Reinspection
Also called: re-inspect, second inspection
Reinspection is a second visit to the property, usually requested when the contractor and the first adjuster disagree about what is damaged. A different or more senior adjuster attends, often with the contractor present, and re-examines the roof against the disputed items.
What it means
A reinspection is a second inspection of the same loss, arranged after the first one produced a result the policyholder disputes. It is the ordinary next step when a contractor believes the adjuster’s scope missed real damage, and it is far more common than any formal dispute mechanism.
The visit itself looks like the first one, with one important difference: it is usually attended by both the adjuster and the contractor, and it is focused. Rather than a general survey of the roof, it examines the particular items in dispute.
How one gets arranged
The policyholder asks their carrier for it. That is worth being clear about, because a contractor cannot usually demand one on a policy they are not party to. What the contractor supplies is the reason: a written summary of exactly which items are disputed and why, with photographs.
Carriers respond better to that than to a general objection, and so do the adjusters who attend. A request that says “we believe the west and north slopes carry hail damage that was not scoped, see attached photographs of test squares on both” gets a different reception from “the estimate is too low.”
What actually changes an outcome
Evidence about identified items. On a reinspection the useful materials are marked test squares, close photographs with something for scale, measurements, and an account of why an omitted component is necessary rather than merely desirable.
Two things reliably do not work. The first is arguing prices, which are not what the reinspection is for. The second is arguing volume, on the theory that a longer list is a stronger case. Padding a disputed scope with items that will not stand up weakens the items that would have.
It is also worth being realistic. A reinspection can confirm the original scope, and often does. That is a legitimate outcome rather than a failure of the process, and it is information: it tells the homeowner and the contractor where they actually stand before anyone spends more on the dispute.
Common mistakes
Missing it is the most damaging. It is a two-party appointment, and rescheduling one on a busy storm file can cost weeks.
The second is attending unprepared. The reinspection is the moment the evidence gets looked at, and evidence assembled on the roof that morning is rarely as good as evidence gathered deliberately beforehand.
The third is treating it as a confrontation. The adjuster attending did not write the original scope, and the fastest reinspections are the ones where both parties are looking at the same shingle and talking about what is on it.
On the call
A reinspection is an appointment with two parties who both have to be there, which makes it far more fragile than a normal inspection. Confirm the date and time with the homeowner, confirm the crew or rep is booked for it, and call the day before, because a missed reinspection can set a disputed claim back by weeks.
This is how our agents handle it on storm appointment calls and day-to-day roofing answering service intake.
Questions people ask about reinspection
- Who can request a reinspection?
- The policyholder requests it from their carrier. A contractor can prompt and prepare it, and will usually attend, but the request comes from the person with the contract. Carriers generally accommodate a reasonable request supported by specific disagreements rather than a general complaint.
- Does the same adjuster come back?
- Not usually. The point of a reinspection is a second look, so carriers commonly send a different adjuster or a more senior one. Sending the original adjuster back to review their own conclusion tends to produce the original conclusion.
- What actually changes a reinspection outcome?
- Specific, documented disagreements about identified items. Photographs of the damage in question, a marked test square, measurements, and a clear explanation of why an omitted line is required. A general assertion that the adjuster missed things rarely moves anything.
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