After the Hail: Insurance Claim Basics for Texas Roofs

Hail is a fact of Texas life, and the days after a storm are when good and bad outcomes get decided. This is the process, without the drama.

The sequence that works

Safety and mitigation first. If the roof is actively leaking, tarping and mitigation come before everything — policies expect you to prevent further damage.
Document. Date-stamped photos of the roof, gutters, window screens, AC fins and anything else dinged. Ground-level photos are fine to start; a professional inspection adds close-up documentation of the roof surface itself.
Get an independent inspection. A documented professional inspection — photos, notes, dated report — tells you whether there is a claim worth filing at all. Sometimes the honest answer is no, and filing anyway costs you claim history for nothing.
Notify your insurer within the policy's notification window and keep every report and estimate together.
Be present for the adjuster's visit — or have your contractor there — so the documented damage actually gets looked at.

In Texas it is illegal for a contractor to waive or absorb your deductible — an offer to do so is a red flag, not a favor.
You choose your contractor; the insurer chooses the payout, not the roofer.
Storm-chasing outfits that materialize after big hail events and push same-day contracts are the source of most roofing complaints in Texas.