How do you inspect a roof for damage?

Walk the perimeter first

Circle the house with binoculars on a dry, bright day. Look for missing or creased shingles, tabs flipped up along the edges, exposed black mat where granules are gone, and anything sitting on the roof such as limbs. Note the slope each problem is on, because wind damage is usually concentrated on the side that faced the storm.

Check the soft metals and gutters

• Gutters and downspouts: fresh dents, and a gritty pile of granules at the downspout outlet after a storm.
• Vents, flashing and the AC unit: round dings in aluminum vents or fins are a quick hail clue.
• Window screens and painted wood: spatter marks or chipped paint on the storm side.

Go into the attic

With a flashlight, look at the underside of the decking around chimneys, pipes, valleys and skylights. Dark rings, wet insulation, rusty nail tips, or pinpoints of daylight mean water or air is getting through. Soft or sagging sheathing points to a long running leak.

What you cannot see from the ground

Hail often leaves soft bruises in the mat that only show when someone presses on the shingle, and wind can break the seal strip without tearing anything. Those are the findings that decide a claim, and they require someone on the roof who knows what to feel for. Our roof inspection guide explains what a full inspection covers, and Georgia hail season explains when to look hardest.

If you do find something, photograph it with a date, keep any shingle pieces that blew into the yard, and avoid walking the roof yourself, especially on anything steeper than a gentle slope.