Insurance & Claims

Photograph Your Roof for Insurance — The 12-Photo Baseline Set

What every NAZ homeowner should have on their phone before the next monsoon arrives.

By NorthernAZRoofing Team · 2 min read

Every roof claim begins with one question: "What did your roof

look like before the storm?" If you can't answer with timestamped

photos, the adjuster's depreciation table answers it for you.

The 10-minute baseline photo set protects you for every future

claim. Take new photos every 12-18 months.

The 12-photo checklist

Equipment: your phone. Don't worry about quality — adjusters need

documentation, not portfolio shots.

  1. Front of house, full elevation. Stand on the sidewalk; capture

the whole roof from one corner.

  1. Right side, full elevation. Same setup from the right.
  2. Back of house, full elevation. Either over a fence or from

the alley.

  1. Left side, full elevation. Final perimeter shot.
  2. Roof from above (drone if available). Otherwise stand on

a tall ladder + extend the phone.

  1. Each chimney / penetration close-up. Vent stacks, attic

fans, skylights, satellite mounts.

  1. All flashing locations. Where the roof meets walls or

chimneys.

  1. Gutter close-ups. Every corner downspout. Capture any

existing damage now.

  1. Each ridge run. Shows ridge cap condition.
  2. Valleys (where two roof planes meet). Most failure-prone

area. Multiple angles.

  1. Eave/soffit detail. Pre-existing wear, paint condition.
  2. One photo with the date visible. A newspaper, your phone's

clock, or a printed date sign held next to a roof feature.

Critical metadata

  • Don't crop or filter. Adjusters want EXIF metadata.
  • GPS tag enabled in your phone settings.
  • Backup to cloud immediately. iCloud, Google Photos, Dropbox.

When to retake

  • After any major weather event (you'll want post-event photos

anyway)

  • After any roofing work
  • Annually in spring (April-May)
  • Before listing the home

How adjusters use baseline photos

  1. Establishing pre-existing condition. "Look — granule loss

was already at 35% in your April baseline."

  1. Identifying new damage. "The hail dent in your June

photos isn't in your April baseline — that's claim-eligible."

  1. Speeding the claim. "Baseline + post-event photos = clear

comparison = faster approval."

  1. Defeating depreciation. Documented good condition = full

RCV pay-out vs ACV with deductions.

Storage + organization

Create a "Roof Insurance Baseline" folder in your cloud storage.

Add date-stamped sub-folders. The latest set should always be

findable in 30 seconds when an adjuster calls.

Match with a claims-experienced contractor →

#photos #baseline #insurance #documentation

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