How to Read an Insurance Adjuster's Roof Report

The adjuster report is the document your claim lives or dies on. It tells the carrier what is covered, at what price, with what depreciation, and on what timeline. Most homeowners never read it line by line. The ones who do find errors, missing line items, and depreciation calculations that shift the settlement by thousands.

This guide walks the report the way we walk it on a Gulf Coast claim. You do not need to be an insurance expert to spot the common problems. You need to know what each section is supposed to say.

Get the report in writing

After the field adjuster visits, the carrier owes you a written estimate. Under Ala. Admin. Code r. 482-1-125-.07, the insurer has 30 days from receipt of a proof of loss to accept or deny the claim in writing — or send a written explanation of why they need more time, with updates every 45 days. If you do not have a written estimate after that, call the claims line and ask for the "estimate of damage" or "loss summary." Some carriers default to summary numbers only. Ask explicitly for the full Xactimate detail sheet, which is the line-item version.

The five sections every adjuster report has

1. Cause and origin

One paragraph stating what caused the damage. "Hurricane Sally produced wind damage on or about September 16, 2020." This sets the entire claim. If the cause is listed as anything other than the storm you reported, the rest of the report will be denial-tilted.

Watch for words like "deterioration," "normal wear," "maintenance issue," or "prior damage." Those are denial triggers, and they need a roofer to push back with photo evidence.

2. Scope of loss

A list of what is damaged and where. Slope by slope on the roof, room by room on the interior. If the report says "one slope of damage" and you have visible damage on three slopes, the scope is wrong. If the report does not mention your damaged skylight flashing, your chimney chase cover, your gutter system, or your detached carport, those are missing line items.

3. Line-item estimate (the Xactimate sheet)

Carriers use software called Xactimate to price each repair line. Every item has a code like "RFG 240" (architectural shingles) or "RFG UNDLAY" (synthetic underlayment), and a price from a database updated quarterly for your ZIP code.

Read it for two things. First, is everything that needs to be done actually listed? A reroof that does not include ice-and-water shield at valleys, drip edge, starter strip, or ridge vent replacement is short-scoped. Second, are the quantities right? Squares of shingle should match your roof. If the report says 18 squares and your roof is 27, the carrier is underpaying.

4. Depreciation

Almost every Alabama policy has two settlement numbers: actual cash value (ACV) and replacement cost value (RCV). ACV is what the carrier pays up front. RCV is the full repair number. The difference is depreciation, calculated based on the age and condition of the roof at the time of loss.

Two depreciation flavors matter. Recoverable depreciation is held back by the carrier and released to you once you actually complete the work and submit final invoices. Non-recoverable depreciation is gone for good. A 22-year shingle roof on a 25-year warranty will have significant depreciation. Whether any of it is recoverable depends on your policy. Check the declarations page.

5. Settlement summary

The final math: RCV minus depreciation minus deductible equals the initial check. Read every number. A common error is the deductible being applied at the wrong percentage (named-storm deductibles are often different from base deductibles), or depreciation being calculated on the wrong age.

What gets left out

Almost every adjuster report we walk is missing one or more of these line items:

• Ice-and-water shield at valleys, eaves, and around penetrations. Not required by IRC R905.1.2 in Baldwin County (we're south of the ice-barrier zone), but reputable coastal installers run it as wind-driven-rain protection, and some local amendments call for it. If your roofer is going to install it, it should appear on the scope.
• Drip edge on rakes and eaves. Required by code, often missing if your old roof was installed before the requirement was enforced.
• Synthetic underlayment to replace failed felt.
• Re-flashing of the chimney, skylights, and roof-to-wall intersections (not just shingle work).
• Ridge vent replacement where the existing ridge vent is damaged or non-compliant.
• Permit fees (Baldwin and Mobile counties both require permits for full reroofs).
• Disposal and dumpster cost beyond a single small dumpster.
• Sales tax on materials (Alabama charges this; some reports omit it).

How to write a supplement request

When the report is short-scoped, the response is a supplement request, not a fight. Carriers expect supplements; they are part of the normal claim process. The format is simple:

1. Email the adjuster (in writing, with a paper trail).
2. Reference the claim number, date of loss, and original estimate date.
3. List each missing or under-quantified line item with a one-sentence reason: "Add RFG IWS at valleys. Self-adhered membrane at valleys is standard high-wind coastal practice and is on the proposed scope of repair. Existing estimate does not include."
4. Attach photos of the affected areas with the relevant line item noted on each.
5. Ask for a revised estimate.

Where Optimum fits

We read adjuster reports for Baldwin and Mobile County homeowners every week, sometimes for our customers, sometimes as a second-opinion read before someone hires anyone. We will look at yours for free and tell you whether the scope is fair, what is missing, and what supplement language to send.

No assignment of benefits, no contingency contract, no pressure. Just an honest read.