Commercial roof damage claims in Chicago
A flat roof hides most of its storm damage under the membrane. I'm a licensed public adjuster and a licensed Illinois roofing contractor. I inspect the whole roof, price what the storm did to it and negotiate the claim with your insurer.
- IL Public Adjuster #19461872
- IN Public Adjuster #3556317
- HAAG Certified Inspector
- IL Roofing Contractor #105.009193
What a storm does to each layer of a flat roof
An estimate written after a walk across the top prices the one layer you can see. I check all five.
Rooftop units and curbs
Hail bends the fins on air conditioning units and dents vent caps. The dents also show which side the storm came from.
Membrane and seams
TPO, EPDM or modified bitumen. I look for punctures, split seams and sheets the wind lifted.
Insulation
Water that gets through the membrane soaks the boards below it. I put the size of the wet area in the scope.
Deck
Steel, wood or concrete. It can only be judged from inside the building or through a test cut.
Edge metal, parapets and drains
Wind starts to peel a roof at the coping and flashing. A first estimate often leaves them out.
Three questions decide a commercial roof claim
The insurer answers them in its estimate. I answer them from the roof and your policy.
Storm or wear?
Ponding, shrinkage and old patches are wear. Punctures and torn seams that line up with a storm date are damage. I record both.
Patch or replace?
The insurer often approves a patch. I test on the roof whether one will hold.
How does your policy pay?
Replacement cost or actual cash value, a wind and hail deductible, a cosmetic damage exclusion. I read the endorsements first.
Every roof claim is tied to one storm. I confirm the date with National Weather Service storm reports.
Is your roof claim one I take on?
I work on commercial buildings in Illinois and Indiana.
I handle
- Hail or wind damage to a flat or low-slope roof
- Tile, slate, metal and shingle roofs on commercial buildings
- A patch approved where the owners expected a new roof
- An estimate with no insulation, edge metal or rooftop units in it
Use another route
- A roof that leaks from age aloneA roofing contractor. That is maintenance.
- A dispute over how the roof was installedThe installer's or the manufacturer's warranty
- A lawsuit against the insurerAn attorney. I am not one.
What goes in the roof file I send your insurer
A roof plan with every finding on it
Each puncture, split seam and dented unit placed on a measured drawing, with its photo.
The wet area, measured
Where water got under the membrane and how many square feet it covers.
Storm data for your address
The date and the hail size or wind speed reported for your county.
A price a roofer would sign
Tear-off, insulation, membrane, edge metal and code items at contractor cost.
Three tests I run before I agree to a roof repair
How far the damage spreads
Marks in one section, counted and photographed.
Damage in most sections of the roof.
What is under the membrane
Dry insulation around the damaged spot.
Wet insulation over a wide area. A patch would seal the water in.
Whether the membrane takes a patch
The sheet still bonds to new material.
An aged sheet that will not weld or glue.
Each result goes into the file with a photo. If the roof is simply worn out, I tell you at the inspection. See also commercial property claims and roof claims on a house.
Send me the policy and the roof estimate
I'll tell you which parts of the roof the estimate leaves out. The inspection and the policy review are free.
+1 224-481-2095- The full policy with every endorsement
- The insurer's line-item estimate
- Any engineer's report
- Roof maintenance records
Commercial roof questions owners and managers ask me
The insurer says the hail damage is only cosmetic. Is that the end of the claim?
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It depends on your policy. Some commercial forms exclude cosmetic damage, most often on metal roofing. I read your form, then check whether the dents changed how the roof sheds water.
My tenant reported the leak. Whose claim is it?
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The roof is usually the owner's claim, on the owner's policy. The lease decides who insures the tenant's build-out and stock.
Do you take claims on tile, slate and metal roofs?
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Yes, on commercial buildings as well as flat membranes. I inspect them as a licensed Illinois roofing contractor.
I represent policyholders and am not an attorney. Nothing on this page promises a claim result.