After a hailstorm, most homeowners look for obvious holes or leaks — but real hail damage is usually subtler than that. It shortens your roof's life and shows up as bruising, granule loss, and dents long before it ever leaks. Knowing what to look for helps you catch it while it's still claimable.
On the roof itself
- Bruising — soft, dark spots where the granules are knocked away; they feel tender, like a bruise on fruit
- Granule loss — bald patches on shingles and a buildup of granules in gutters and at downspouts
- Cracked or chipped tiles — common on Arizona tile roofs
- Exposed or shiny asphalt where the protective surface has been stripped
- Dented or split shingle edges
The clues you can see from the ground
You don't have to climb up to spot warning signs. Look for dents and dings on metal surfaces around the home — these often mean the roof was hit too:
- Dented gutters, downspouts, and metal fascia
- Dings on the AC condenser fins
- Damaged or torn window screens
- Dents on garage doors, vents, and mailboxes
- Splatter marks on painted surfaces and decks
Hail damage doesn't have to leak to be covered. Because it shortens the roof's lifespan, it's claimable — but it has a reporting window, so if a storm recently passed through, it's worth a close inspection now.
What to do if you think you have hail damage
Don't climb on the roof — it's dangerous and you can cause more damage. Instead, photograph what you can see from the ground, note the storm date, and have the roof professionally inspected. A public adjuster inspects for free and documents the full extent so a claim reflects the real damage, not just what's visible from the driveway.