How should an HOA board inspect roofs after a hail storm?

By OurHOA · General information · Revised October 20, 2026

How an HOA board inspects roofs after hail: confirm the storm, run a documented roof walk, weigh cosmetic exclusions and the deductible, and avoid storm chasers.

Part of the HOA board handbook: vendors, projects and upkeep.

The short answer

Within a week of the storm, find out which roofs the association insures, confirm the hail size from the National Weather Service reports, and have every insured roof inspected by a roofer or consultant the board picked, not one who knocked on a door. Photograph each building in the same order and keep one log. Then read the policy's wind and hail deductible and any cosmetic damage exclusion before the board decides whether to file. A hail claim is often a math problem, and the board can't do the math until the inspection is finished. This guide covers the inspection and the decision to claim. Once the board files, our guide on handling an HOA insurance claim after a storm covers the adjuster visit, the carrier's deadlines and the settlement. Rules vary by state, by your policy and by your governing documents, and this guide is general education, not legal advice.

First settle whose roofs these are

Pull the declaration and the insurance section of the bylaws before anyone climbs a ladder. In a condominium and in many townhome communities the association insures and maintains the roofs. In most single-family HOAs each owner insures their own house, and the association's roofs are the clubhouse, the pool house, the mail kiosk and maybe a gatehouse. Some townhome declarations split it: the association insures the buildings, but owners pay for roof repairs. Write the answer down as a list of every roof the association insures, with its building number, roof type and approximate age. That list is the inspection scope. For roofs owners insure, the board's job after hail is smaller: tell owners to call their own carriers, remind them that a replacement roof still needs architectural approval for color and material, and speed up those approvals for the next few months so nobody waits three weeks on a shingle color while their roof leaks.

Confirm the storm and the hail size

The Storm Prediction Center publishes daily storm reports for hail, wind and tornadoes, with data back to June 1999. Hail size is listed in hundredths of an inch, so 175 means 1.75 inches. Pull up the report for the storm date, find the entries nearest your community, and save a screenshot to the claim file. The reports are preliminary, and the page says so, but they give the adjuster and your roofer a common starting point. The date matters for more than the record. In Florida, section 627.70132 bars a property claim unless notice reaches the carrier within 1 year after the date of loss, or 18 months for a supplemental claim, and for windstorms and other weather events the date of loss is the date the event is verified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. If two storms hit within a few weeks, which happens most springs in north Texas and along the Front Range, an inspection that ties damage to one date is worth a lot.

Run the roof walk like an audit

Line up the inspector before you need one. A roofer the association already uses, a roof consultant, or a drone pilot for steep or tall buildings all work, and our guide on hiring a drone pilot for an HOA roof inspection covers that option. Tell the inspector in writing that the association is not signing a repair contract on the day of the walk. Ask for a written report per building that covers: - Soft metals first: gutters, downspouts, roof vents, flashing and air conditioner fins. Dents there show hail size and direction even when shingles look fine. - Shingle hits that crack the mat or knock off enough granules to expose it, counted in a marked test area on each slope. - Damage on every slope, not just the side facing the storm. - Prior damage, worn areas and old repairs, noted separately so they don't muddy the claim. - Photos with the building number on a sign or in the file name, a wide shot of each slope and close-ups of each hit. - Checks of top-floor units and the clubhouse ceiling for new stains. Walk the ground too. Fences, light poles, pool furniture, siding and window screens on the storm side often carry the same dents, and they belong on the same claim.

Read the deductible and the cosmetic exclusion before you decide

Get the declarations page out. Many association policies carry a separate wind and hail deductible stated as a percentage of the insured value of each building or of the whole schedule. The Colorado Division of Insurance's May 2024 hail advisory warns that these deductibles are often 1, 2 or 5 percent, and that the insurer pays nothing when the damage is under the deductible. As an example, a 2 percent deductible on $6 million of insured buildings is $120,000. If the inspection prices the damage at $90,000, filing gets the association an adjuster visit and nothing else. Then look for a cosmetic damage endorsement. These exclude hail marks that change how a roof looks but leave it working. The Colorado Special Districts Property and Liability Pool's exclusion is a clear public example: it defines cosmetic damage as marring, pitting or other superficial damage that does not stop the roof from keeping out the elements as well as it did before. Under wording like that, a dented metal roof that still sheds water may not be covered at all. If you find the endorsement, ask your inspector to say for each roof whether the hits are functional damage, and why.

Storm chasers and deductible offers

Expect roofers at the gate within a day. Some will offer to inspect for free, file the claim for you, or cover the deductible. Texas, Colorado and Florida all prohibit that last offer. In Texas, Business and Commerce Code section 27.02 makes it a Class B misdemeanor for a seller paid from insurance proceeds to pay, waive, absorb or rebate the insured's deductible without the insurer's consent, and any such contract of $1,000 or more must carry a boldface notice saying so. In Colorado, section 6-22-105 bars a roofing contractor paid from a property policy from promising to pay, waive or rebate any part of the deductible, and section 6-22-103 requires roofing contracts to state that rule in writing. Section 6-22-104 lets the owner cancel a roofing contract within 72 hours after getting the insurer's written notice that the claim was denied in whole or in part, with deposits returned within 10 days. In Florida, section 489.147 bars contractors from offering a gift, cash or a deductible waiver to a residential property owner for a roof inspection or claim, and from interpreting the policy or adjusting the claim unless they also hold a public adjuster license. Knowingly paying, waiving or rebating a deductible is a third-degree felony there. Parts of the Colorado and Florida laws are written around residential property, so ask the association's attorney how they apply to association-owned buildings. Either way, sign no assignment of benefits and no contingency agreement on the day of the storm. Those are board decisions.

The board's decision and a motion

Put the inspection results on the next board agenda, or call a special meeting if roofs are leaking. The treasurer should bring the deductible math and ask the agent how a claim may affect the next renewal. A motion that works: 'The board has reviewed the hail inspection reports dated [date] for buildings [numbers]. The board authorizes [director] to report the [storm date] hail loss to [carrier] under policy [number], provide the reports and photos, and schedule the adjuster inspection. No repair contract, public adjuster agreement or settlement may be signed without a board vote.' If the board decides not to file, record why in the minutes, such as damage below the deductible or a cosmetic exclusion, and keep the reports with the reserve study file. In Texas, a lawsuit over a hail claim falls under Insurance Code chapter 542A, which requires written notice to the insurer at least 61 days before filing suit, so put the claim file in order early in case the board needs it later.

A sample timeline

Day of the storm: tarp active leaks, photograph damage, save the storm report. Days 1 to 3: send owners a short notice, list the insured roofs, and book the inspector. Days 3 to 10: roof walk and written reports. Within 2 weeks: board meeting with the deductible math and a vote on filing. Same week: written notice to the carrier if the board votes to file. A notice the board can send to owners: 'The association is inspecting the roofs it insures after the [date] hail storm. Please report new ceiling stains or leaks to [contact] by [date]. Do not sign anything with a roofer who comes to your door saying they work for the association. Owners who insure their own roofs should call their own insurance company, and replacement roofs still need architectural approval, which the committee will decide within [number] days.'

Mistakes boards make

Letting the first roofer on site write both the inspection and the repair bid. Inspecting only the roofs that leak and missing the rest of the schedule. Filing before anyone reads the deductible, then sitting through a claim that pays nothing. Throwing out dented gutters or vents before the adjuster sees them. Replacing a roof before the carrier inspects it. Not telling owners who insures what, so they file claims on association roofs or wait on the board for their own. Taking a roofer's word on coverage. For the replacement itself, our guide on hiring a roofer for an HOA roof replacement covers scopes, licenses and Class 4 shingles.

Sources

These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.

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