Money a public adjuster holds toward your settlement must sit in a non-interest bearing escrow or trust account at a federally insured financial institution.
215 ILCS 5/1580Wind and storm damage claims in Chicago and across Illinois
Wind damage is often a broken seal you cannot see from the driveway. I check every slope by hand and document the opening the rain came through.
- IL Public Adjuster #19461872
- IN Public Adjuster #3556317
- HAAG Certified Inspector
- Licensed IL Roofing Contractor
Where I look for wind damage on your roof
Damage in a band on the windward side is hard to call old age.
- Eaves and rakesMissing or folded tabs, drip edge pulled loose.
- The ridgeRidge caps cracked, shifted or gone.
- The windward slopeCreased tabs with the sealant strip let go. I find them by lifting each course.
- Flashing, vents and guttersLifted flashing, bent vents, gutters off their brackets.
What a wind denial letter says, and what I check
Partial wind denials tend to rest on one of four reasons.
| The letter says | What it usually means | What I check |
|---|---|---|
| Wear and tear | The damage was read as age, not the storm. | Whether it clusters on the windward side. |
| No storm-created opening | Water inside is treated as rain through an old gap. | Photos of the opening and the ceiling below it. |
| Manufacturing defect | Unsealed tabs are blamed on the shingle. | Whether they follow the wind direction or appear on every slope. |
| Removal limit reached | Tree removal is capped by a policy sublimit. | The figure, and whether the tree struck a covered structure. |
Send me your storm photos and the insurer's letter
I'll tell you what the roof needs checked before any repair.
+1 224-481-2095 volodymyr@staterestoration.us- Free inspection and policy review
- No upfront cost
Useful to have ready
- Photos from the storm dayOriginal files, not screenshots.
- The insurer's estimate or letterEvery page.
- Your declarations pageIt shows any wind or hail deductible.
- Tarp and board-up receiptsEmergency work is normally part of the claim.
After the storm: what to do, in this order
The proof for the inside of the house disappears first.
- Before the tarpPhotograph the opening
From the ground, then the ceiling below while it is still wet.
- Same dayCover it and keep the receipt
Your policy asks you to stop further damage.
- Until inspectedLeave the roof as it is
Keep fallen shingles. A replaced slope can no longer be assessed.
- After dryingGet the drying log
Moisture readings show how far the water travelled.
What goes into the wind claim file I prepare
Every slope, marked
As a HAAG certified inspector I photograph each slope and count the damaged tabs on it.
The storm date
National Weather Service storm reports for your area and date, attached to the claim.
Roof and ceiling together
The opening and the water path inside shown in one set of photos.
In the insurer's format
My scope written line by line in the same estimating terms as the insurer's estimate.
How Illinois law makes a public adjuster handle your money and records
The adjuster keeps a complete record of your claim for at least seven years after the work ends, open to the Director of Insurance.
215 ILCS 5/1585(b)That record lists what you recovered and every payment the adjuster received for your loss, from any source.
215 ILCS 5/1585(a)Wind claim questions I hear most
Wind took shingles off and rain came through the ceiling. Is the ceiling covered?
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On most homeowner policies, yes, when wind first made an opening in the roof or a wall and the rain came through it. Photograph the opening before the tarp goes on.
Does the wind have to reach a certain speed before I can claim?
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The policy covers damage caused by wind, not wind above a set speed. A shingle whose sealant strip has let go can lift in an ordinary gust.
I tarped the roof the night of the storm. Was that a mistake?
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No. Your policy expects you to protect the property from further damage. Keep the receipts and photograph the tarp once it is up.
Why is my deductible higher on this claim?
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Some policies carry a separate wind or hail deductible, often written as a percentage of the dwelling limit. Your declarations page shows it.
I represent policyholders and I am not an attorney. Policy wording differs between insurers, and nothing on this page promises a result on your claim.