The Adjuster Approved Half Your Roof: Now What

The adjuster's estimate came back, and it covers two slopes, a few dozen shingles, or a repair where you expected a replacement. That is a partial approval, and it is common after a North Georgia hail or wind storm. It is also not the end of the conversation, as long as the next steps run on documentation instead of frustration.

Why partial approvals happen

Hail and wind are directional. A storm that comes out of the west can hammer two slopes and barely touch the other two, and an adjuster who counts hits by slope will approve the slopes that clear the threshold and decline the ones that do not. Beyond that, a partial can come from honest differences in judgment about what is hail and what is wear, from an adjuster who was on the roof for twenty minutes in bad light, from a carrier guideline that leans toward repair when a repair is theoretically possible, or from items that were simply not looked at. None of those are accusations. They are the normal reasons two people looking at the same roof write different scopes.

Read the estimate before you react

The estimate is a list of line items with quantities, not a verdict. Go through it slowly. Which slopes are included, and at how many squares? Are starter, ridge cap, drip edge, and ice and water barrier in the scope for the approved slopes? Are the vents, pipe boots, and flashing on those slopes included? Is there anything for gutters, screens, or the soft metal that hail dented? Are the line items priced at replacement cost with depreciation shown, or at a repair rate? Half the arguments homeowners have with carriers are about things the estimate already includes or already excludes, and you cannot make a specific request until you know which is which. Write down the exact items you disagree with and why.

The matching question

A partial replacement means new shingles on some slopes next to weathered shingles on the others, and often a product that no longer exists in that color. Whether the carrier owes you a match is a policy question. Some policies say so, some have language that limits it, and Georgia does not hand you a blanket rule either way, so the answer comes from your contract and from documentation. Two things carry weight: a sample of the existing shingle sent to an independent lab for a match report showing whether the product is still made, and photos that show the slopes are visible together from the street. Our guide on shingle matching and partial repairs goes deeper on how that argument is built and what it looks like when it fails.

Requesting a re-inspection

You are entitled to ask the carrier to look again. Do it in writing, through the claim portal or by email to the desk adjuster, and be specific: the slopes or items you believe were under-scoped, and what you have to show for it. Attach the photos. Ask whether a different field adjuster can be assigned; carriers often agree to that without any argument. Keep the tone of the request as plain as a maintenance ticket. The person reading it handles dozens of files, and the ones that get moved quickly are the ones that make the disagreement easy to see and easy to verify.

Who should be on the roof for the re-inspection

Your contractor, with a ladder, chalk, a camera, and the test squares already marked. The purpose of the meeting is to put the carrier's adjuster in front of the specific damage, hit by hit, rather than describing it from the ground. A common industry guideline counts hail strikes inside a ten-foot-by-ten-foot test square on each slope, and a slope that clears the threshold is generally scoped for replacement, so the squares should be drawn, counted, and photographed before anyone from the carrier arrives.

At Robust Roofing that person is usually our licensed Property and Casualty adjuster, who writes and reads the same estimating software the carrier uses. One boundary matters here, and it matters in Georgia specifically: a contractor cannot negotiate your claim for you. That is public adjusting, which requires its own license. What we can do is document the damage, scope it in the carrier's format, walk the roof with their adjuster, and point to what is there. What we cannot do is argue your settlement, and you should be wary of any roofer who says otherwise. If you decide you want someone to negotiate on your behalf, that is a licensed public adjuster or an attorney, and our guide on whether a public adjuster is worth it covers when that makes sense.

Supplements with photo documentation

If the re-inspection moves the scope, good. If it moves it partway, or if the roof comes off and the crew finds what the estimate could not see, the rest is handled by supplement: a written request that adds line items to the approved scope, in the carrier's own format, with a photo keyed to each item. Decking, missed slopes, code-required components, collateral damage, and steep or access charges are the usual contents. A supplement with photos is a record; one without them is a request. Our guide on supplements and hidden damage explains how the process works and why the photos have to be taken before new material covers anything.

The appraisal clause

Many homeowner policies include an appraisal provision for disputes over the amount of a loss. Each side hires an independent appraiser, the two appraisers choose an umpire, and an award agreed by any two of the three sets the amount. It is for disagreements about how much, not about whether the loss is covered; it does not help you with a denied claim. It costs money, because you pay your appraiser and half the umpire. It takes time. And invoking it is your decision and your letter to write, not your contractor's. For a dispute where the carrier has approved one slope and the documentation clearly supports four, appraisal is often the cleanest path left after a re-inspection fails. Read the clause in your policy, note any deadlines in it, and if the number in dispute is large, talk to a Georgia attorney before you send the letter.

Staying factual and calm

Everything that moves a file is specific: this slope, this many hits in this square, this photo, this date, this line item. Nothing that moves a file is emotional. Adjusters are people, their notes follow the claim, and a homeowner who calls angry three times a week is not getting the benefit of any doubt. Keep a log of every call and email. Respond to requests on time. Let the carrier's deadlines, not your frustration, set the pace. And watch for two shortcuts that end badly: a contractor who promises what the carrier will pay, and a contractor who offers to cover your deductible so the partial approval "works." Waiving or absorbing a deductible is illegal in Georgia, we never do it, and a roofer who offers is telling you how they handle paperwork.

When the partial approval is right

Sometimes it is. One slope took the hail, a repair is possible with shingles that still exist, and the rest of the roof is honestly fine. In that case the job is to make sure the approved scope is complete for that slope, including starter, ridge, flashing, and anything the repair disturbs, and then to do the repair well enough that it does not become next year's leak. Taking a fair partial approval and executing it cleanly is a better outcome than spending six months fighting for a replacement the roof does not need.

If your estimate came back short and you want a second set of eyes on the roof before you answer the carrier, Robust Roofing's free inspection with photos documents every slope, and our storm damage restoration team handles the scope, the re-inspection walk, and the supplement paperwork. Call (470) 887-6637 to set it up.