Roofing insurance claim glossary

69 terms that come up on storm-damage roofing calls, in plain English. A homeowner reads one of these words off a denial letter or an estimate and calls their roofer to ask what it means. If the phone rings out, the question goes to whoever answers first.

We answer those calls for roofing and storm-restoration contractors, so each entry ends with what it actually means for the conversation -- what to capture, what to confirm, and what not to say. Nothing here is legal or coverage advice: the homeowner's policy and their carrier decide every one of these questions.

Claim lifecycle

The steps a property claim moves through, from the storm to the final payment, and the term the caller uses at each one.

Money and depreciation

How an insurer arrives at a number, why the first cheque is smaller than the estimate, and what releases the rest.

How a roof claim actually pays out, in order

A homeowner asking what a deductible is, or where the rest of their money went, is asking one question at five points in the same subtraction. These five entries answer it in the order the money moves, and each one carries the same worked example.

Depreciation Holdback comes off the first payment for the age of the old roof, and may or may not come back.
Deductible comes off next, and is the homeowner's own retained share of any covered loss.
Percentage Wind and Hail Deductible is why that share is so often larger than expected -- it is a share of the dwelling limit, not of the repair.
Recoverable Depreciation is the withheld amount coming back, once the roof is replaced and documented.
Non-Recoverable Depreciation is the version that never comes back, which leaves the homeowner funding the gap.

Adjusting and disputes

Who inspects the roof, who decides, and the routes that exist when the homeowner and the carrier disagree.

Damage and inspection

What storm damage actually looks like on a roof, and the vocabulary an adjuster uses to accept or reject it.

Roof anatomy and scope

The components that show up as line items on an estimate, and the coverage questions attached to each.

Intake and scheduling

What has to happen on the phone for a storm lead to become an inspection that the crew actually runs.

Storm season does not wait for your voicemail

We answer storm-damage calls for roofing contractors, capture the claim details the crew needs, and book the inspection while the homeowner is still on the line.

See how storm appointments work