If you’ve got trees hanging over, you’re almost guaranteed to have hidden issues.
Ain’t that the truth. I swear, my neighbor’s oak tree is out to get me—last storm, I found a whole branch wedged under a shingle. Insurance guy just shrugged and said “looks fine from here.” I’m starting to think their “inspection” is just a fancy word for “drive-by.” Anyone ever actually had them catch something before it turned into a leak? Or am I just paying for peace of mind that’s mostly imaginary?
That’s a pretty common story, honestly. I’ve seen a lot of “inspections” that barely go beyond a quick glance from the driveway—especially after storms. In my experience, most insurance adjusters aren’t actually climbing up there unless there’s obvious damage. Sometimes they’ll miss cracked shingles or small punctures that turn into leaks months later. Out of curiosity, has anyone here ever had an adjuster actually get up on the roof and spot something before it became a bigger problem? Or is it mostly up to homeowners to catch those early signs?
That lines up with what I’ve seen. Most adjusters I’ve watched just do the “binoculars from the sidewalk” routine unless there’s a big hole or something obvious. Had one guy actually go up after a hailstorm, but he still missed a few cracked tabs that turned into leaks later that season. Makes me wonder if it’s really on us to catch the small stuff before it gets worse. Anyone else feel like you have to double-check their work, or is that just my luck?
I see this all the time. A lot of adjusters just don’t want to risk getting up there unless it’s really obvious damage, and honestly, I get it from a safety standpoint. But yeah, the “sidewalk inspection” misses a ton of stuff—especially cracked or lifted shingles after hail. I’ve had clients call me out after their claim was denied, and sure enough, I’ll find small splits or granule loss that’s easy to miss from the ground.
It does end up falling on homeowners more than it should. If you’re comfortable (and safe) climbing up, or you can get someone who knows what to look for, it’s worth double-checking after storms. Even just using a drone or a good camera with zoom helps spot things before they turn into leaks. Insurance is supposed to have your back, but in reality, catching those little issues early saves way more hassle down the road.
Not just your luck—seems pretty common, at least around here.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable getting up on my own roof even if I had the right shoes and a ladder. Maybe that’s just me being overly cautious, but the idea of slipping freaks me out. My place has a pretty steep pitch and I’d rather pay someone with experience than risk a trip to the ER.
That said, I do see the point about missing stuff from the ground. We had a windstorm last fall and all I noticed was one shingle looking off. When the roofer got up there, he pointed out a bunch of little things that would’ve turned into leaks eventually. Still, I feel like the insurance folks should be more thorough—like, isn’t that their job? Not everyone has access to drones or wants to shell out for an inspection after every storm.
Maybe there’s a middle ground? Like, more training for adjusters or some sort of tech that helps them spot issues safely without leaving everything up to us regular folks...
