After a Columbus Hailstorm: What to Actually Do

Severe weather is a regular fact of Central Ohio life — spring hail, summer derechos, fall windstorms. After a major event your roof may have real damage, cosmetic damage, or nothing at all. Here's the homeowner's playbook: how to document what happened, when to file insurance, and how to avoid the door-knocking scams that follow every storm.

First: Safety

Don't climb on your roof right after a storm. Wet shingles are slippery, and storm-loosened debris on the surface is unstable. Most post-storm inspection can be done from the ground with binoculars and a smartphone camera. Let a contractor with proper fall protection do the actual roof walk.

If you have active leaking into the interior, catch the water with a bucket and move possessions out of the drip path. Don't puncture a sagging ceiling to drain it unless you have something catching the water below — a sudden dump from a ceiling pocket can damage far more than the slow drip.

Step 1: Document Everything Before You Call Anyone

Insurance claims turn on documentation. The more you have, the smoother the claim. The day of or day after the storm, do this:

Take date-stamped photos

Your phone camera embeds date and time in the image metadata. Take wide shots of every side of the house. Take close-ups of any visible damage: missing shingles, dented gutters, damaged window screens, debris on the lawn. Hailstones on the ground next to a ruler or a quarter are gold — they prove hail size, which drives the claim.

Note the time, wind direction, and storm details

Write down when the storm hit, how long it lasted, and what you observed (hail size, wind direction, tree damage). The National Weather Service publishes storm reports — save the link for your specific date.

Check all sides of the exterior

Walk the full perimeter. Hail dents show up on gutters, downspouts, AC condensers, metal patio furniture, window screens, and siding long before they're visible on the roof from the ground. If those surfaces are dented, the roof likely is too.

Check the attic

Look for any sign of water intrusion: wet spots on insulation, staining on the underside of the deck, actual drips. If the attic is wet, the water came from somewhere.

Keep a single storm folder. On your phone or computer, create a folder for each storm event. All photos, weather reports, contractor quotes, and insurance correspondence go in it. If the claim or work stretches out — which it often does — having everything in one place saves hours.

Step 2: Decide Whether to File an Insurance Claim

Not every storm event should be filed. Filing small claims can raise your premiums or, over multiple events, cause non-renewal. Here's the decision framework:

File when...

You have confirmed roof damage (multiple shingles affected, functional damage to the system, not just cosmetic), visible collateral damage elsewhere on the exterior confirming hail size, or any interior water intrusion. File when the damage exceeds your deductible by a meaningful margin. On a $2,500 deductible, $3,000 of damage isn't worth the premium hit. $10,000 is.

Hold off when...

The damage looks purely cosmetic (a few marks on the gutter, no roof or interior issues), you're not sure if anything happened, or you've already filed a claim in the past 3 years. For borderline cases, it's worth having a trusted contractor look before you file.

The contractor-then-adjuster sequence

The order matters. Call a local contractor you've vetted and have them do a thorough assessment first. They can tell you whether you have a real claim. If yes, they'll document it and help you file. If no, you've saved yourself a claim that wouldn't have paid out.

Do not have a random door-knocker "look at the roof" before you call your insurance. You'll end up locked into a contractor you didn't choose.

Step 3: Understand How Hail Damages Shingles

This matters because insurance adjusters are trained to distinguish true hail damage from normal weathering and from manufactured damage. If you understand what they're looking for, you'll know whether your roof has it.

Functional hail damage

A true hail hit on an asphalt shingle shows as a circular or slightly oval impact mark where the granules are knocked loose, exposing the black asphalt mat underneath. The mark is usually about the size of the stone minus some — a 1-inch hailstone leaves a mark about 3/4 inch across. The mark has a slight depression and softness when pressed with a fingertip (the "bruise" — the mat is no longer intact). On a metal component like a gutter or vent cap, hail leaves circular dents, not random scrapes.

Cosmetic damage

Cosmetic damage has granule loss without a bruise. The shingle is still functional. Insurance may or may not pay depending on the policy — some have cosmetic exclusions for hail.

Not hail damage

Blister marks, foot traffic scuffs, mechanical damage from a fallen branch, aging granule loss, and even some "crafted" damage (manufactured by a dishonest contractor to support a fraudulent claim). Adjusters know the difference, and so do honest contractors.

Never let a contractor "create damage" for a claim. Sometimes a door-knocker offers to help "make the damage more visible" before an adjuster comes. This is insurance fraud. You'll be on the hook criminally, not them. Walk away from anyone who suggests this, then report them to your insurance carrier.

Step 4: Watch Out for Storm Chasers

After every major storm in Central Ohio, out-of-state contractors flood the area. Some are legitimate companies scaling for peak demand. Many are not. The pattern is predictable:

A crew rolls into the neighborhood in branded trucks you've never seen. They knock doors with "free inspections." They claim damage whether or not it exists. They offer to "handle the insurance" and "waive the deductible." They take payment and leave town — and if there's a warranty issue in 2 years, good luck finding them.

How to tell the difference

A legitimate local contractor has a Columbus-area physical address, a phone number that goes to a real office, a verifiable history on Google and the Columbus BBB, Ohio contractor registration with the state, and will let you verify all of it before you sign anything. A storm chaser often has a P.O. box, a cell-only number, claims to be "local" but can't name neighborhoods, and pressures you to sign contracts immediately.

The deductible waiver trap

Ohio law (R.C. 3901.26) makes it illegal for contractors to waive, rebate, or absorb the homeowner's insurance deductible. Any contractor offering to do this is breaking the law and exposing you to insurance fraud charges on your side. Run.

The assignment-of-benefits trap

Some storm chasers ask you to sign an "AOB" (assignment of benefits) that assigns your insurance claim rights to them. This gives them the power to settle with your insurance without your approval, and to sue your insurance in your name. It's a mess. Do not sign AOB documents.

If the pitch sounds urgent: The legitimate roofing market will not disappear on you. There is no "limited time offer" from the insurance side either — your claim clock is measured in months, not hours. Any pitch that requires you to sign today is a pitch to avoid.

Step 5: File the Claim (If You're Filing)

Your insurance company has a claims number — it's on your policy or on their website. Call and file. They'll open a claim, assign a claim number, and schedule an adjuster visit.

Have your contractor present for the adjuster visit if at all possible. Adjusters have heavy caseloads after storms and can miss items on a quick walk. Your contractor knows what should be there and can advocate for proper scope. This is standard practice; insurers expect it.

Understand the ACV vs RCV issue

Most homeowner policies pay on an "actual cash value" (ACV) basis initially, then hold back "recoverable depreciation" until the work is completed. The first check you get is the ACV amount minus your deductible. After the work is done and verified, the insurance releases the depreciation withhold. This means you'll usually need to front some money — the first check rarely covers the full job, but the final total (minus deductible) should.

If your policy is a pure ACV policy (common on older roofs, increasingly common overall), you only get ACV and no depreciation recovery. Read your policy before you assume.

Step 6: Do the Work, Document the Work, Close the Claim

Once you've chosen a contractor and agreed on scope, the work happens. When it's complete, your contractor provides documentation — invoices, photos, and often a "certificate of completion" — that you submit to the insurance company for depreciation recovery. Keep everything. The claim isn't closed on the insurer's side until the depreciation is released and the file is settled.

If a supplement is needed (items the adjuster missed or scope that expanded once tear-off revealed more damage), your contractor submits it with documentation. Most legitimate supplements are paid.

Putting It Together

After a Columbus storm, the order of operations matters: safety first, document before you call, get a trusted local contractor to assess, decide whether to file, file with proper documentation, be present for the adjuster visit, do the work with a contractor you trust, and document completion. At every step, verify the contractor you're working with has a local address and a real history. The contractors who disappear after storms are the ones you can't find later when something goes wrong.