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You need to figure out when the cost to repair the hit shingles will exceed the cost to replace a square of shingles and explain it to the homeowner. Ask your supervisor to explain it to you.

My, My,

Guess you should go to work for a vender that total's every roof.  Then you could be called a true West Texas Roof Jumper.

Houtz

If you are serious about becoming an adjuster read some of the many threads on this subject. Then answer  your own question.

A fairly new roof can be repaired shingle-by-shingle, but an old roof maybe cannot. 

I understand the frustrations of the initial poster, because certain carriers I've worked for required 7-8 hits and others 10-12 (which I personally feel is excessive).    However, the 10-12 hitters said if the repair factor exceeded 60% of RC (including steep & height), then that qualified same as total.   For instance, as Peter said, 7 hits @ $8/ea = $64.   I would use 1.3 factor for waste & adjacents, for total of  7 X $10.40 or $72.80 per sq.  Figure your 60% from there, and you might be close to total loss depending on geographical area. 

Sometimes you might have homes on the same block.  Can kinda make you look foolish if they are next door neighbors, and one is totalled while the other isn't.  But I have had it happen many times, in the case of an old roof vs. a new roof. That's where you just have to explain repairability.   It can be done on newer roofs...not as easily on older ones.   You old guys have seen it plenty of times, I'm sure.  No damage evident on one roof, and down the street it looks like it got hammered...just due to age and vulnerability.

This is just a personal opinion formed from my mentors while a staffer for 3 different carriers, prior to being an independent.  Go by what your carrier or manager tells you.  Or hope the carrier has a local staffer with authority that can make the call for you based on your observations and recommendations.    

Getting Warm????     Not exactly John Smith.  If you had an IQ above 100 you would be able to see that my original post was poking fun at the inexact science of hail estimating.    Do you have an IQ of 100 (I believe I am getting warm) I have been adjusting for 8 1/2 years (2 as a staff adjuster and a little over 6 as an independent adjuster.  I have inspected hail claims in every part of the country. 

Have I read the policy?  Are you referring to the one that says we cover damage by hail?  If you had any clue as to what you were talking about, you would know that hail is a big gray area.   If a roof has 7 hits per square and is 50 squares then there are more than 350 hits on the roof.  It is funny to me that as an adjuster you are supposed to explain to someone that there roof with 350 damaging hits is not really damaged-I was trying to be humerous.  I see that this was way over your head. 

To me test squares are a joke.  Strictly a tool for carriers to deny claims or repair as opposed to replace.  If a roof has damaging hits on multiple slopes, per an insurance contract, policy, roof should be replaced.

I have to agree with the poster here.  Mr. John Smith is most certainly a lifer with one of the big 4.  Warmer????  He feels important denying claims to insureds.  Fuels his power trip.  It is guys like him that make you hesitate to divulge your career to strangers.  If its damaged, replace it.  If its not dont.  Making something simple way to difficult.

Mr. Houtz, you are hired to properly adjust the claim.  If shingles show damage from hail they should be replaced.  If multiple slopes have damage they should be replaced, the entire roof.  Repairing shingle by shingle is a real joke and is not what the policy states.  Pre loss condition ???  Now what the heck is that term,,,,indemnity or something like that.  Excuse my spelling.  Yeah I read that somewhere.  Common sense can be a useful tool when adjusting as well.  Too many here REALLY FEEL COOL to deny or repair instead of replace on claims.  Apply policy properly, validate the damage, document and apply intelligence and common sense.   Easy Peasey.

I work for one of the big four and that has nothing to do with the replacing of roofs. I have benn in situations where the hail damage was minimal, but the condition of the roof prior made repairs impossible and allowed to replace anyway. I have been on roofs where there were as many as six layers and all of them should have been replaced before the storm. Never have I been told that so many hits per square was written in stone. Every time I have been told to use your best judgement and if the condition is such that repairs are not able to be done, just document the file and replace. As long as you can justify your decision and it is well documented, no one has said you should not have done so.

One company's arrangement currently allows roof replacement on a slope by slope basis provided that each of the four test squares contains 6 hits/1 square.  Must prepare four test squares per each N, S, E, W face.  I've always done 10/hits per square and one square per roof without too much of a problem in explaining the reason for denial.  Both approaches are effective.  They are also based on time tested methods from very experienced Adjusters and Mgt. personell striving to accomplish mutual satisfaction- in light of the language of the given policy.

I like Mr. Houtz's six (6) points on the bottom of the first page and Mr. Guillory's post just above this one.  Adjusting most hail claims is a breeze with straight down 1.5" hail or bigger.  Yet, being an Adjuster requires us to see the big picture and investigate each claim on a case by case basis.  Using test squares is a great tool and is the most common way to effectively determine repairability versus replacement.  It is not the only tool, though.  With clear judgement and effective communication, we strive to improve on the amount of reopens and the amount of time to close our claims.  It appears that we are all closer to being on the same page than we realize.

very simple, If your Staff you utilize a Roof Process form of some type, If you are Are Independant You use the Same Forms, But Buy the roof No matter what! Or At least thats what I have Ran Across at least 1 gazillion times.

Bottom Line, If your a Professional Adjuster you will do the RIGHT THING, Weather on Fee Schedule or Not! And If your NOT EXPERIENCED, Or Just DONT KNOW....... Take Time and LEARN! 

Last Year I was on at least 1200 Roofs, Mostly Hail, And I can HONESTLY SAY, If It needed replacement It got Replaced, and If NOT It didnt. And MOST of the Carrier's I worked with had a Roof Process of some type,. Or In The JIT Meeting We have Criteria Set at that time! 

I just am off of a Hail storm, and I SWARE I saw Adjusters Buying roof's that was Spidered or alligatored, Or just because they saw Granules in the Gutters.

LOOK FOR COLLATTERAL DAMAGES, Vents, Siding, Mailboxes, Neighborhood damages etc. If you dont know what a Hail hit looks Like, I have thousands of Pics, I will be Happy to share, and I imagine there are some on CADO somewhere, Bottom Line Be Honest, Documnet, take Pictures, And ADJUST! 

I know of a few Adjusters (I will not mention names) That used a Ball pein Hammer to Buy Roofs, And to ME, THAT IS A VIOLATION OF TRUST, and IS as well I consider a slap in the face to those of us who are in fact on the roof for all the right reasons! 

DO THE RIGHT THING!  Life is good!