition and scope in plain language.
8. The chain of custody and version history — dates, who took what, and a clean record of any revisions so nothing looks back-dated.

The rest of this walks each one, in field order.

Before you climb: the pre-inspection checklist

The best files start before the ladder goes up. Five minutes here saves a re-inspection later.

• Confirm the property and the policyholder. Full address, and the name on the claim if one exists. A photo of the house number and the front elevation establishes the property in the record.
• Log the date and time, and the weather. A date-stamped photo is good; a date plus observed conditions in your notes is better. If the claim references a specific storm date, note it — you'll want to be able to discuss the reported date of loss separately from the date you inspected.
• Check the date of loss against the storm record. This matters and we'll come back to it. Hail and high-wind events are recorded. The NOAA / National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center and the NWS Storm Events Database log severe-weather reports by county and date. Knowing whether a verified hail or wind event hit that ZIP on or near the reported date of loss tells you, before you climb, whether the physical evidence is likely to line up with a weather-caused loss.
• Pull a measurement or note that you'll measure on site. Decide your measurement source now (aerial report, drone, or hand measurement) so you're not guessing later.
• Safety. Tie-off, fall protection, and a spotter are not optional. OSHA's fall-protection standard applies to residential roofing, and a fall on a documentation visit is the most avoidable injury in this business. If the roof is too steep or too wet to walk safely, document from a drone or a ladder and say so in the file.
• Set your camera up right. Turn on the date/time stamp and, if your phone supports it and the homeowner is fine with it, geotagging. A photo whose metadata places it at the property on the inspection date is much harder to dispute than a bare image.

The photo documentation checklist (this is where most files fail)

Most weak files are not weak because the damage isn't there. They're weak because the photos don't prove it to someone who wasn't on the roof. A desk reviewer 1,200 miles away cannot see what you saw. Your photos have to do the seeing for them.

Shoot in layers: overview, orientation, then detail

Photograph the roof like a funnel — wide to tight — so every close-up can be located.

1. Ground-level elevations. All four sides of the house from the ground: front, rear, left, right. These orient the whole set and show collateral evidence (more on that below).
2. Full-roof overviews. Get the entire roof in frame, ideally from a drone or an elevated position. If you can only shoot from the ground and a ladder, get each slope as completely as you can.
3. Slope-by-slope orientation. One labeled overview of each slope or facet. This is the anchor for the detail shots that follow. Label them: front slope, rear slope, left, right, and any dormers or hips by name.
4. Detail shots. Now the close-ups, and these have rules.

How to shoot a damage detail so it holds up

Every close-up needs three things, or it's just a picture of a roof:

• Scale. Put something of known size in frame — a chalk circle, a coin, a pen, a tape, or a hail gauge. A bruise on a shingle means nothing without scale; a bruise next to a quarter is evidence.
• Location. Mark and number the hits. A common method is to chalk and number a representative area on each slope (a test square), photograph the marked square, then photograph the individual marks within it. The reviewer can then count density per square.
• Cause, where observable. You document what you observe, not a legal conclusion. Soft, fractured mat under a circular impact with displaced granules is consistent with hail; you can photograph and describe that. Mechanical damage, foot traffic, and manufacturing defects look different — and an honest file notes those distinctions rather than hiding them.

The hail-specific checklist

Hail damage is the most disputed and the most worth documenting precisely. For each slope:

• Chalk a representative square (commonly a 10-foot-by-10-foot test square) and photograph it as a whole.
• Circle and photograph each impact within the square — the granule loss, the bruise, the fractured mat. Show the displaced granules and any exposed fiberglass mat or asphalt.
• Document directionality. Hail comes in on a vector. The slopes facing the storm direction usually show the most hits. Photograph the wind-facing and lee slopes so the pattern is visible.
• Document soft metals — this is the tell. Hail leaves dents in soft metal accessories that are hard to fake and easy to verify: gutters, gutter aprons, downspouts, valley metal, ridge vents, roof vents, flashing, and HVAC condenser fins. Photograph dents on these with scale. Spatter marks (where oxidation is knocked off metal or off the painted surfaces) help establish the storm's recency and direction.
• Document collateral. Damage to window screens, garage doors, AC fins, fences, mailboxes, painted surfaces, and decking shows the hail was large enough and recent enough to cause the roof condition you're documenting. This is some of the most persuasive evidence in a file because it's off the roof and easy for anyone to check from the ground.

The wind-specific checklist

Wind losses are documented differently. For wind:

• Photograph creased, lifted, torn, and missing shingles with location and count per slope.
• Show the crease. A wind-lifted shingle that's been folded back and self-sealed leaves a fracture line across the mat. Lift the tab and photograph the crease and the broken seal; a creased shingle has failed even if it's still in place.
• Document the field, beyond the obvious tabs. Wind can break seals across a whole slope without throwing shingles off. Photograph broken seal strips and the pattern.
• Tie to the wind event. Note the reported wind speeds for that date from the NWS Storm Events Database if available, and photograph any directional pattern consistent with the recorded gust direction.

Build the photo report so it tells a story

A pile of 140 unlabeled photos is worse than 60 labeled ones. Organize the report so it reads top-down: address and date, then ground elevations, then full overviews, then each slope's orientation shot followed immediately by its detail shots, then the accessories and collateral, then any interior damage (water staining, attic decking, etc.) if it's within your scope to document. Caption each photo with the slope and what it shows. The goal is that someone who has never seen the house can flip through and understand the roof completely.

The measurement checklist

An estimate is only as good as the measurement under it. Get this wrong and every line is wrong.

• Total roof area in squares, with waste calculated to the actual cut pattern (hip-and-ridge waste differs from a simple gable). Document your waste factor and why.
• Predominant pitch and the steep-slope breakdown. Pitch drives both labor and the steep charges. Document the pitch of each major slope. Anything 7/12 and above typically triggers steep charges; 8/12 and above more so. Two stories and certain access conditions trigger high charges. These are real, legitimate line items — but only if your measurement documents the pitch and height that justify them.
• Linear measurements. Eaves, rakes, ridges, hips, and valleys in linear feet. These drive drip edge, starter, ridge cap, valley metal, and ice-and-water shield quantities.
• Penetrations and accessories counts. Pipe boots, vents, skylights, chimneys, satellite mounts — count and locate them.
• Facets/planes count. The number of roof planes affects labor and waste.
• Source your measurement. Whether it's a stamped aerial measurement report, a drone-derived measurement, or a hand measurement, name the source in the file. A sourced measurement is defensible; "about 28 squares" is not.

If your hand measurement and an aerial report disagree by more than a few percent, reconcile them before you write the estimate and note how you reconciled. That note kills a common dispute before it starts.

The code and manufacturer checklist (this is where supplements live)

The single most common reason a roof estimate comes back light is that the carrier's estimate covers the shingles but omits the code-required and manufacturer-required components of a proper install. These are not extras you're inventing. They are what makes the installation legal and warrantable. Your job is to document the requirement, not to argue coverage.

The building code in most of the country is based on the International Residential Code (IRC), published by the International Code Council, then amended by the state or jurisdiction. The relevant chapter for roofing is IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies). Common code-driven items that belong in a complete re-roof scope, when the local amendment requires them:

• Ice barrier (ice-and-water shield). IRC Section R905.1.2 requires an ice barrier in regions where there's a history of ice forming along the eaves, extending a set distance up-slope from the eave edge. Where the local code adopts it, leaving it off makes the install non-compliant. Document your climate zone and the local amendment.
• Drip edge. IRC Section R905.2.8.5 requires drip edge at eaves and rakes for asphalt shingle roofs, with specified overlap and fastening. Carriers routinely omit it. The code does not make it optional.
• Underlayment. The type and number of plies the code and the manufacturer require for your pitch. Low-slope sections (between 2/12 and 4/12) require double underlayment under most manufacturer instructions and the code.
• Starter course and ridge cap. Manufacturer instructions specify a manufactured starter strip and matching hip-and-ridge product, not field-cut three-tab. Using the right products is a condition of the manufacturer's warranty.
• Valley treatment, flashing, and step flashing. Reuse of old flashing is usually not code-compliant or warrantable; the manufacturer instructions and code call for new.
• Decking and re-nailing. Some jurisdictions require re-nailing the deck to current fastening schedules on a tear-off, and damaged decking must be replaced. Florida's high-wind provisions are a well-known example of mandated re-nailing.
• Ventilation. Net free vent area requirements per IRC Section R806. If you change the system, you document why.

For each of these, the documentation move is the same: cite the specific code section or the manufacturer's published installation instructions, and attach the relevant page. "Drip edge is required" is an opinion. "IRC R905.2.8.5 requires drip edge at eaves and rakes; see attached" is a fact in the file. Manufacturer instructions (for example, the installation guide for the specific shingle you're installing) carry weight because the warranty depends on following them, and the code itself (IRC R905.1.1) requires installation per the manufacturer's instructions.

A practical habit: keep a folder of the current code sections and the installation instructions for the shingles you install. When you build a scope, attach the pages that apply. It turns a contested supplement into a verifiable one.

The estimate checklist: building a scope that reads like Xactimate

Whether or not you write in Xactimate, your estimate should be structured the way a carrier-side estimator reads one, because that's who's reviewing it. Xactimate is the estimating platform most property carriers use, and its line items and price list are the common language. Aligning to it removes friction.

A defensible re-roof estimate has these characteristics:

• Line-item, not lump-sum. Every component on its own line with quantity, unit, and unit price. A lump-sum "replace roof — $18,500" is unreviewable and invites a lowball counter.
• Quantities tied to your measurements. Squares, linear feet, and counts match the measurement record exactly. If your drip edge LF doesn't match your eave-plus-rake LF, the reviewer notices.
• Every line justified by a photo, a measurement, or a code/manufacturer citation. This is the core discipline. Steep charges → pitch photo and measurement. Ice-and-water → code section. Detach-and-reset gutters → gutter condition photos. R&R satellite → photo of the dish.
• Tear-off and disposal as their own lines, with layers documented (a photo of the rake edge showing two layers justifies a second tear-off layer).
• Steep and high charges only where measured pitch/height supports them, with the supporting measurement attached.
• Detach-and-reset items (gutters, solar, satellite, lights) where the roof work requires removing and reinstalling them.
• Code-upgrade items segregated and citation-backed, so the reviewer can see they're code-driven, not preference.
• Fair-market unit pricing. Use current localized pricing. Inflated unit prices get the whole estimate discounted; defensible pricing gets respected.
• Overhead and profit where it's warranted — typically where the job involves three or more trades and a general-contractor level of coordination. Document the trades involved; don't apply O&P reflexively.

A worked example: front-slope hail scope

To make this concrete, here's how a single slope flows from photo to line item. Say the front slope is 14 squares at 7/12, with documented hail across a chalked test square, dented gutters and downspouts on that elevation, and the local code adopting the ice barrier and drip-edge requirements:

Every quantity traces to the measurement record; every line has a reason a reviewer can verify. That's the whole game.

The narrative: writing the condition-and-scope write-up that stays in your laneA photo set and a line-item estimate carry most of the weight, but a short written narrative ties them together and tells the reviewer how to read the file. The trick is writing it so it documents condition and scope and never drifts into coverage or claim handling.

A good narrative is three short paragraphs. The first states the property, the inspection date, the access method, and the observed weather. The second describes the observed condition slope by slope in factual terms — "front slope: granule loss and fractured mat consistent with hail impact across the chalked test square; soft-metal denting present on the front-elevation gutters and downspouts" — and references the photo numbers. The third describes your scope — what your crew will tear off and install to repair the roof, and the code and manufacturer requirements that dictate the included components, with the citations.

What the narrative must avoid is any sentence that interprets the policy, predicts the carrier's decision, or characterizes the claim. You write "the front slope exhibits hail-consistent granule loss," not "this is a covered hail loss." You write "the local code requires an ice barrier per IRC R905.1.2," not "the insurer owes you for ice-and-water." The difference is the difference between a contractor's documentation and unlicensed adjusting. Keep every sentence on the side of what you observed and what you will install, and the narrative strengthens the file instead of exposing you.

One more habit that pays off: write the narrative in language a non-roofer can follow. The desk reviewer may not know what a fractured mat is; "the asphalt-and-fiberglass layer under the surface granules is cracked beneath a circular impact" lands better than jargon. Clear writing reads as competence, and competence gets files respected.

When the first payment is short: the supplement documentation checklist

The first carrier estimate is frequently incomplete — not always out of bad faith, but because the desk estimate was built from a quick scope and a price list, and it missed components a proper install requires. A supplement is how you document the gap. Done right, it is not a fight; it is a corrected, evidence-backed scope.

The rule still holds: you are documenting your scope of work and the facts that justify each line. You are not negotiating coverage or interpreting the policy. You hand the supported supplement to the homeowner (and, where the homeowner has authorized you to send your scope to the carrier as the contractor of record, you provide your estimate as a contractor's estimate), and the carrier reviews it.

A clean supplement packet contains:

1. A cover summary listing each supplemented line, the quantity, and the one-line reason (code, manufacturer instruction, measurement correction, or missed-scope item).
2. The original carrier estimate for reference, so the reviewer can see exactly what's being added and why.
3. The corrected line-item estimate with the supplemented items flagged.
4. The evidence for each added line — the photo, the measurement, or the code/manufacturer page — labeled to match the line.
5. Updated measurements if the original scope used a wrong area or pitch.
6. The narrative, plainly stating the condition and the scope, factually.

The most common missed-scope items in a roof supplement

These recur constantly. Build a habit of checking each one against the first estimate:

• Drip edge (eaves and rakes) — code-required, routinely omitted.
• Ice-and-water shield — code-required in cold climates, often missing.
• Steep and high charges — omitted when the desk estimate assumed a walkable, single-story roof.
• Starter strip and ridge cap as manufactured products — paid as field-cut when the manufacturer requires the real product.
• Detach-and-reset of gutters, solar, satellite dishes, and lighting.
• Second-layer tear-off when the roof has two layers.
• Decking replacement and re-nailing where conditions or code require it.
• Flashing, valley metal, and pipe boots as new rather than reused.
• Permit fees and dumpster/disposal where applicable.
• Overhead and profit where the job genuinely involves multiple coordinated trades.

For every one of these, the question the reviewer is really asking is: is this real, and can I verify it? Your packet answers yes by attaching the proof next to the line.

The packet-completeness mindset

Before you send anything, run a completeness pass. A supplement that's missing the photo for line 7 or the code page for line 9 gets bounced, and the re-review costs you weeks. Ask: does every supplemented line have its evidence attached and labeled? Are the measurements internally consistent? Is the math right? Is the pricing current and localized? A packet that scores 100% on completeness moves; a packet with holes stalls. Treat completeness as a gate, not an afterthought.

Recoverable depreciation: the closeout checklist

Many replacement-cost policies pay the claim in two parts: the actual cash value up front (replacement cost minus depreciation), and the recoverable depreciation released after the work is complete and documented. Contractors leave real money on the table by never closing this out. Note the lane: you are documenting completion of your work, not negotiating coverage. The depreciation release is a documentation event.

To release recoverable depreciation cleanly, your closeout file needs:

• Completion photos mirroring the damage set — the same slopes, now showing the finished install.
• The final invoice matching the approved scope, with any approved supplements reflected.
• Proof the work matches the scope — that what was paid for was actually installed.
• Permit close-out / final inspection where the jurisdiction requires it.
• Material documentation (delivery tickets or manufacturer records) where requested.
• The deductible accounted for honestly — the homeowner pays it; your invoice reflects it. You never absorb, waive, or rebate it.

The completion package is small but high-value, and it's the easiest one to forget because the crew has already moved on. Make it a standard step in your production closeout, not a thing you scramble for later.

Deductibles: the line you protect at all costs

This deserves its own section because it's where contractors get prosecuted, not merely denied. The deductible is the homeowner's legal financial responsibility under their policy. Across many states, it is a crime for a contractor to pay, waive, absorb, rebate, or "eat" the homeowner's deductible, or to advertise that they will. Some states require contractors to disclose in writing that the homeowner is responsible for the deductible on insurance-funded roof work.

What this means operationally:

• Your contract and invoice must reflect the full price, with the deductible shown as the homeowner's portion.
• You never market a "free roof," "no money out of pocket," or "we cover your deductible."
• You never inflate the estimate to make the deductible disappear inside a padded number.
• If a homeowner asks you to make the deductible "go away," the correct answer is that you can't, by law, and you explain that documenting an accurate scope is the legitimate path — not erasing their obligation.

Document the deductible as the homeowner's, every time. It protects them, it protects you, and it keeps your file clean.

What contractors get wrong

From watching a lot of files succeed and fail, the recurring mistakes cluster:

• No scale in detail photos. A close-up of a bruise with nothing for scale is not evidence. Add the coin, the chalk, the gauge.
• No orientation. Detail shots that can't be located on the roof are unverifiable. Always shoot the slope overview first.
• No collateral. Skipping the gutters, AC fins, screens, and downspouts throws away the most checkable evidence in the file.
• Lump-sum estimates. Unreviewable, and they invite a lowball counter.
• Code claims with no citation. "It's code" loses; "IRC R905.2.8.5, see attached" wins.
• Inflated unit pricing. It discredits the whole estimate. Defensible pricing earns trust.
• Crossing the legal line. Promising payouts, interpreting coverage, or offering to handle the claim turns a strong roofer into an unlicensed adjuster. Stay on the documentation side.
• Mismatched date of loss. Writing a wind/hail scope for a date the storm record doesn't support invites a denial. Check the weather record first.
• No completion package. Forgetting to document completion forfeits recoverable depreciation.
• Disorganized files. A reviewer who has to dig gives up. Order the file so it reads itself.

How RoofPredict builds and pressure-tests the file for you

Everything above is doable with a camera, a tape, a code book, and discipline. The reason most shops don't do it consistently is that it's a lot of disciplined steps repeated across every claim, and the discipline degrades under volume. RoofPredict's RoofClaim is the part of our platform built to hold that discipline for you — on the documentation and estimate side, never the claim-handling side.

Here's what you actually do with it:

• Claim intake linked to the home. You open a claim tied to the specific property, so the photos, measurements, estimate, and storm history all live in one record instead of scattered across a phone, an email thread, and a desktop folder.
• Upload and auto-classify your documents. Drop in the carrier estimate, your estimate, the photos, denial letters, and invoices. RoofClaim OCRs and classifies them, so the carrier estimate and your scope can be compared line for line instead of by hand.
• Opportunity detection that flags the gaps. This is the core. RoofClaim maps the line items in an estimate against a roofing knowledge base and flags missing scope, code-required items, and missed supplements — the drip edge that isn't there, the ice-and-water the climate zone requires, the steep charge the pitch supports — and attaches evidence anchors and pricing to each flag. It's doing the completeness pass we described, automatically, so a missed line doesn't slip through because it was a busy week. To be clear about the honest limit: it surfaces likely gaps with the supporting reason; a human still confirms the condition and owns the final scope.
• Supplement aging, cadence, and packet-completeness scoring. It tracks how long a supplement has been outstanding, prompts the follow-up cadence, and scores each packet for completeness so you don't send one with a missing photo or an uncited code line.
• Recoverable-depreciation autopilot. It runs the completion checklist — completion evidence plus the final-invoice match — so the depreciation release doesn't fall through the cracks after the crew leaves.
• Deductible tracking. The deductible is tracked as the homeowner's obligation on every record, which keeps your paperwork on the right side of the law by default.
• Locked, UPPA-gated, contractor-documentation-only templates. The supplement packets, depreciation-release letters, deductible invoices, and missing-docs letters it produces are built as contractor documentation — accurate scope and facts about your work — not as claim-negotiation or coverage-interpretation documents. The templates are gated to keep you in the contractor's lane.

The honest framing matters here, because it's the whole point of the platform: RoofClaim makes your documentation faster, more complete, and more consistent. It does not negotiate your claims, it does not interpret anyone's policy, and it does not promise an outcome — because no honest tool can, and because that's the work a licensed public adjuster does, not a contractor or their software.

How the rest of the platform feeds the claim side

The claim file is the end of a chain that starts with finding the right roof in the first place, and RoofPredict runs that whole chain so the work compounds.

Upstream of any claim, the platform scores every home in your service area by roof-age band — recent, mid-life, due, overdue — and by per-roof storm exposure, then builds a ranked target audience of the roofs most likely due for work, house by house, with a "why this home" evidence chain. Roof age is expressed as a range, not an exact date, and storm exposure is odds based on the recorded hail and wind history for that location — not proof that a specific roof is damaged. That honesty is the point: it tells you where to look, not what you'll find. From that ranked list you can launch tracked direct mail with personalized proofs and per-piece delivery tracking, generate a personalized microsite and PDF report for each home with a lead-capture form and per-home QR codes for mail pieces and doors, and build door-knock routes with a mobile field app for your canvassers. When a homeowner responds, they enter a lead pipeline — new, contacting, appointment, inspected, won or lost — with an immutable first-touch source, and that pipeline does two-way sync to 13 CRMs, including JobNimbus, AccuLynx, ServiceTitan, HubSpot, Roofr, CompanyCam, and others, so the inspection that becomes a claim is the same record you targeted, mailed, and tracked. By the time you're building the documentation file described above, the property, the storm exposure history, and the contact record already exist. The claim file isn't a cold start — it's the last mile of a tracked pipeline, and the results funnel shows you cost-per-lead and cost-per-win against your estimate and the benchmark so you know which targeting actually produced paid roofs.

A printable field checklist

Keep this on the truck. It's the whole flow in one pass.

Before the climb

• Confirm address and policyholder; photograph house number and front elevation
• Log date, time, observed weather
• Check date of loss against the NWS/SPC storm record for the ZIP
• Decide measurement source (aerial / drone / hand)
• Fall protection in place; abort to drone/ladder if unsafe
• Camera date stamp on

Photos

• Four ground elevations
• Full-roof overviews (drone or elevated)
• Orientation shot of each slope, labeled
• Chalked test square per slope, photographed whole
• Each impact circled, with scale, within the square
• Soft-metal dents: gutters, downspouts, vents, flashing, valley metal
• Collateral: AC fins, screens, garage door, fence, painted surfaces
• Wind: creased/lifted/torn/missing shingles, broken seals, with counts
• Penetrations and accessories
• Interior/attic if within scope

Measure

• Area in squares + waste factor (documented)
• Pitch per slope; flag steep (7/12+) and high
• Linear: eaves, rakes, ridges, hips, valleys
• Penetration and facet counts
• Source named; reconcile hand vs aerial if they differ

Code / manufacturer

• Ice barrier requirement (IRC R905.1.2 + local amendment)
• Drip edge (IRC R905.2.8.5)
• Underlayment type/plies for pitch
• Starter and ridge cap as manufactured products
• Re-nailing / decking where required
• Attach the cited pages

Estimate

• Line-item, Xactimate-aligned
• Every quantity ties to a measurement
• Every line ties to a photo or a citation
• Steep/high charges supported by measured pitch/height
• Detach-and-reset items where work requires
• Fair-market localized pricing
• O&P only where multiple trades are coordinated
• Deductible shown as the homeowner's portion

Supplement (if first payment is short)

• Cover summary of each added line + one-line reason
• Original carrier estimate attached
• Corrected estimate with supplements flagged
• Evidence labeled to match each line
• Completeness pass before sending

Closeout

• Completion photos mirroring the damage set
• Final invoice matching approved scope
• Permit/final inspection where required
• Recoverable-depreciation release submitted
• Deductible collected and documented as the homeowner's

The bottom line

The contractors who get roofs paid correctly are not the loudest. They are the ones whose files leave nothing to argue about: every condition photographed with scale and location, every measurement sourced, every line item tied to a photo or a code section, and every word kept firmly on the documentation-and-estimate side of the legal line. You document your scope. The homeowner files. The insurer decides. Build the file that makes the right decision the easy one — and let the system hold that discipline so it doesn't degrade the week you're slammed.

If you want the documentation, supplement, and depreciation workflow above running as a standard step on every claim — with gap detection, completeness scoring, and a depreciation closeout that doesn't get forgotten — that's exactly what RoofPredict's RoofClaim is for. See how it fits your operation at https://roofpredict.com/.

FAQ

What goes in a roofing claim documentation file for my own scope of work?

Eight things: an identity/access record (you, the property, date, weather, how you accessed the roof); ground and full-roof overview photos; damage detail photos with scale, location, and observable cause; a sourced measurement (area, pitch, linear components); the code and manufacturer requirements that dictate your install; a line-item, Xactimate-aligned estimate where every line ties to a photo, measurement, or citation; a plain-language narrative; and a clean date/version history. The point is that someone who never saw the roof can verify every line.

Can a roofing contractor document a roof for an insurance claim without a public adjuster license?

Yes, within a specific lane. You may inspect, photograph, measure, and write an accurate estimate to repair your own scope of work, and state facts about that scope. What requires a public adjuster license, under the NAIC model law most states follow, is adjusting or negotiating the claim on the homeowner's behalf, interpreting their policy or coverage, or representing them against the insurer. Document and estimate; don't negotiate or interpret coverage.

How do I photograph hail damage so it holds up under review?

Shoot in layers: ground elevations, full-roof overviews, then a labeled overview of each slope, then details. For each detail, include scale (a coin, chalk, or hail gauge), location (chalk and number a test square), and observable cause. Document soft-metal dents on gutters, downspouts, vents, and flashing, plus collateral on AC fins, screens, and garage doors. The off-roof collateral is often the most persuasive because anyone can verify it from the ground.

What are the most commonly missed line items in a roof estimate?

Drip edge (code-required at eaves and rakes), ice-and-water shield (code-required in cold climates), steep and high charges, manufactured starter and ridge cap (paid as field-cut), detach-and-reset of gutters and accessories, second-layer tear-off, decking replacement and re-nailing, new flashing and valley metal, permit and disposal fees, and overhead and profit where multiple trades are coordinated. Check each against the first estimate and attach the proof for any you add.

How do I document code-required items so they aren't dismissed as extras?

Cite the specific code section or manufacturer instruction and attach the page. Most jurisdictions base their code on the IRC: drip edge is R905.2.8.5, the ice barrier is R905.1.2, and installation per the manufacturer's instructions is R905.1.1. 'It's code' is an opinion; 'IRC R905.2.8.5, see attached page' is a verifiable fact. Keep a folder of current code sections and your shingle's installation instructions and attach what applies.

What is recoverable depreciation and how do I document it for release?

On many replacement-cost policies, the carrier pays actual cash value first (replacement cost minus depreciation) and releases the held depreciation after the work is completed and documented. To close it out, submit completion photos that mirror the damage set, a final invoice matching the approved scope, proof the installed work matches what was paid for, permit close-out where required, and the deductible accounted for as the homeowner's. You're documenting completion of your work, not negotiating coverage.

Can I waive or absorb the homeowner's deductible to win the job?

No. In many states it is a crime for a contractor to pay, waive, absorb, rebate, or advertise covering a homeowner's insurance deductible, and some states require written disclosure that the homeowner is responsible for it. Show the full price with the deductible as the homeowner's portion on your contract and invoice, never market a 'free roof' or 'no out-of-pocket,' and never inflate an estimate to bury the deductible.

How does a contractor's estimate relate to Xactimate?

Xactimate is the estimating platform most property carriers use, so aligning your scope to its line items and price list lets a carrier-side reviewer read your estimate in their own language. You don't have to write in Xactimate, but structure your estimate the same way: line-item, with quantities tied to your measurements, fair-market localized unit pricing, and each line justified by a photo, a measurement, or a code or manufacturer citation.

Why check the date of loss against the storm record before I climb?

Because a wind or hail scope written for a date the weather record doesn't support invites a denial, and you want to know that before you build the file. The NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center and the NWS Storm Events Database log severe-weather reports by county and date. Confirming a verified hail or high-wind event near the reported date of loss tells you whether the physical evidence is likely to line up with a weather-caused loss for that property.

What does RoofPredict's RoofClaim do, and what does it not do?

RoofClaim links a claim to the home, OCRs and classifies your documents, and runs opportunity detection that flags missing scope, code-required items, and missed supplements with evidence anchors and pricing. It scores packet completeness, tracks supplement aging, runs a recoverable-depreciation closeout checklist, and tracks the deductible as the homeowner's obligation, all on locked contractor-documentation templates. What it does not do is negotiate your claim, interpret anyone's policy, or promise an outcome. It makes your documentation faster and more complete; a human still confirms the condition and owns the scope.