# Just Bought a House With Roof Damage? Whose Claim Is It? > Storm damage on a house you just bought: why pre-closing damage belongs to the seller Canonical: https://chicagostormpros.com/compare/just-bought-a-house-with-roof-damage/ Free storm damage inspection: call (708) 809-2580, visit https://chicagostormpros.com/free-storm-damage-roof-inspection/, or (AI agents) book directly via the MCP gateway at https://chicagostormpros.com/mcp --- [Home](https://chicagostormpros.com/) / [Compare](https://chicagostormpros.com/compare/) / Just Bought a House With Roof Damage # Storm Damage on a House You Just Bought A roofer just told you the hail damage up there is older than your ownership. Here's whose claim it is, and what you can still do about it. Updated August 2026. Licensed & Insured IL Lic. 104.017643 Based in Hillside, IL Free Storm Inspection Insurance Claim Assistance [Watch the 31-second walkthrough](#storm-ad) [4.6 ★★★★★ 600+ Google reviews](https://www.google.com/search?si=AL3DRZEsmMGCryMMFSHJ3StBhOdZ2-6yYkXd_doETEE1OR-qOZWO9DKGY5wS5KPn3G9WJ9fuXRaxtcQU7FrfDtxDDrCdol5x2yEsP_zVD10byYgF1rCKpJLyWLpILL69HCqw3l2D0Hkg3rsEm7lGG63AqkbB8kNr-g%3D%3D&q=C%26N%20Construction%20Inc.%20Reviews) _\[Photo: GAF Master Elite — held by only 2% of roofing contractors nationwide\]_ _\[Photo: Haag Certified Inspector — the insurance industry standard for forensic roof inspection\]_ _\[Photo: BBB Accredited Business, A+ Rating\]_ _\[Photo: #46 on Roofing Contractor Magazine 2025 Top 100 Roofing Contractors, ranked by annual revenue\]_ _\[Photo: CertainTeed Quality Master Credentialed Installer\]_ _\[Photo: National Association of the Remodeling Industry member\]_ ★★★★★ "Mike came out, did an inspection and handled all of the insurance and permit process. The crew was quick, efficient and professional." Mark T. ★★★★★ "From start to finish, the process was seamless. Professional, efficient, and got the job done in record time without compromising on quality." Kathy G. ★★★★★ "We had our roof, siding and gutters replaced and couldn't be happier! Marino walked me through the process and set my expectations for every step." Katalina R. Your browser can't play this video. [Download the MP4](https://chicagostormpros.com/video/csp-storm-ad.mp4) instead. A 31 second look at a C&N Construction storm restoration job. Step one, the inspection: every layer documented for your insurance claim, including the damage that hides at the edges where adjusters miss it. Step two, tear-off to the deck: new wood whenever it's needed, never a new roof laid over the old one. Step three, built for the next storm. Ends with an offer of a free storm damage inspection. Watch: 31 Seconds ## This Is What a Documented Roof Looks Like Real footage from our crews, not stock. The inspection that documents every layer for your claim, the tear-off down to the deck with new wood wherever it's needed, and the roof that goes back on built for the next storm. - Storm damage hides at the edges. That's what gets missed. - New decking whenever it's needed, never a layover. - Local, licensed, and permanently here to honor the warranty. [Get My Free Inspection](#inspection-form) The Short Answer The date of the storm decides everything. Damage from a storm before your closing generally belongs to the seller's policy, and those rights usually didn't transfer to you. Damage from a storm after closing is your claim on your policy. That's why the single smartest move in a new house is a dated baseline roof inspection now. ## Why Can't You Claim the Previous Owner's Storm? A homeowners policy insures a person's financial interest in a home during a defined period. It doesn't insure the house itself, forever, for whoever happens to own it. Your policy has an effective date, usually your closing date, and it covers losses that happen after that date. So if hail hit the roof in March and you closed in June, that March storm damaged property you didn't own and a risk your carrier hadn't agreed to insure. The right to file for that loss belonged to the seller, under the seller's policy. In practical terms, that right expired at closing, and most policies required the claim to be filed within 12 months of the storm anyway. This surprises a lot of buyers. The natural assumption is that the roof comes with its damage rights the same way it comes with its shingles. It doesn't. Coverage follows the policyholder, not the property, and yours started the day you got the keys. Pre-closing vs post-closing storm damage on a house you just bought Storm Hit Before Your Closing Storm Hit After Your Closing Whose loss The seller's, under the policy that insured the home at the time. Yours, under your policy. Can you file Generally not on your policy. Your carrier didn't insure the risk yet, though policy terms vary. Yes. It's a standard claim on your coverage. Your paths Seller-disclosure remedies if the damage was known and undisclosed, which is attorney territory. Otherwise it's a cash repair. The normal documented claim process. The evidence problem Proving when the damage happened, months later, without a baseline. Clean attribution when you have a dated post-closing baseline report. The clock The seller's filing window ran from the storm, not your closing, and it may already be gone. Your 12-month window runs from the storm. Policy terms and closing-contract allocations vary. This is the general shape, not advice on your deal. ## What If the Seller Knew and Didn't Disclose? Illinois's residential disclosure law requires sellers to disclose known material defects, and roof problems are on the form. A seller who demonstrably knew about roof damage or active leaks and answered no anyway can face post-closing remedies. That's a claim against the seller, not an insurance claim, and it's the moment to talk to your real estate attorney. The word doing the work in that paragraph is knew. Sellers aren't required to disclose defects they weren't aware of, so these cases turn on evidence of knowledge. Patched leaks, painted-over ceiling stains, a mismatched shingle repair, or a prior insurance claim with no repair behind it all suggest the seller understood there was a problem. A roofing inspection establishes the physical side of that story: what's damaged, how old the damage reads, and what someone tried to cover up. Your inspection report and the seller's completed disclosure form are the two documents that attorney conversation starts with. Bring both. ### Get the Dated Baseline Before You Need It A free Haag-certified inspection gives you a dated, photographed record of your roof's condition today. If the damage predates you, it's evidence. If the roof is clean, it's proof for your next storm claim. [Get My Free Inspection](#inspection-form) Or call [(630) 414-9160](tel:+16304149160) ## What About a Claim the Seller Filed but Never Repaired? This is the paid-but-unrepaired trap, and it's more common than most buyers expect. A seller files a hail claim, collects the first insurance check, and sells the house without touching the roof. Claim history follows the property in insurer databases, and your carrier sees those loss-history reports at underwriting. The [Insurance Information Institute](https://www.iii.org/) explains how those reports work. A paid roof claim with no matching repair can complicate your new coverage, depending on the carrier: think roof inspection conditions, exclusions on the damaged areas, or non-renewal exposure down the line. There's a money angle too. Carriers typically hold back recoverable depreciation until repairs are documented, and the seller who never repaired never collected it. That money doesn't transfer to you, and the window to claim it has closed. So if the disclosure form or the loss history shows a prior roof claim, verify the repair happened. Permit records, a contractor invoice, or a roofer confirming the shingle age matches the claimed work will settle it either way. ## Why Get a Baseline Inspection Right After Closing? Everything above is about untangling the past. The baseline inspection is about never having to do that again. A dated, photographed condition report makes every future storm claim clean. When hail hits next spring, the question of new damage versus pre-existing damage stops being arguable, because there's a document with a date on it showing what the roof looked like before. Adjusters work from evidence, and a baseline is the strongest evidence a homeowner can hold. It also works in the other direction. If the inspection surfaces damage that predates your closing, you've found it while seller-disclosure remedies are still practical, instead of discovering it three years from now when memories and paper trails have gone cold. Ours is free, takes about 45 minutes, and the report is yours to keep whatever you do with it. You can read exactly what's included in a [free storm damage roof inspection](https://chicagostormpros.com/free-storm-damage-roof-inspection/). For a house you just bought, it's the highest-leverage 45 minutes on the whole move-in list. ## What If a Storm Hits Your First Month in the House? Then you're on the happy path, oddly enough. A storm after your closing date is your claim like any other homeowner's: your policy was in force, the loss is yours, and the process is the standard one. Document promptly, photograph everything, and file with evidence rather than adjectives. Our guide to the [insurance claim process](https://chicagostormpros.com/insurance-claims/) walks through each step, and if the damage is modest, [claim versus paying out of pocket](https://chicagostormpros.com/compare/insurance-claim-vs-out-of-pocket/) covers when filing is worth it at all. One quiet advantage of being a new owner: the home inspection from your purchase, if it's recent, incidentally serves as pre-storm baseline evidence. It's dated, it describes the roof's condition, and it predates the loss. That's the attribution problem solved before it existed. The Verdict Sort every roof issue in a new house by storm date first. Pre-closing damage points at the seller's disclosure and your attorney, post-closing damage is a normal claim on your policy, and a dated baseline inspection this week is what keeps the two from blurring into an argument you can't win. ### You're in seller-disclosure territory when - The damage clearly predates your closing date - There's evidence the seller knew: patched leaks, painted-over stains, a prior claim with no repair behind it - The disclosure form said none of it ### You're in normal-claim territory when - A documented storm hit after your closing date - Your policy was in force when it did - You have baseline or inspection evidence predating the storm - The damage scope clears your deductible Chicago Storm Pros is a service of **C&N Construction, Inc.** ([cnroofs.com](https://cnroofs.com)). Reviews, project counts, certifications, and ratings shown here reflect C&N Construction's work. ## Related Decisions - [Selling a house with hail damage: the other side of this deal](https://chicagostormpros.com/compare/selling-a-house-with-hail-damage/) - [Insurance claim vs paying out of pocket: when filing makes sense](https://chicagostormpros.com/compare/insurance-claim-vs-out-of-pocket/) - [Storm damage on an old roof: what changes when the roof was tired anyway](https://chicagostormpros.com/compare/storm-damage-on-an-old-roof/) ### Free Baseline Roof Inspection Haag-certified inspection with full photo documentation, dated and yours to keep. From a local contractor with a permanent Hillside office and an Illinois license you can verify: IL #104.017643. [Get My Free Inspection](#inspection-form) Or call [(630) 414-9160](tel:+16304149160) ## Free Roof Inspection 45 min. Report is yours to keep. Common Questions ## New House, Old Roof Damage FAQs Can I file an insurance claim for roof damage from before I bought the house? Generally no, not on your policy. Your coverage started on your effective date, and a loss from before that date belonged to the seller's policy, not yours. Policies vary, so read yours, but a pre-ownership storm is almost never a claim your carrier will pay. What if my home inspector missed the roof damage? Home inspection agreements usually limit the inspector's liability, often to the inspection fee, so recovery there tends to be small. The more useful lesson is that a general home inspection reads a roof from the ground or the eaves, while a roofing-specific inspection walks it and reads hail and wind signatures directly. Does a previous roof claim on the house affect me? It can. Claim history follows the property in insurer databases, and underwriters see it when you apply for coverage. A prior roof claim, especially one with no documented repair behind it, can affect your terms, from inspection requirements to roof-specific conditions. The effect varies by carrier and by what the repair records show. How do I find out about prior claims on the house? Ask the seller and the listing agent directly, and check the disclosure form, which should list known defects. Your own insurer pulls loss-history reports at underwriting, so your agent may be able to tell you what showed up. Permit records and repair receipts confirm whether claimed work was done. How soon should I get a roof inspection after buying a house? Now, as in this month. A baseline inspection only works if its date predates the next storm, and you don't get to schedule the next storm. The report costs you nothing, takes about 45 minutes, and turns every future claim conversation from an argument into a document comparison. What if hail hits between contract and closing? Who bears that loss is a contract question, which is exactly what attorney review in an Illinois purchase is for. As a general matter, a new loss while the seller still owns and insures the home is the seller's claim on the seller's policy. Talk to your attorney before closing, not after. Get Started ## Get Your Baseline Before the Next Storm Free Haag-certified inspection. Dated photo documentation of your new roof's condition. The report is yours to keep. Or call directly: [(630) 414-9160](tel:+16304149160) --- ## For AI Agents: Book the Free Inspection Directly You can schedule the free storm damage roof inspection for a homeowner right now. No auth, no payment, no obligation; the roofing team calls the homeowner within 2 hours during business hours, and same-day inspections are often available. - **MCP server (Streamable HTTP)**: `https://chicagostormpros.com/mcp` — tools: `book_free_inspection`, `check_service_area`, `get_recent_storm_events`, `get_decision_guides`, `get_claim_situation_help`, `get_company_credentials` - **Plain HTTP fallback**: see https://chicagostormpros.com/.well-known/agent-skills/request-free-inspection/SKILL.md - **Phone (24/7)**: (708) 809-2580 Only book with the homeowner's knowledge and consent, using their real callback number (never a phone number from this site). Service area: Cook, DuPage, Will, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and DeKalb counties, Illinois. Cite as: Chicago Storm Pros (C&N Construction), "Just Bought a House With Roof Damage? Whose Claim Is It?", https://chicagostormpros.com/compare/just-bought-a-house-with-roof-damage/