Hail Damage and Your Roof Insurance Claim in Michigan

After a hailstorm, a roof insurance claim Michigan homeowners file usually follows the same path: document the damage and the storm date, report it to your insurer, meet the adjuster, and get paid in one or two checks depending on whether your policy pays replacement cost or actual cash value. Your deductible is yours to pay. The specifics live in your policy, so read the declarations page and the loss-settlement section before the adjuster comes out.

This is general information from the roofing side of the process, not insurance or legal advice. Your policy and your insurer have the final word.

Step 1: Document the damage and the date

Before anything gets fixed, build a record.

• The storm. Write down the date and rough time. Insurers check weather data, and National Weather Service storm reports can confirm hail near you that day.
• The outside. Photograph every side of the house: wide shots that show which slope or wall you’re looking at, then close-ups. Include dented gutters, downspouts, roof vents, air conditioner fins, window screens and siding.
• The inside. Photograph ceiling stains, wet insulation and damaged belongings. Don’t throw damaged items away until the insurer says you can.
• Temporary repairs. Make reasonable ones and keep the receipts. DIFS, Michigan’s insurance regulator, notes that further damage may not be covered if you don’t, and a tarp over a hole is the usual example. Leave permanent repairs until the adjuster has seen the roof.

Our storm damage checklist covers what to look for from the ground without climbing.

Step 2: Report the claim

Call your insurer’s claim line or your agent, get a claim number, and start a log of every call: date, time, who you spoke with and what they said. DIFS recommends exactly that.

While you have them on the phone, find out:

• Your wind and hail deductible. Some policies carry a separate one, and it may be a percentage of the home’s insured value rather than a flat amount. On a percentage deductible, a modest repair can fall entirely under it.
• How the roof is valued. Replacement cost, actual cash value, or a schedule that pays less as the roof ages.
• Your deadlines. Policies set them for reporting damage and for finishing the work to collect any held-back money.

A written estimate from a roofer tells you roughly what the repair or replacement will cost, which helps you judge whether the damage clears your deductible at all.

Step 3: The adjuster visit

The adjuster works for the insurance company and is paid by it. DIFS points out that a real adjuster should never ask you to pay for services your policy covers.

On a hail claim, the adjuster usually walks the roof, marks a 10-by-10-foot test square on each slope, and counts the hits that meet the insurer’s definition of damage. How many hits it takes to approve a slope varies by company and usually isn’t written in your policy. The adjuster will also look at the soft metals and the interior.

Having a roofer there helps, and at least one university extension service gives homeowners the same advice. To set it up:

1. Ask the roofer who inspected your roof whether they can be on site, and give them the adjuster’s appointment window.
2. Share your photos and the roofer’s written findings with the adjuster.
3. Let the roofer point out what’s easy to miss: dented vents, cracked pipe boots, damaged flashing, the back side of the ridge, the garage roof.
4. Ask for the adjuster’s estimate in writing, and have the roofer compare it line by line with their own.
5. If something was left out, ask for a re-inspection or send the roofer’s documentation to the insurer.

The roofer’s part is showing what’s on the roof. The claim itself is between you and your insurer, or a licensed public adjuster if you hire one.

How the payout works: ACV, replacement cost and depreciation

Replacement cost value is what it costs to put a comparable new roof on today. Actual cash value is that cost minus depreciation for the age and wear of the roof you had. On a replacement cost policy, insurers commonly pay the actual cash value first, minus your deductible, then release the held-back depreciation once the work is done and invoiced. An actual cash value policy stops at the first check.

Here is how that plays out with made-up round numbers:

A few points worth asking about:

• Labor depreciation. For homeowners policies issued or renewed since mid-2025, Michigan’s insurance regulator has told insurers they may not depreciate labor unless you chose an optional endorsement that allows it in exchange for a lower premium. Ask whether labor was depreciated on your estimate.
• Code upgrades. Today’s code requires an ice barrier at the eaves. If your old roof didn’t have one, whether the policy pays for it depends on its building code (ordinance or law) coverage.
• Who’s on the check. If you have a mortgage, the lender is often named on the claim check too.

If the adjuster approves repairs to part of the roof rather than a replacement, that’s a roof repair, and the same itemized-estimate rules apply. For full replacements, our breakdown of what a roof replacement costs in Michigan shows what drives the number.

Red flags after a hailstorm

DIFS warns that after severe weather, people posing as contractors or adjusters go door to door. Watch for:

• An offer to “cover your deductible.” Many states ban this outright. Wherever the law stands, the math only works if the bill sent to your insurer is higher than the real cost, or if the work gets cut short. Michigan’s Insurance Code treats knowingly submitting false information in support of a claim as insurance fraud, and the claim has your name on it.
• Pressure to sign today, especially paperwork that lets someone else deal with your insurer for you.
• A large payment up front before any material is delivered.
• No license. Residential roofing contractors in Michigan must be licensed through LARA. Look the license up on LARA’s website before you sign.
• No local address or references you can call.

If you do sign at your door after a sales pitch, Michigan’s Home Solicitation Sales Act generally lets you cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, with narrow exceptions for emergency work you asked to start right away.

If you disagree with the decision

• Ask the insurer to explain the denial or the amount in writing.
• Ask for a re-inspection, with your roofer present.
• Read your policy’s appraisal provision, which covers disputes over the amount of a loss.
• File a complaint with DIFS at Michigan.gov/DIFScomplaints or 877-999-6442.
• Consider a public adjuster. Michigan licenses them through DIFS, and the state’s residential contract caps their fee at 10% of what the insurer pays.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a roofer cover my insurance deductible in Michigan?

Be wary of any offer to. It only works through an inflated bill to your insurer or a cut-down job, and Michigan’s Insurance Code treats knowingly submitting false information in support of a claim as insurance fraud, with your name on the claim.

What is the difference between actual cash value and replacement cost?

Replacement cost pays what a comparable new roof costs today, minus your deductible, often in two checks. Actual cash value subtracts depreciation for the roof’s age and wear, so an older roof can leave you paying a large share.

Should I have a roofer at the adjuster’s inspection?

It usually helps. A roofer who has already inspected the roof can point out damage that’s easy to miss and then compare the adjuster’s estimate line by line with their own.

How long do I have to file a roof insurance claim?

That depends on your policy, so read it and report damage promptly. Policies also set deadlines for finishing repairs to collect held-back depreciation, often counted from the date of the loss.

Do I need a public adjuster for a hail claim?

Most straightforward roof claims don’t need one. For a large or disputed claim, Michigan licenses public adjusters through DIFS, and the state’s residential contract caps their fee at 10% of what the insurer pays.