How to File a Hail Insurance Claim in Calgary

01 · Section

Quick answer — the 60-second version (citation-ready)

02 · Section

Home insurance vs. City of Calgary claim — file the right one

03 · Section

The 9 calls — exactly who to phone, in what order

• 01Call 1 — Licensed Calgary roofer (day 1–3). Book a free drone inspection. Insist on a written, dated, slope-by-slope report with strike-density counts and collateral-damage photos. Don’t climb the roof yourself.
• 02Call 2 — Your home insurance carrier’s claims line (day 2–7). Not your broker — the 24/7 claims number on your declarations page. Say: “I’d like to open a hail-damage roof claim from the [date] storm. A licensed Calgary roofer has inspected and documented damage.”
• 03Call 3 — The claim coordinator (day 3–10). Ask for the claim number, the assigned adjuster’s name and direct number, and the requirement that the inspection be physical (not desk/virtual) with your roofer present.
• 04Call 4 — Your roofer to confirm the adjuster meeting (day 5–14). Your roofer arrives 30 minutes before the adjuster, chalks every strike, and walks every slope. This single step changes payouts by 30–60%.
• 05Call 5 — The adjuster post-meeting (day 7–20). Within 48 hours of the meeting, follow up in writing (email) summarizing what was agreed. Get the initial scope of loss in your inbox before the cheque is cut.
• 06Call 6 — Your roofer for the supplement (day 10–25). The initial scope is almost always low by $4,000–$8,000. Your roofer writes a supplement with Xactimate line codes, photo evidence, and Alberta code references. The adjuster updates the scope.
• 07Call 7 — Carrier to confirm RCV vs. ACV (day 14–30). Confirm whether the first cheque is ACV (depreciated) with a release-of-holdback to follow, or full RCV. Confirm whether a Roof Limitation Endorsement is on your policy.
• 08Call 8 — Your roofer to schedule the install (day 21–60). Tear-off and Class 4 install runs 1–3 days. Calgary’s 90-day post-storm window is the busiest scheduling period of the year — book early.
• 09Call 9 — Carrier post-install (day 60–120). Submit certificate of completion and final invoice. The insurer releases the depreciation holdback (ACV-to-RCV difference). You pay your deductible. Claim closes.

04 · Section

Exact phone script for the claims-line call

• 01Opener: “Hi, I’d like to open a hail-damage roof claim. Storm date is [exact date]. Policy number [number]. A licensed Calgary roofer has already inspected the roof and documented strikes on every slope with a written report.”
• 02Ask for: the claim number in writing, the adjuster’s name and direct line, and the next-available physical roof inspection slot.
• 03Insist on: “I’d like the adjuster meeting coordinated with my roofer present on the roof. Please flag this in the claim file.”
• 04Refuse: a virtual or desk-only adjustment. “I’d like a physical inspection — desk adjustments under-scope hail by 40–60% in Calgary.”
• 05Do not say: “Maybe it’s damaged” or “the roofer thinks it might be” — softening language gives the adjuster permission to write a minimum scope.
• 06Do not say: “Just replace the shingles” — this limits the claim to shingles only and excludes underlayment, flashings, vents, and code upgrades.
• 07End with: “Please email me a written summary of this call and the next steps within 24 hours.” Get everything in writing.

05 · Section

Documents to keep in one folder before you call

• 01Your declarations page — the 2–4 page policy summary. Find: policy number, dwelling coverage amount (Coverage A), deductible (flat or %), wind/hail endorsement language, and the 24/7 claims phone number.
• 02Drone damage report from your licensed Calgary roofer — slope-by-slope strike counts, collateral-damage photos (vents, eavestrough, soft metals), and a dated cover letter.
• 03Storm verification — Environment Canada storm report for the date (free at hail.alberta.ca or the Canadian National Hail Project). Adjusters cross-check this.
• 04Roof age and product — manufacturer, product line, installation year, original installer (or invoice). If unknown, your roofer can identify shingle class from photos.
• 05Photos of collateral damage — eavestrough dings, downspout dents, soft-metal vent caps, A/C condenser fins, garage door panels, fence boards. Each is a separate scope line.
• 06Previous claim history — the last 5 years on this address. Carriers pull this anyway; knowing your record stops surprises.

06 · Section

Alberta deadlines and timelines you can’t miss

• 01Loss date — the date of the storm. Document it the day it happens (Environment Canada record, photos with timestamps, neighbour confirmation).
• 0212-month reporting deadline — most Alberta home insurance policies require the claim to be reported within 12 months of the loss date. Miss it and the carrier almost always denies. File even if you’re unsure of damage — you can withdraw a claim; you can’t resurrect a stale one.
• 03180-day to 365-day completion window — most policies require the actual work to be completed within 180 to 365 days for full RCV (replacement cost) recovery of the depreciation holdback. The ACV cheque arrives first; the holdback only flows after the certificate of completion. Don’t let this window expire — that money is yours, but only if you finish the job.
• 04The unwritten 90-day install window — Calgary’s post-hailstorm install demand peaks 45–90 days after the storm. Booking inside this window is the difference between a 4-week and 14-week wait. Schedule the install the moment the supplement is approved.
• 05Roof warranty start date — your new Class 4 roof’s ${FACTS.metrics.workmanshipWarrantyYears}-year workmanship warranty begins at substantial completion, not at supply delivery. Don’t let invoicing tricks shift this date.

07 · Section

Calgary-specific traps to refuse

• 01Out-of-province storm chasers. Tent setups in gas-station parking lots, door-to-door pitches the week after a storm, “we’ll waive your deductible” offers. All illegal in Alberta. They’ll be in Saskatchewan by October and your warranty will be worthless.
• 02“We’ll waive your deductible.” Insurance fraud under Alberta’s Insurance Act. The contractor pads scope to absorb the deductible; the carrier audits eventually; you’re on the hook. Just pay it — it’s 5–15% of the total recovered scope.
• 03Assignment of Benefits (AOB) contracts. AOBs transfer your claim rights to the contractor. Once signed you cannot dispute scope or fire them. Good Roofing never uses AOBs. Refuse the signature.
• 04Chinook windstorm vs. hail miscoding. Calgary’s Chinooks can strip shingles without any hail at all. Wind-only damage filed as a hail claim is routinely denied. Have your roofer separate the cause in writing.
• 05Percentage-deductible surprise at the cheque. Newer NW/SE Calgary homes increasingly carry 2–5% wind/hail deductibles. On a $750,000 home, 2% is $15,000 — not $1,000. Read your dec page before you file.
• 06Pressure to sign before the adjuster meeting. If a contractor wants signature before your adjuster has walked the roof, they want control of the claim, not your roof.
• 07Quiet Roof Limitation Endorsement at renewal. Aviva and several others quietly attach “Roof Surfacing Limitation” clauses at renewal once shingles cross 15 years. This converts a $20,000 RCV payout into an $8,000 ACV one. Read renewal docs every year.