Four days after the September 11 hail, the carriers' adjusters have started scheduling roof inspections across 78109 and 78244, and they are doing it in the middle of a near-record heat stretch: 102 degrees in San Antonio today, with a Heat Advisory and a heat index up to 106 tomorrow. The question we are hearing most from Converse homeowners is the one people type into Google: how do you get insurance to pay for a roof replacement, not a repair? Here is the roof insurance claim process as it actually plays out, and where replacement is won or lost.
1. Report the loss and fix the date
Call the claim in now if you have not. Give the date of loss as September 11, 2026 and describe hail and wind, not "roof leak." Your policy's conditions section requires prompt notice, and the storm date is what ties every dent on the property to a covered event. Reporting is not accepting an offer, and it does not obligate you to anything. Roofers on Nextdoor are telling Converse neighbors that "deadlines are coming up." The only deadline that matters is the one in your policy, and prompt notice satisfies it.
2. Document before the adjuster arrives
The carrier's adjuster will spend twenty to forty minutes on your property. Whatever they photograph becomes the claim file; whatever they miss usually stays missed. Before the appointment, photograph the gutters, downspouts, roof vents, AC condenser fins, window screens, the fence and the mailbox. Scoop the granules out of the downspout splash block and photograph them. Our roof inspection post covers what hail damage looks like on each surface. If a roofer inspects for you, get the hit count per slope in writing.
3. How to meet with the adjuster
Be there. Have your own inspector there too, whether that is a licensed public adjuster or a roofer you trust. Three things decide replacement versus repair at that meeting:
- Test squares. The adjuster chalks a 10-by-10-foot square on each slope and counts hail hits. Ask to see every square and every count. If they mark one slope and skip the rest, ask them to mark the rest. A slope with a count that meets the carrier's threshold (commonly 8 to 10 hits) is a total loss for that slope.
- Collateral damage. Walk them to the dented metal you photographed. Soft-metal hits on the same slope as the "questionable" shingle marks are how the storm date gets tied to the roof.
- The brittleness test. This is where the heat matters. To repair a slope, a roofer has to lift and reseal the surrounding shingles. On an aging roof, or one that has been baked at 100 degrees for a week after being bruised, those shingles crack when lifted. Ask the adjuster to lift a shingle next to a hit and photograph the result. If it breaks, a repair is not possible, and the slope has to be replaced.
Do not sign anything at the meeting. Do not accept a verbal "it's just a few hits" and let them leave. Ask when the written estimate will arrive.
4. Read the estimate for the three replacement killers
When the estimate comes, look past the total. Replacement is denied or shrunk in three predictable ways:
- Repair instead of replace. "Replace 12 shingles" on a roof with a brittleness failure or hits on every slope. The counterargument is the test square counts and the lift photos from step 3.
- Partial slopes. Front and back slopes replaced, sides "repaired." Texas policy language on matching and the practical impossibility of blending 12-year-old shingles with new ones are the arguments here. Our seven missing line items post lists what else is usually left off.
- Replacement approved, but paid at ACV. The estimate says replace, the check is half of it, and the rest is "recoverable depreciation." That is normal, and it is explained in ACV vs. RCV. It only becomes a problem if you never claim the holdback.
5. What to do if the claim is denied or comes back as a repair
A denial letter or a repair-only estimate is a position, not a verdict. Respond in writing with a supplement: your photos, the hit counts, the brittleness result, and an itemized replacement estimate in the same software the carrier uses. Ask for a re-inspection. If the carrier holds its number on the amount of the loss, your policy's appraisal clause lets you demand appraisal, where an independent panel sets the amount. The demand is yours to make; we prepare it for you to sign and support the process, as explained in the appraisal clause post. Most claims settle before that point once the file is complete.
The scam warning, and the permit nobody mentions
The City of San Antonio posted a warning on Nextdoor this week about roof scams that follow hail storms: door-to-door and phone solicitations, contractors who cannot show a license or proof of insurance, and pressure to sign on the spot. Two practical points from it. First, the City keeps a searchable database of registered roofers, and a roofer not on it is not registered with the City. Second, a city permit is required to replace or repair a roof inside San Antonio city limits, and a registered roofer pulls it in about a day. Homes inside Converse city limits go through Converse's building department instead. A contractor who says no permit is needed is telling you something about the rest of the job.
What to do today
- If the adjuster is scheduled, gather the photos now and confirm someone will be on the roof with them.
- If the adjuster has already been and you have a repair-only estimate, do not cash anything marked "full and final." Have the estimate reviewed. We read them for free.
- If you have not filed, file today with September 11, 2026 as the date of loss.
Weather and news sources: NWS Austin/San Antonio forecast and Heat Advisory as reported by Weather Underground and WeatherBug (near-record 102° on Sept 15, heat index to 106 on Sept 16); the Sept 11 Severe Thunderstorm Warning (10:12 PM CDT, golf ball hail, 60 mph gusts) and spotter reports of 1.5" hail between Converse and Kirby; the City of San Antonio's Nextdoor notice on roof scams after hail damage.
General information for Texas policyholders, not legal advice. Your claim depends on your policy and your property. More from the blog.