Filing the claim and the adjuster visit

Bottom line first. The adjuster visit is where your claim gets its first number. Go in prepared, walk the property with the adjuster, ask for the estimate in writing, and keep a log of every contact. Prepared homeowners get clearer, faster answers.

What an adjuster is

An adjuster is the person who inspects damage and works out what a claim should pay. Most are employed by the insurer or hired by it for a storm. After a big hail event the insurer may send someone from out of town. The adjuster is not your enemy, but they work for the insurer. You are allowed to ask questions, point out damage and disagree. (A public adjuster is a different, licensed person who works for the policyholder for a fee; lesson hr-06 covers options when you disagree.)

Filing the claim, step by step

1. Report the claim by phone, app or website, as you did in lesson hr-01. Get a claim number and the adjuster's name and phone.
2. Read your policy. Find the deductible, the roof wording (replacement cost or actual cash value) and any notice or time-limit wording. If you do not have a copy, ask for one. A Colorado homeowner's insurer must provide a copy within the deadline in C.R.S. 10-4-110.8(10), which starts when the insurer's registered agent receives your written request (HB25-1322 (2025), Colorado General Assembly). If the insurer ignores a written request for a certified copy, the 2025 law adds a $50 per day penalty and allows attorney fees and costs.
3. Schedule the visit. Pick a time you can attend.
4. Collect your paperwork (list below).
5. Attend the visit.
6. Get the estimate in writing, review it and respond.

What to have ready

• Claim number and policy number.
• Your photos and video from lesson hr-01, backed up.
• Receipts for temporary repairs.
• Your roof age: when it was installed, any invoice, permit or paperwork from the last roof job. Do not guess; say you are unsure if you are.
• A list of damaged items inside the house, with rough cost and age.
• A notebook or phone notes for the claim log.

At the adjuster visit

Be there. You know the house, and you can point to things the adjuster might miss. Walk the property in the same order every time: roof, gutters, vents, siding, windows, fences and outbuildings, air conditioner, then inside.

• Show the damage you found. Mention things in the same storm that are not the roof, such as gutters and screens.
• Ask what the adjuster is looking for and what they are measuring. Ask whether they checked all slopes of the roof.
• Take your own photos of what the adjuster photographs.
• Ask when you will get the written estimate and how.
• Do not sign a release or any form you do not understand. Ask what it is. Signing a document that says a claim is fully settled can end the claim.
• Write down the adjuster's name, company, time arrived, time left and what they said.

If a roofer wants to attend, that is fine, but you are the policyholder and the insurer talks to you.

The estimate

The estimate is the written list of repairs and costs the insurer believes the claim covers. Look for: every slope of the roof, the number of layers of shingles, the roof squares (a square is 100 square feet of roof), underlayment (the water-resistant layer under the shingles), flashing (metal around chimneys and edges), gutters, tear-off and haul-away, code items, and the depreciation and deductible lines. If an item you saw is missing, ask in writing why.

The insurer's duties in plain words

Colorado's unfair claim settlement practices law (C.R.S. 10-3-1104(1)(h)) lists conduct an insurer must not engage in, if done willfully or often enough to be a general business practice. In plain words, an insurer should not:

• misrepresent facts or policy terms about the coverage at issue;
• fail to acknowledge and act reasonably promptly on your claim communications;
• refuse to pay without a reasonable investigation based on all available information;
• fail to say yes or no on coverage within a reasonable time after proof of loss is completed;
• fail to try in good faith to reach a prompt, fair settlement when liability is reasonably clear;
• fail to promptly give a reasonable explanation, tied to the policy and the facts, for a denial or a compromise offer;
• make a payment without a statement of the coverage it is paid under.

The statute says "reasonable" and "reasonably" but gives no set number of days in the text used for this course. Do not assume a specific deadline. A separate law says an insurer shall not unreasonably delay or deny payment of a claim for benefits owed to a first-party claimant (you), and that a delay or denial is unreasonable if it is without a reasonable basis (C.R.S. 10-3-1115). A policyholder whose claim was unreasonably delayed or denied may sue in district court for reasonable attorney fees, court costs and two times the covered benefit (C.R.S. 10-3-1116). Those are your rights if things go badly; lesson hr-06 explains the options. For now, the useful habit is to document everything so you can show what happened.

Keep a claim log

A claim log is a running record in one place, with one line for each contact: date, time, who, how (phone, email, in person), what was said or sent, and what happens next. Keep every letter, email, estimate and payment statement in one folder. Ask to hear back by email so there is a written trail. If a call matters, send a short email afterward: "Thanks for talking today. I understood that..."

Example with real numbers

Priya's adjuster visits on a Thursday. Here is how the paperwork looks afterward.

1. Day 0 (Saturday): storm. Day 2 (Monday): claim reported; log entry 1.
2. Day 5 (Thursday): visit, 10:00 to 10:50. Log entry 2. She walks the roof edge from the ground with the adjuster and points to dents on the north slope.
3. Day 10 (Tuesday): written estimate arrives: 28 squares at $450 per square = $12,600, plus $900 for gutters and $700 for tear-off and haul-away. Total $14,200. Deductible $2,000, so the estimate shows $12,200 as the claim amount before depreciation.
4. Priya notices the estimate covers two slopes of the roof, but photos show hail dents on four. She emails the adjuster: "Please explain why slopes 3 and 4 are not included." Log entry 3.
5. A second roofer prices the full job at $17,500. The gap between the two numbers is $17,500 - $14,200 = $3,300.

Priya's next step is not to guess who is right. She asks the insurer to re-inspect or explain, in writing, and keeps the log updated. What to do when numbers differ is the subject of lesson hr-06.

Quick checklist

• Claim number and adjuster contact saved.
• Policy read for deductible, roof wording and time limits.
• Attend the visit, point out damage, take your own photos.
• Ask for the estimate in writing and check each line.
• Write every contact in your claim log.

This course is general education, not legal or insurance advice. Your policy's own wording controls. If you are unsure, ask your insurer or a lawyer.