Hail is a fact of life in New Mexico. Per the New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance, hail damage is the most common claim type for homeowners' insurance. If a storm just rolled over your house, here's how the claim process actually works — including what a roofing contractor is legally allowed to do for you, and what we're not.
Who files the claim? You do.
This surprises a lot of homeowners: by New Mexico law, only the policyholder or a licensed public adjuster can file and negotiate an insurance claim. A roofing contractor — any roofing contractor — cannot represent you in negotiating, adjusting, or settling a claim. We're a licensed roofing contractor, not a public adjuster, and we stay firmly on our side of that line.
Be wary of anyone who knocks on your door after a storm and offers to "handle the whole claim for you." That's not how it works in New Mexico.
What a roofer legitimately does in the process
Staying inside the legal lines still leaves a lot of real help:
- Free storm-damage inspection. We get on the roof and tell you honestly whether there's damage worth pursuing.
- Documentation. We provide dated photos and measurements you can attach to your claim. Good documentation is the backbone of a smooth claim.
- A repair estimate before you file. We give you a free repair-cost estimate so you can compare the cost of the fix against your deductible. If the repair costs less than your deductible, filing a claim gains you nothing — and knowing that up front can save you a claim on your record.
- Meeting the adjuster. When your insurance company sends an adjuster, we meet them on the roof so nothing gets missed.
- Doing the approved work. Once insurance approves a scope of work, we execute it.
What we will never do
We will never waive, rebate, or absorb your insurance deductible. That's illegal in New Mexico, and it's prohibited under many insurance policies too. If a contractor offers to "eat your deductible," walk away — a company willing to break that law to win your job is telling you something about how they'll handle the rest of it.
Know your policy's hail fine print
The Office of Superintendent of Insurance also cautions that homeowner policies may carry exceptions for cosmetic damage and higher deductibles specifically for hail. Before a storm ever hits, it's worth pulling out your policy and checking those two items — they determine whether a claim is even worth filing and how much you'll pay out of pocket if it is.
The process, start to finish
- After the storm, look for ground-level clues — dings on gutters, dents in A/C fins, fallen tree debris. Don't climb on the roof.
- Call for a free inspection. We'll tell you what's actually up there, with photos.
- Compare the repair estimate to your deductible and decide whether filing makes sense.
- If you file, you file — with our documentation in hand.
- We meet your adjuster on the roof when they come out.
- Insurance approves the scope, we do the work.
Here's what that looks like from the homeowner's side. Neil Bell, one of our customers, put it this way: "Lobo approached us after a hailstorm and offered to check our roof for damage. 6 weeks later and zero hassle we have a whole new roof for just the cost of our deductible. Even new gutters and vent caps!"
That's the system working the way it's supposed to — the homeowner pays their deductible, insurance covers the approved scope, and the contractor does the work.
Start with an honest look
You can read more about how we support claims on our insurance claims page, and if you're weighing whether a new roof makes sense outside of insurance entirely, our New Mexico roof replacement cost guide covers what the 2026 market data says.
If hail has come through your neighborhood, don't guess about what it did to your roof. Request a free inspection and estimate — we'll document what we find, give you a straight answer about whether a claim is worth pursuing, and let you make the call.