Hail Storm in 2025 spring. I worked with a local roofer to file a claim with insurance. Insurance denied damage. Disputed and asked for re-inspection, denied again. I let it go. Since then all the roofs of my neighbors have been replaced. I talked to one of the roofers that did a neighbor's roof. He inspected and said there was damage and to ask for another re-inspection. Denied again. He states there is hail damage that should be covered. Since I got denied again he recommended using a PA. One of my neighbors had to do the same and I'm using the same PA. He's asking for the below.

Edit: After tlaking with the PA and discussing the options and process, I've decided to go ahead and move forward. Appreciate all the responses.

Indeed we read insurance agencies are increasing rates 8+%/yr on one hand and the other stopping the bleeding in payouts when not facing a lawyer.

Schulte Roofing bent over backwards, did more in repairs/flashing than others and Contract on this 4:/5:12 shingle roof in 2014 + my top builders always try to hire them if price is right in that season.

Their inspection findings needed no PA Public Adjuster, being old but not hail damaged.

Ask a VP there about
1) reputable PAs that don't charge an upfront fee and
confirm that Texas law limits their fees to 10% of the claim

2) TAMKO Building Product's unique offering of an explicit HailGuard Limited Warranty

I've been in this process for over a year now. PA I was referred to has a 10% fee but didn't require anything up front from me.

I'm in the same boat as you. Everyone on my street has gotten their roof approved and replaced by insurance. The latest from my insurance company was a final offer of $15k. After the lawyer and PA get paid, I'd get like $3k. Elected to go the appraisal route to see if I can get more.

Noble07 said:

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I've been in this process for over a year now. PA I was referred to has a 10% fee but didn't require anything up front from me.

I'm in the same boat as you. Everyone on my street has gotten their roof approved and replaced by insurance. The latest from my insurance company was a final offer of $15k. After the lawyer and PA get paid, I'd get like $3k. Elected to go the appraisal route to see if I can get more.

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I fully expected some sort of percentage fee. Figured that was common. Thanks.

Demand appraisal. No PA necessary but still a cost to go through the process.

Not unheard of. I do a ton of anppraisals and I credit my homeowners the initial amount when I roof it. I am involved and write the estimates so my client doesn't get a hose job by the carrier. If it doesn't go through, we don't charge. At that point I re-evaluate where things are and how I feel the odds are of it going through vs the risk of the additional cost. I talk to my appraiser. I relay the information to my client. I work with a local Aggie appraiser that has the same mentality as me in taking care of homeowners interests so I don't send my homeowners down a rabbit hole that costs them a bunch of money they can't recover.

It's a niche thing and I would advise making dang sure your roofer is very experienced and the appraiser is legit. I don't know how many roofers just push things into PA or appraisal and hope it works out. After ten years of doing this, I've seen some good intentions go south. The last one was a large roof that some roofer advised sending to PA which then went to litigation and the customer ended up losing anyway. That customer ended up paying me $93,000 to make a ton of repairs. This is a pretty worst case scenario but the point remains that your roofer needs to know what he's doing and have good people in his toolbox who has a duty to your financial wellbeing and not his paycheck.

if you've been denied multiple times...a PA isn't going to help you. Your insurance has dug their feet in.....go get a lawyer, agree to his 33% and let him go get the money for you.

I went through all of this a couple of years ago....

Can a homeowner skip the PA and Attorney and request the appraisal process?

After the insurance low balled and dug in versus the attorney, we elected to go with the appraisal process. The Appraiser told me that the insurance company's appraiser agreed that there is hail damage and I should get a new roof. The problem is that so much money will be allocated to PA/Attorney, I'll get a small fraction.

20+ year adjuster here… just a few thoughts…

First, did a staff adjuster (employed by the carrier) look at the damage, or did an 1099 independent adjuster or a third party (like SeekNow or Hancock Claims Consultants) do it for them? I'm asking because it can really affect how credible the inspection results are. I specifically work in QA and review files day, and the work product that is produced by the different adjuster types can be substantially different in quality. You can get anything from a seasoned veteran to a guy that got hired with no experience and has no clue. Major issue with the industry ( story for another day ).

Also, do you have a cosmetic endorsement on your policy? This can be important when figuring out if you're covered. Look up functional damage vs cosmetic damage if you are interested to know more.

If you received a denial letter, it should specifically list out the reason why it was denied with any applicable policy language.

When you say "denied a reinspection," did your roofer send in more photos/evidence to back up your claim? Example: photos of dented vents, flashing, gutters/downspouts, hail spatter on your fence, etc.? Usually, an adjuster won't agree to a reinspection unless they have some extra proof. Putting in a bit more effort to show why you need a reinspection can really help. Again, if the field adjuster report sucked , this could be a major reason what the desk adjuster is refusing to allow for a reinspection. No disrespect to roofers, but it can be the same story with experience, etc. Not all roofers/door knockers know how to navigate the claim red tape. They would rather move on from problematic claims and choose to work on the slam dunk easy commission sale rather than sorting out issues with a carrier. Remember, they only get paid when you get paid.

Furthermore, most insurance companies will hire an engineer to look at the damage at their expense and give a professional opinion before denying a claim if they get more evidence after the initial inspection. It's more cost-effective and reliable before going to appraisal or dealing with PA's & Attorney representation.

Lastly, if a PA is charging you upfront, it might be a good idea to stop working with them. They're on the same team as you, and they're getting a cut of the insurance settlement based on the contract percentage you agreed on. Appraisal is different. If you're skipping to that step, then yes, you will need to pay the appraisal fee & the cost for an umpire. Hope this helps

Noble07 said:

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Can a homeowner skip the PA and Attorney and request the appraisal process?

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You sure can. I always encourage appraisal first, it's a low cost, and likely no cost option for the customer.

You already know this (but others may not), but when that process is invoked, you get an appraiser and the insurance must employ an appraiser. The fee structure depends on the appraiser you hired. I handle all of the documentation as allowed by the appraiser. I write the estimates as well so I can keep control of costs. So, even though the customer technically pays the appraiser, I credit that charge back at the end so it doesn't cost them anything. When it's approved for replacement, I upgrade every single accessory on the roof that I can, so the next time the carrier has to pay for that roof, they are on the hook for all of those upgrades, too.

Either way, the customer gets a roof that is better than the old one in every metric, and it generally doesn't cost him more than the deductible, even if he goes through appraisal.

all this advice is good advice BUT....if the insurance company has dug in, none of this advice matters. They aren't going to pay no matter who you hire to chalk up your roof 80 different ways to Sunday. IF you get to this point, and it sounds like the OP is just about there in my opinion, you're going to have to get a lawyer and that lawyer will probably have to file suit. It sucks, but you might just want to prepare yourself to take that step.

I went round and round with my insurance for 3 years. I had more guys on my roof agreeing on things, disagreeing on things, chalk boxes all over the place, being told different marks that looked the exact same were from different storms or different time frames, and on and on and on for months upon months. In the end filing suit was the only thing that got me paid. I wish I wouldn't have wasted so much time.

Hopefully it doesn't get to that point for you, but just wanted to share my experience.

Jason_Roofer said:

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Noble07 said:

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Can a homeowner skip the PA and Attorney and request the appraisal process?

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You sure can. I always encourage appraisal first, it's a low cost, and likely no cost option for the customer.

You already know this (but others may not), but when that process is invoked, you get an appraiser and the insurance must employ an appraiser. The fee structure depends on the appraiser you hired. I handle all of the documentation as allowed by the appraiser. I write the estimates as well so I can keep control of costs. So, even though the customer technically pays the appraiser, I credit that charge back at the end so it doesn't cost them anything. When it's approved for replacement, I upgrade every single accessory on the roof that I can, so the next time the carrier has to pay for that roof, they are on the hook for all of those upgrades, too.

Either way, the customer gets a roof that is better than the old one in every metric, and it generally doesn't cost him more than the deductible, even if he goes through appraisal.

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Thanks for the feedback.

After going PA and Attorney, I still had to go with the appraisal option because the insurance company was dug in. The insurance company's independent appraiser also agreed that it's hail damage and to a reasonable award. The problem is that I have to pay the PA and Attorney even though they weren't able to accomplish anything. If I have to do this again, I would just go get my own appraiser.

The end?
A client in past had an attorney with 6-guns that

• got it fixed pronto
• sued the insurance co for the bill
• got them a new ins.co
• and got paid in the settlement
• no out of pocket for the owner

When they dig in, only a lawyer backhoe digs them out b/c these underlings have no power to cave in, only bottom line corp.heads do to save profits & Waikiki (e.g. StateFarm) holidays

Sorry to hear that. If you need to do it again, give me a call and I'll share the contact of the appraiser who I have had excellent results working with.