Storm Damage and Insurance

Plan on two years or less from the date of loss, and treat that as your deadline. Texas does not publish a filing deadline of its own, so the deadline that binds you is the one in your policy, and the law lets that policy be short. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.070 permits a contract to cut the time to sue down to two years and makes anything shorter void, and Texas homeowners policies routinely sit on that two-year floor. The time to report damage can be shorter still: § 16.071 voids a notice condition of less than 90 days, and policies set the window, so read the “Suit Against Us” condition in your own policy for the exact number. This is general information about deadlines, not advice about your claim, and a deadline question with money on it is worth a licensed Texas attorney.

Document first, then report. Spend about 30 minutes taking dated photos from the ground, then tell your insurer about the damage in writing, because an email creates a record of what you reported and when. The Texas Department of Insurance tells homeowners to “call your insurance agent or company as soon as possible to report property damage”, so do not let photographing turn into waiting. The field guide to what the storm left behind lists every surface worth a photo. A roofer is not required to report a claim, but a documented inspection gives you your own record of the roof before anyone with a stake in the outcome writes theirs.

RCV, replacement cost value, pays what it costs to replace the roof with similar materials, but in two payments. The insurer first pays the amount minus withheld depreciation, then releases that holdback after you finish the repairs and send in proof. ACV, actual cash value, subtracts depreciation for good, so no second payment comes. Your declarations page says which one you have, and some carriers move older roofs to ACV when a policy renews, so check it before a storm, not after.

A dated record of the roof’s real condition that you own: slope-by-slope photos, damage marked where it is found, the roofing material identified, and plain notes that separate storm damage from age and wear. It is complete whatever it shows, so it is as honest about what is not storm damage as about what is. Within about an hour of Round Rock the inspection carries no charge and includes the written report. Farther out, the price is set by drive time and you hear it before anyone drives out. You can take the record to any insurer or contractor, or keep it if you decide not to claim.

No. The Roof Shepherd is not a public adjuster, and Texas Insurance Code Section 4102.163 bars a contractor from negotiating or settling a claim on a homeowner’s behalf. What we do is advise and educate you on your options and rights as a policyholder, build a documented record of the roof, and submit a documented supplement when your insurer’s estimate leaves out work the roof needs. You make the decisions, and your insurer settles the claim with you. Only a licensed public adjuster or attorney can represent you in the claim itself.

A storm chaser is a roofing crew that follows hail from town to town, often arriving within days of a storm, and leaves when the work is done. The risk comes later, with a workmanship problem a year or two on and a company that has no local address and a phone number that no longer works. The warning signs are pressure to sign the same day, papers that transfer your claim rights, and a local address you cannot verify.

The Texas Department of Insurance tells homeowners to “be there when the adjuster visits and point out all damage”. Having your own dated photos in hand makes that easier, because you can show what you saw before the visit instead of relying on memory.

Not by itself. A radar or storm report shows that hail fell nearby on a date, not what it did to your roof. The hail history lookup lists the days radar recorded hail of 3/4 inch or larger near an address, and the hail damage atlas shows what damage looks like on each roofing material and what is often mistaken for it. A roof inspection settles it.