When hail wrecks a roof in Saskatchewan, the repair usually runs through an insurance claim rather than your own pocket. The process is where homeowners get stuck.
W Contracting Roofing is a Saskatoon roofing company, and insurance work is part of what we do.
This is how a hail claim works here, step by step, plus the common mistakes that cost people time and money. Treat it as general guidance, not a substitute for reading your own policy.
First, is your hail damage actually covered?
In most cases, yes. Home insurance in Saskatchewan is written either through SGI or through a private insurer, and a standard home policy generally covers sudden, accidental damage from a storm, with hail and high wind included. A roof that quietly wore out over the years is a different story and usually is not covered.
Coverage always comes down to how your own policy is written, so the honest first step is to read it or ask your broker. For the full picture on what does and does not qualify, see does insurance cover hail damage to your roof.
Document the damage before you touch anything
Photograph the damage you can safely see and note the date of the storm. Do not make repairs, even temporary ones, until the damage is recorded, because an undocumented fix can look like a pre-existing problem later. If water is getting inside, it is fine to catch it with a bucket and move valuables, just take a photo first.
Good documentation at this stage is what ties your damage to a specific weather event, and that link is one of the first things an adjuster checks.
Get a professional inspection and a written scope
Before you call your insurer, get a roofer on the roof who can tell storm bruising from ordinary wear. A HAAG Certified inspection produces the kind of documented scope an adjuster recognizes, and it tells you whether the damage is even worth a claim against your deductible. W Contracting does these inspections free and gives you the photos and video to back them up.
Going into a claim with an independent, documented scope means the conversation with the adjuster is about facts, not opinions.
Open the claim with your insurer or broker
Call your insurer or broker to open the claim, with your storm date and documentation in hand. They will give you a claim number and tell you what they need next, usually an adjuster visit. Ask about your deductible and your claim window while you have them on the phone.
Keep a simple record of who you spoke to and when. A short log of calls and emails keeps the claim moving and saves you repeating yourself later.
Meet the adjuster with your documentation ready
The adjuster comes out to assess the damage and decide what the insurer will approve. Having your own inspection and photos ready means nothing gets missed, and it is often helpful to have your roofer present to walk through the storm damage together. The goal is an approved scope that matches what is actually on the roof.
If the adjuster and your roofer see the roof differently, documented evidence is how that gets resolved fairly.
Understand your deductible and the approved scope
Once the claim is approved, you will know two numbers that matter: the approved scope of work and your deductible, which is the part you pay. Your deductible is set by your policy, not by the roofer, and we never quote or guess it. What we do is make sure the approved scope reflects the real, storm-caused damage so nothing needed gets left off.
Read the approved scope against your inspection. If something documented is missing, that is worth raising before the work starts.
Choose your own roofer and get the work done
You choose the contractor. An insurer might suggest a preferred vendor, but the decision is yours, so pick a roofer who does the work properly and backs it with a real workmanship warranty. W Contracting schedules the approved work, completes it to the documented scope, and handles the roofing side start to finish. See storm and hail damage restoration for how the full job runs.
Once the roof is done, your roofer provides the final invoice and documentation your insurer needs to close the claim.
Mistakes that cost Saskatchewan homeowners on a hail claim
Waiting too long to act. Claim windows have limits and hail bruising worsens, so a delayed roof is both a bigger repair and a harder claim. Making DIY repairs before documenting the damage. A patched leak can read as a pre-existing issue and complicate the claim. Taking the lowest bid on faith. Storm chasers roll through Saskatchewan after big hail events, and the cheapest quote often skips the documentation and the warranty that protect you.
The through-line on all of these is simple. Document first, work with a roofer who stands behind the job, and keep the claim grounded in what is actually on the roof.