Roof Leak After a Storm: What to Document Before the Repair

What should be photographed first?

Photograph the stain from the room below, the wet area on the ceiling and the attic above it, and the roof from the ground. Take a wide shot and a close shot of each item, and date every photograph.

A wide shot from the doorway shows the room and where the stain sits. A close shot of the stain, the drip and the wet material shows the detail a reader needs. Include a shot with an object of known size, such as a ruler or a coin, so the scale is clear.

From outside, photograph the roof from the ground, showing any lifted shingles, bent flashing, a fallen limb or a gap at a vent. Do not climb onto the roof to take the photographs.

How should the attic be recorded?

Record the attic only from the opening and only if it is safe. Photograph the wet insulation, the framing, any daylight coming through the decking and any staining on the rafters. Note the location of the leak relative to the roof's features.

Attic work is hazardous. Do not step onto the ceiling joists or the insulation, and do not enter the attic if the floor is soft or the framing is sagging. A crew with the right equipment can record it safely.

Write down the features you can see, such as the chimney, the vent pipe, a valley or the ridge, and where the water appears to run. That record helps the roofer find the entry point and helps the claim show where the damage began.

Keep the roofer's invoice and the scope with the photographs and readings. If the roofer changes the plan once the decking is open, ask for the change in writing with a photograph of what was found, so the record shows why the repair differed from the first plan.

What should go on the list of damaged items?

List each item below the leak with its room, what it is, its age if known, its condition and a note of the damage. Include the furniture, electronics and paper that were wet. The list is best made before anything is moved.

Group the list by room so the record follows the house. A list that says only what was in the room, and what is left after the leak, is easier to check than a list written later from memory.

Where an item is beyond repair, note that and keep it until the record and the inspection are done. Do not throw wet items away before the list is complete, since disposal can remove the evidence.

What do the moisture readings add to the file?

Moisture readings show how wet the insulation, framing and drywall were, and how the drying changed them over time. A reading shows the condition more clearly than a photograph alone, and it ties the photographs to the cleanup.

Readings are taken at the same marked points each time, so the change can be followed. The starting readings show how wet the material was, and the drying readings show the fall toward dry.

Keep the readings with their dates and the points they were taken at, and keep a simple plan of the points so anyone reading the file can match them to the photographs.

When is it safe to repair the roof and close the ceiling?

The roof can be repaired once the record is complete and the building is safe to work on. The ceiling is closed only after the readings show the cavity is dry. Closing a wet ceiling traps moisture and hides the evidence.

Ask the roofer to wait until the photographs and the attic record are complete, unless there is a safety reason to repair sooner. Once the opening is covered, the roofer can work without losing the evidence.

The ceiling is patched only when the readings show dry, and the patch is made to a clean line. Keep the final readings in the file, since they show when the cavity was dry enough to close.

How should the file be kept for the insurer and the repair?

Keep the photographs, the list, the readings and the roofer's and crew's invoices and scope in one place, with dates. Share copies with whoever is handling the claim, and keep the originals. How a claim is decided is set by your policy and insurer.

A file kept in order is easy to review. Put the photographs in date order, the list with its room headings and the readings with the plan. Add the scope and the invoices as they arrive.

The policy and the insurer decide what is covered. The file gives the insurer and the repair crew the facts they need, and the crew cannot tell you how the claim will be settled.

How do you record a leak that happened at night?

Write down what you heard, saw and did as soon as you can, with the time. Note the wind and the rain, the first sign of water and what you did to stop it. A note written the next morning is still useful if it says it was written later.

A leak at night may show as a drip, a ceiling that sags or a sound in the attic. Note where the sound came from and the room below it. Keep a bucket or a towel in place if you can, and record how fast the drip was when you looked.

Take photographs in the morning, when there is light, and label them with the date and the time. Say in the note that the photographs were taken the morning after, so the record is honest about when each item was seen.

What does a roofer usually need to see before repairing?

A roofer usually needs to see the opening, the surrounding material, the attic path of the water and any damage to the decking. A record that shows those areas lets the roofer plan the repair and lets the insurer assess it from the same facts.

Ask the roofer to photograph the opening and the decking from above and below before the repair starts. The photographs become part of the record, and they show how the roof was closed up.

A roofer may find damage the water crew could not see from inside, such as a split rafter or a torn underlayment. Ask for those findings in writing, and add them to the file so the record matches the repair.

What if the leak comes back after the repair?

A leak that returns after a roof repair should be recorded in the same way as the first one, with the date, the weather and the location. Tell the roofer and the water crew, and keep the new record with the original file so the two can be compared.

A returning leak can come from a different point than the first, such as a vent or a valley that was not part of the repair. The record shows where the water appears now, which helps the roofer find the new entry point rather than repeat the old work.

Ask the roofer to put the repair in writing, with the materials used and the areas covered. That document is part of the file, and it shows what was done if the leak is discussed later with the insurer or another contractor.

A roofer and an insurer can read the same opening in different ways, and a clear record helps settle the difference. If the roofer finds more damage than the first inspection showed, ask for the findings in writing with photographs. If the insurer disagrees, ask which part of the record it relies on and what it would need to change its view.

Close the file only when the roof is repaired, the ceiling is dry and closed, the final readings are recorded and every invoice is in the file. A file closed early can leave a gap that is hard to fill once the insurer or a later buyer asks about the history.