Storm damage, documented before it changes
After hail, wind or a falling tree, the roof and exterior need to be recorded quickly, completely and safely. A drone gives the adjuster, the owner and the contractor the same dated evidence to work from.
Claims turn on evidence
A property claim is an argument about facts: what was damaged, when, by what, and how much of the roof or exterior is affected. The evidence is often thin. The owner takes phone photos from the driveway. A contractor climbs up and shoots a few close-ups. The adjuster arrives days later, after tarps and temporary repairs, on a roof that may not be safe to walk.
A drone flight soon after the event captures every slope and elevation, close up and in context, with the date and location stored in each image. Hail strikes on shingles, soft metal and vents; lifted or missing shingles after wind; impact from a fallen tree; damaged flashing, gutters, skylights and rooftop units. Nobody has to walk a damaged roof to get it, and on steep or tall buildings the drone reaches what a ladder cannot.
The same record serves everyone. The owner has proof of condition. The adjuster can assess scope with complete coverage and decide where a hands-on check is needed. The restoration contractor can scope the repair from the same images. When there is a disagreement, there is one dated set of evidence rather than three partial ones. It pairs naturally with a regular roof inspection that shows condition before the storm.
Adjuster, owner, contractor, insurer
Adjuster
- They need from you
- Complete, dated, unedited images of all affected areas, with enough context to tell storm damage from wear, and access to originals if questioned.
- You need from them
- Claim number, date of loss, the scope to document, and any insurer capture guidelines.
- On the DroneLink record
- They review in the DroneLink project, pin comments on specific damage and request reshoots. Adjusters in Canada are licensed provincially and remain responsible for the assessment.
Property owner or strata
- They need from you
- A fast, fair claim and proof of what the storm did.
- You need from them
- Permission to fly, a site contact, and notice to residents in multi-unit buildings.
- On the DroneLink record
- They get the same link as the adjuster, so nobody is working from a different set of photos. See for property managers and strata.
Restoration or roofing contractor
- They need from you
- Scope and measurements to price the repair and order material.
- You need from them
- What they need measured and any areas already tarped or repaired.
- On the DroneLink record
- A mapping flight can add an orthomosaic and model for areas and lengths.
Insurer
- They need from you
- Consistent documentation across many claims, especially after a regional event.
- You need from them
- Their standards for capture, file naming and retention.
- On the DroneLink record
- Every claim becomes a project record with version history. See for insurers and adjusters.
Documenting a storm claim
Book quickly, fly safely
The sooner the flight, the less the evidence changes. But flights wait for safe wind and weather, and for any emergency airspace restrictions to lift. Canada restricts flight near wildfires, and the US uses temporary flight restrictions over disaster areas.
Overview of the whole property
Orbit and elevation shots show all sides and the surroundings, including fallen trees and neighbouring damage that helps establish the event.
Slope-by-slope detail
Close images of each slope, soft metals, vents and flashing, where hail and wind leave the clearest marks.
Reference and scale
Wider shots tie each close-up to a location. Where measurements are needed, a mapping flight adds a scaled orthomosaic.
Preserve originals
Original files are kept unedited with their metadata. Any annotated or enhanced images are clearly separate versions.
Share one record
The owner, adjuster and contractor all open the same project record by link.
Documenting one property, not the neighbourhood
A claim flight is about one building, but a camera in the air sees further. In Canada, collecting personal information in the course of commercial activity falls under privacy law: federal law in most provinces, and provincial private-sector laws in BC, Alberta and Québec, where the rules were strengthened in recent years. In the US, privacy and drone surveillance rules vary by state. The principles are the same everywhere: collect only what you need for the purpose, keep it secure, and do not use it for something else.
In practice we keep the camera on the insured property, avoid neighbours' windows and yards, blur or crop incidental people where images are shared beyond the claim, and control who can open the record. Claim documentation often includes the interior of damaged areas and personal details; it stays in the project record and is shared by link only with the people on the claim. The rules on take-off, airspace and bystanders are covered in Canadian drone rules and US drone rules.
Where claim evidence breaks down
Photos with no date or location
Images forwarded through messaging apps lose their metadata, and nobody can prove when they were taken.
Only the damaged spot was photographed
Without the rest of the roof, the adjuster cannot tell storm damage from age and wear.
Someone got hurt getting the photos
Storm-damaged roofs are wet, loose and weakened.
Questions
Can a drone be used for an insurance roof inspection?
Yes. Many adjusters and insurers accept drone imagery as documentation, and some use it routinely. The adjuster still decides what the images show and may do hands-on checks, such as test squares for hail.
Can a drone detect hail damage on a roof?
Close, high-resolution images show hail strikes on shingles, soft metals, vents and gutters, especially on light-coloured or granular surfaces. Distinguishing hail from wear or blistering is the adjuster's call, and some cases need a hands-on look.
How soon after a storm should the roof be documented?
As soon as it is safe to fly and any emergency airspace restrictions are lifted. The longer you wait, the more rain, temporary repairs and further weather change what can be proven.
Will my insurer accept drone photos?
Most insurers accept clear, dated images as part of a claim, but each sets its own process. Ask your adjuster before the flight whether they have capture guidelines, and we will follow them.
Is it legal to fly a drone over my neighbour's property for a claim?
The flight has to follow aviation rules on airspace and distance from people, and privacy law limits what you collect. We plan the flight to stay focused on the insured property and avoid capturing neighbours.
Who gets the drone images in an insurance claim?
You decide, before the flight. Typically the owner, the adjuster and the contractor share one project record by link, with originals preserved.
What drives the cost of claim documentation by drone?
Property size, number of buildings, urgency, travel, whether measurements are needed, and airspace permissions. After a regional event, weather and demand affect scheduling.
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An address and what you need is enough to start. We reply with what it will take, who will fly it and when.