You probably can’t get on your roof, and that’s fine
Most commercial property managers aren’t going to inspect their own roof after a storm. That’s not a failure. It’s the reality of managing a three-story building with a maintenance team that wasn’t hired to do roof inspections.
This section isn’t about convincing you to climb up there. It’s about why you don’t need to.
Why most maintenance teams can’t (and shouldn’t) do roof inspections
On-site maintenance staff at a multifamily or commercial property typically don’t have access to a three-story roof. They don’t have a ladder tall enough. And in many cases, workers’ compensation carriers specifically prohibit employees from climbing a ladder and getting on the roof. That’s a liability issue the carrier doesn’t want to take on, and your team shouldn’t either.
Even if the equipment is there, the expertise isn’t. Identifying hail damage on roofing materials requires training that goes beyond general building maintenance. An untrained person on a damaged roof can miss subtle impact patterns entirely, or worse, cause additional damage by walking on compromised materials.
The right move after a storm is to start with what you can see from the ground. That gives you more useful information than you might expect.
Evaluating Storm Damage Restoration Needs From the Ground
Hail doesn’t just hit the roof. It hits everything exposed to the sky. And everything at ground level gives you a reliable proxy for what happened three stories up.
Walk the property and look at these indicators.
Ground-level indicators that signal roof damage
Start with the parking lot. Look at the hoods and roofs of cars. Hail dents on metal surfaces are easy to spot and hard to argue with. If hail was large enough to dent a car hood, it was large enough to damage asphalt shingles.
Then check these areas:
- Fences, especially vinyl or wood. Cracked rails and broken pickets are common after a significant hail event.
- Window screens and frames. Look for tears, dents, and cracks in the frames themselves.
- Siding. Pockmarks and cracks on vinyl or fiber cement siding indicate the same impact force hit your roof.
- HVAC condensers at ground level. Dented fin coils are a clear indicator of hail size and intensity.
- Downspouts and gutters within reach. Dents and displaced sections mean the gutter system above took a hit too.
- Exterior light fixtures, signage, and painted surfaces. Chipped paint and dented housings add up.
The two-indicator rule
If you find damage on two or more ground-level components after a hailstorm, schedule a professional roof inspection within 30 days.
What asphalt shingles tell you (from above) vs. what the ground tells you (from below)
Most commercial and multifamily roofing attention after a hailstorm focuses on asphalt shingle roofs. Sloped shingle roofs show hail impact clearly, but only from above. The granule loss, mat exposure, and fracturing that define hail damage on shingles aren’t visible from the parking lot.
Flat roofs (TPO, EPDM, modified bitumen) can also sustain damage, but it typically takes larger hail to compromise those membranes. The ground-level indicators are your best proxy for what’s happening on the sloped surfaces you can’t see.
Ground-level damage is part of the claim. It’s also the evidence that tells you the roof needs professional evaluation.
The damage you can’t see is the damage that costs you
A property that looks mostly cosmetic from the ground can have serious problems developing behind the walls and under the roofing membrane. Hail doesn’t always cause an immediate leak. It causes failures that develop over weeks and months, long after the insurance adjuster has moved on to the next claim.
Slow leaks and building envelope failures
Hail compromises the building envelope in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. Flashing along roof transitions gets bent or displaced. Sealant around penetrations cracks. The waterproof barrier under shingles takes puncture damage that doesn’t leak right away but will leak when the next heavy rain finds the opening.
Window frames are another problem. Hail can crack window frames without breaking the glass, and that crack creates air leakage into the building. In Colorado winters, that means higher climate control costs, condensation inside wall cavities, and the beginning of moisture problems that won’t show up on a maintenance request for months.
What a storm hits besides the roof
A specialty roofer will inspect the roof. That’s their scope. But hail hits siding, windows, HVAC condensers, rooftop heaters, light fixtures, and painted surfaces too. If nobody documents those, the claim misses them.
During the Emblem Gateway storm damage restoration project, the damage extended far beyond the roof. Windows, masonry, parking lot lighting, and outdoor HVAC equipment all required repair or replacement. It’s a good example of why a roofing-only inspection can miss a significant portion of the claim.
Get a professional evaluation within 30 days
Hail damage is rarely a true emergency. The building isn’t going to collapse. Your tenants are safe. The lights still work. But insurance carriers expect prompt reporting. Getting a professional on site within 30 days protects your claim timeline and gives you an accurate scope before carrier deadlines create pressure.
The 30-day / 3-6 month timeline
File the initial claim within 30 days while the evidence is fresh. Over the next one to three months, your contractor and the adjuster coordinate on scope, pricing, and documentation. Repairs typically begin within three to six months. A hail claim can happen today and the work may not start until next spring. That’s normal for commercial insurance restoration.
Wind and hail deductibles: why a full evaluation matters even more
Many commercial property insurance policies include a wind and hail percentage deductible, typically two to five percent of the building’s insured value. On a $10 million building, a three percent deductible is $300,000.
If a roofing-only scope comes in at $250,000, the owner pays the full cost out of pocket. But a full exterior evaluation that includes HVAC, siding, windows, and mechanical equipment might push the total above that threshold, making the claim viable. How thoroughly the damage gets documented often determines whether the claim pays out or doesn’t.
What a professional evaluation actually covers (and what to expect)
A professional hail damage evaluation is not a maintenance tech walking the roof with a flashlight. It’s a trained inspector examining every exterior building component for hail impact patterns on specific materials. The roof absorbs most of the damage from any hailstorm. A trained inspector finds and documents what you can’t see from the ground.
What to look for in an inspector
ook for HAAG Engineering certification. HAAG-certified inspectors are trained to identify hail impact on specific roofing materials, distinguish storm damage from normal wear, and document findings in a format commonly used during insurance claim reviews.
The evaluation should produce photo documentation tied to specific locations, a full exterior component inventory (not just the roof), and a Xactimate-formatted damage scope that aligns with how carriers process claims. For large or complex roofs, drone photography is standard.
Red flags when choosing a storm damage contractor
A free inspection is standard in this industry. If a contractor charges you for an initial storm damage evaluation, that’s a red flag. The inspection is how a reputable contractor earns your trust and demonstrates their expertise. It shouldn’t come with an invoice.
Watch for these warning signs:
- Door-to-door solicitation immediately after a storm. Reputable contractors don’t canvass neighborhoods.
- Pressure to sign an assignment of benefits (AOB) before you understand the scope. An AOB transfers your insurance claim rights to the contractor. That’s a significant decision that shouldn’t happen during the first conversation.
- Contracts with penalty clauses. Some storm-chaser contractors include clauses requiring you to pay 10 percent or more of the total project cost if you don’t hire them for the rebuild. Read every contract carefully before signing anything.
- No HAAG certification. If the inspector can’t tell you their certification credentials, ask why.
Take the first step before the next storm does
The next step is getting that evaluation on the calendar before the 30-day window closes.
Schedule a free evaluation with Spyder. Our team will inspect the full exterior, document the damage, and provide a clear assessment of what needs attention now and what can wait.
