Yes, if the storm left water in the house, a stain that grew during the rain, missing shingles, daylight in the attic, or a limb on the deck. A dry roof with a few granules in the gutter can often wait until morning. An active leak cannot.
True Roofers runs the after-storm roof inspection from the Lakeland office at 2829 Badger Rd #19. License CCC1332725. We photograph the roof for your carrier. We do not file the claim or adjust it.
Call tonight
Water dripping inside. A ceiling that is sagging or bulging. A hole or a missing section. Daylight through the attic. A tree on the roof.
Stay off the wet deck. Photograph from the ground and from inside. Bucket under the drip. Close the door on a bulging ceiling. Do not poke the bulge.
That first visit is often emergency roof repair. If we cannot close the opening the same night, we tarp so the next band does not keep feeding the attic. How long a tarp holds: how long can a tarp stay on a roof in Florida.
Call (813) 800-1800 or the 24/7 inspection line (863) 880-2041. Lakeland office: (863) 624-6590.
Wait until morning
A few missing shingles and a dry ceiling. Granules in the gutter and no stain. Wind you heard, nothing you can see from the yard.
Book the free inspection the next day anyway if a named storm or a hail cell came through. Damage hides at boots, valleys, and the ridge. Dixieland low-pitch roofs hold water. Cleveland Heights oaks drop limbs you notice after the sun is up.
What we check after a Lakeland cell
The field for lifted or missing shingles. Flashing at chimneys, vents, and skylights. Attic insulation for wet spots. Interior ceilings. Then photos and a written list of what needs work now and what can wait.
If the leak is a boot, that is roof leak repair. If a plane is stripped, we measure the section, not just the hole, because Florida’s 25% roofing rule can turn a patch into a code upgrade. Age letters are a different statute: the 15 year roof rule.
Where Lakeland storms hide the damage
A Polk cell often leaves the street looking fine and the roof open in one place. On Dixieland and other low-pitch roofs near the lakes, water sits in the valleys after the rain stops. Lifted shingles there do not always show from the yard. Cleveland Heights and the oak streets drop limbs on the edge, then the gutter packs with leaves and the stain shows up a few feet in from the wall. South Lakeland ranches take wind on the south plane. You see granules in the bed of the truck and assume that is the whole story.
Hail is easier to miss than a missing shingle. It bruises the mat. The granule coat looks dusty. The leak can wait a week. That is why a dry ceiling the morning after is not a pass. Book the walk if a named storm or a hail cell came through, even when you cannot point at a hole.
What to photograph before we arrive
You do not need to get on the roof. From the ground, shoot each slope you can see, the ridge, and any pile of shingles in the yard. Inside, shoot the stain with something in the frame for scale, the attic if you can reach it safely from the hatch, and the time on your phone so the photo has a date. If a limb is on the deck, shoot it before anyone cuts it up. The carrier wants the roof as the storm left it.
Keep those photos with our written file. We add the roof-level shots: field, flashing, boots, and any wet insulation. You send the packet. We do not file the claim.
The order we use the morning after
If water is still coming in, the first hour is containment, not a full report. Bucket, furniture out, stay out of a room with a bulge in the ceiling. We tarp or patch the opening so the next band does not keep feeding the attic. The written inspection can finish in daylight when the deck is safe to walk.
If the ceiling is dry, the visit is the walk. Most houses take 45 to 60 minutes. Steep tile and a full attic take longer. You do not have to be home for the roof. Interior stains go faster if someone can open the door.
You leave with photos and a written split: fix now, watch, or measure for the 25% rule. A few granules in the gutter with no lifted tabs and a dry attic usually lands on watch. A valley that held water, a boot with daylight, or a plane missing a run of shingles lands on fix now. We price that in writing before anyone tears off. The inspection itself is free.
The insurance file
Carriers ask what the roof looked like after the storm. We take those photos on the inspection. You send the file. We do not file the claim.
Same crew works Plant City, Winter Haven, Wesley Chapel, Auburndale, and Davenport. Start in town on roofers in Lakeland.
License CCC1332725. 4.9 stars on Google, 240+ reviews. 12+ years on these roofs.
