Storm Chasers: How to Spot One — A Practical Guide
What to do about a roof insurance claim in West LA in the first forty-eight hours, and what to leave until Monday.
After a storm the useful work happens in the first two days, and most of it is documentation rather than repair. This is what to do about a roof insurance claim in the Westside once the wind drops.
What actually matters
Claims get denied on wear and tear far more often than on dishonesty. If the damage cannot be tied to a dated event, an adjuster is entitled to read it as age, and age is not covered by any policy.
What to do in the first forty-eight hours
Document before you touch anything: wide photographs to establish the property, then close photographs of each item of damage, all dated. Photographs with dates, taken before anything is touched, are worth more than any amount of subsequent explanation. Wide shots to establish the property, then close shots of each individual item of damage. A tarp fixed through sound covering creates damage that was not there before.
How the Westside changes the answer
The marine layer decides most of what happens here. Roofs sit damp until late morning for a good part of the year, dry out in the afternoon, and do it again the next day. That cycle is gentle on the material and hard on anything organic: north-facing slopes hold moss and algae, and shaded valleys stay wet long enough to rot a felt underlayment that would have been fine two miles inland. There is a wide spread of stock, from 1920s Spanish with original clay through to flat-roofed modern rebuilds, and the two need completely different attention.
What we look at on an inspection
- Date and details of the weather event being claimed against
- Photographs taken before any temporary repair was carried out
- Every affected element identified, not only the obvious one
- Interior damage documented alongside the roof itself
- Policy deadlines for reporting and for supporting documentation
- Deductible and any applicable percentage clause
- Whether the policy settles on replacement cost or actual cash value
Common questions
Should I get a tarp on it straight away?
Only once it is photographed, and only if it can be fixed without putting new holes through sound covering. A badly fixed tarp creates damage that was not there before.
How soon do I need to report it?
Check your policy, because most impose a reporting window. Reporting early costs nothing and protects the claim.
The honest summary
Document first, repair second, and make sure the scope is complete before anybody agrees to anything. Almost every difficult claim we see went wrong in the first week. In the Westside the thing to watch is north slopes, shaded valleys and anywhere the morning damp does not clear by noon.
Free inspection, drone photography where access is difficult, and a written estimate with deck repair priced per sheet. No obligation.