Monsoon season is when New Mexico roofs earn their keep. When a storm cell dumps hail, wind, and an inch of rain on your neighborhood in twenty minutes, the question afterward is simple: did my roof take damage, and what do I do about it? Here's the checklist we give homeowners — in order, from the moment the sky clears.
Step 1: Stay on the ground
Do not climb on your roof after a storm. Wet shingles and membranes are slick, storm damage can hide soft spots, and nothing you'd learn up there is worth a fall. Everything in the next step can be seen from ground level.
Step 2: Walk the property and look for these clues
Storm damage announces itself at ground level before you ever see the roof:
- Dings on gutters and downspouts. Hail hard enough to dent metal gutters was hard enough to bruise shingles.
- Dents in your A/C unit's fins. The condenser sits out in the open and takes the same hail your roof did — it's an honest witness.
- Fallen tree debris. Branches down in the yard mean branches may have hit the roof on the way.
- Shingle pieces or granules on the ground. Fragments in the yard or piles of granules at downspout outlets suggest the storm got a grip on the roof surface.
- Anything visibly out of place from the street. Lifted or missing shingles, bent flashing, displaced vent caps.
Step 3: Check inside the house
Look at ceilings and the attic if you can safely access it. Water stains, damp insulation, or daylight where daylight shouldn't be are all reasons to move quickly — water that's already inside doesn't wait for your schedule.
Step 4: Photograph everything, with dates
Take dated photos of every clue you find: the dented gutter, the A/C fins, the debris, the interior stain. If this becomes an insurance claim, dated documentation from right after the storm is exactly what supports it. When we inspect, we add professional dated photos and measurements to your file — but your own same-day pictures are a great start.
Step 5: Get a professional inspection — free
Ground-level clues tell you a storm made contact. They can't tell you whether the roof actually needs work. That takes someone on the roof who knows what hail bruising and wind creasing look like. Our storm-damage inspections are free, and during monsoon season we're typically on a roof within 48 hours of the call in Albuquerque.
Step 6: Compare before you claim
Before filing anything with your insurance company, know two numbers: what the repair actually costs, and what your deductible is. We give you a free repair-cost estimate for exactly this comparison. If the fix costs less than your deductible, a claim gains you nothing. If the damage is substantial, you'll file knowing the claim is justified. Our full guide to hail damage insurance claims in New Mexico walks through the process — including the legal reality that only you as the policyholder, or a licensed public adjuster, can file and negotiate the claim. We're a licensed roofing contractor, not a public adjuster; our role is inspection, documentation, meeting your adjuster on the roof, and doing the approved work. More on that at our insurance claims page.
Step 7: Be careful who knocks
Big storms bring out-of-town operators to New Mexico neighborhoods. Two red flags end the conversation immediately:
- Anyone offering to waive, rebate, or absorb your deductible — that's illegal in New Mexico.
- Anyone claiming they'll "handle the insurance claim for you" — by NM law, a contractor can't negotiate or settle your claim.
A legitimate local roofer will inspect, document, estimate, and then let you decide.
The bottom line
Most post-storm inspections we run end with good news — the roof held. But the ones that don't are exactly the cases where finding damage early, before the next storm exploits it, saves real money. If a storm has come through your area, request a free storm inspection. We'll tell you honestly whether your roof needs attention, and hand you the documentation either way.