Roofing, canvassing & insurance restoration glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms storm restoration roofers run into every day — from date of loss, ACV and recoverable depreciation through supplements and drip edge, to the canvassing vocabulary the field runs on: territories, pins, saturation, and knock-to-contract rates. No jargon, just what each one means and why it matters to getting paid.
Know the words, collect the checks
Every claim runs on the same vocabulary, and so does every canvassing route. The better you know it, the more of the scope you can read, supplement, and collect — and the faster a new rep is useful at the door.
ACV vs. RCV
ACV is the depreciated cash value of your roof today; RCV is what it costs to replace it new — and the gap between them is the depreciation you have to earn back.
Read definitionRecoverable depreciation
The portion of the claim the carrier holds back at first and releases once the roof is replaced and documented.
Read definitionRoofing supplement
An additional request to the insurance carrier for money the original scope left off — extra line items, missed materials, or code-required work.
Read definitionClaim supplement
The formal submission, with documentation, that asks the carrier to revise an approved claim and pay for additional or corrected line items.
Read definitionXactimate
The estimating software most insurance carriers use to price roofing claims, line item by line item, at regional rates.
Read definitionScope of loss
The carrier’s itemized estimate of the damage and what they’ll pay to repair it — the document every claim is built on.
Read definitionInsurance adjuster
The carrier’s representative who inspects the damage and writes the estimate that determines what the claim pays.
Read definitionPublic adjuster
A licensed adjuster the homeowner hires to represent their interests against the carrier — usually for a percentage of the claim.
Read definitionOverhead and profit (O&P)
An extra percentage — usually 10% overhead plus 10% profit — added to a claim when the job is complex enough to need a general contractor.
Read definitionDeductible
The amount the homeowner is responsible for paying out of pocket before the insurance coverage kicks in on a claim.
Read definitionCode upgrade coverage
Policy coverage that pays for work required to bring the roof up to current building code, even if the old roof didn’t have it.
Read definitionDrip edge
A metal flashing installed along the roof’s edges that directs water away from the fascia — and a line item carriers frequently leave off.
Read definitionRidge cap
The finishing shingles that cap the peak of the roof — often priced as standard shingles or left off the scope entirely.
Read definitionIce-and-water shield
A self-adhering waterproof membrane installed in vulnerable areas to prevent leaks from ice dams and wind-driven rain.
Read definitionStorm restoration
The business of repairing or replacing roofs damaged by storms, paid for primarily through insurance claims rather than out of pocket.
Read definitionHail damage
Impact damage to shingles from hail — bruising, granule loss, and fractures that compromise the roof and trigger a claim.
Read definitionWind damage
Roof damage from high winds — lifted, creased, or missing shingles that break the seal and let water in.
Read definitionContingency agreement
A homeowner contract that authorizes the roofer to do the work if and when the insurance claim is approved.
Read definitionCertificate of completion
A signed document confirming the roof work is finished — usually required before the carrier releases the recoverable depreciation.
Read definitionDepreciation release
The carrier’s second payment, sent after the roof is completed and documented, that recovers the depreciation held back at first.
Read definitionMortgage check endorsement
When a claim check is made out to both the homeowner and their mortgage company, requiring the lender’s sign-off before funds release.
Read definitionSupplement line items
The specific items added to a claim through a supplement — the missed materials, code work, and underpriced entries that bring the scope up to the real job.
Read definitionNon-recoverable depreciation
Depreciation the carrier subtracts and never pays back — the part of a claim a policy keeps even after the roof is replaced.
Read definitionActual cash value (ACV)
What your roof is worth today after the carrier subtracts for age and wear — the smaller, first check on most claims.
Read definitionReplacement cost value (RCV)
What it actually costs to replace the roof new at today’s prices — the full amount a replacement-cost policy pays once the work is done.
Read definitionProof of loss
A sworn statement the carrier may require documenting the damage and the amount claimed — often with a deadline that can sink a claim if missed.
Read definitionMatching (line of sight)
The rule that repaired and undamaged roofing should reasonably match — the basis for getting a full slope, or a full roof, instead of a patch.
Read definitionOrdinance or law coverage
The policy coverage — also called code upgrade coverage — that pays for work current building code requires on a rebuild.
Read definitionITEL report
A lab test that identifies a shingle and whether it’s still available — the evidence that often justifies a full roof on a matching claim.
Read definitionReinspection
A second look by the carrier — often with you present — to review damage or supplements the first adjuster missed or denied.
Read definitionClaim denial
When the carrier refuses to pay — often for “no covered damage” or “wear and tear” — which isn’t always the final word.
Read definitionAerial measurement report
A roof measurement built from aerial or drone imagery — squares, pitch, ridges, and valleys — without climbing for tape measurements.
Read definitionRoofing square
The unit roofers price by — one square equals 100 square feet of roof area.
Read definitionRoof pitch
How steep a roof is, written as inches of rise per 12 inches of run — and a driver of both safety and price.
Read definitionStarter strip
The first course of shingles at the roof’s edge that seals the eaves and rakes — required, and frequently left off the scope.
Read definitionStep flashing
The L-shaped metal pieces that waterproof where a roof meets a wall or chimney — often reused improperly or left off the scope.
Read definitionRoofing underlayment
The water-resistant layer between the decking and the shingles — felt or synthetic — that’s a standard part of a complete reroof.
Read definitionGranule loss
When the protective mineral granules wear or knock off a shingle — a key sign of hail impact and aging.
Read definitionSoft metals
The bendable metal accessories — gutters, vents, flashing — where hail dents show up as clear, hard-to-deny evidence.
Read definitionTest square
A marked-off section of roof — usually 10 by 10 — where you count hail hits to prove the density of storm damage.
Read definitionDate of loss (DOL)
The calendar day the storm actually damaged the property — the single date the whole claim is built on, and the one the carrier checks first.
Read definitionFirst notice of loss (FNOL)
The moment the homeowner tells the carrier a loss happened — the phone call or online form that officially opens the claim.
Read definitionCanvassing
Working a defined area door to door to find storm-damaged roofs and set inspections — the primary way most restoration companies generate work.
Read definitionDoor knocking
Approaching a homeowner at their door to offer a free roof inspection after a storm — the individual conversation inside a canvassing route.
Read definitionCanvassing pin
The record a rep drops on the map at a door, holding the address, the outcome, the timestamp and the photos.
Read definitionSaturation map
A shaded view of which streets have already been worked and which have not, so a crew stops re-knocking the same block.
Read definitionKnock-to-contract rate
The share of doors knocked that end up as a signed job — the single number that tells you what an hour of canvassing is worth.
Read definitionSales territory
A drawn boundary on the map assigned to a rep or crew, so two people are never working the same street and no street is left unworked.
Read definitionNo-soliciting ordinance
A local rule limiting door-to-door sales — usually a permit requirement, allowed hours, and a duty to honor posted no-soliciting signs.
Read definitionCooling-off rule
The FTC rule giving a buyer three business days to cancel a sale of $25 or more signed at their home — with written notice of that right required at signing.
Read definitionStorm chaser
A crew that follows storms from market to market — a normal business model, and also the label homeowners use for the ones who disappear after the check clears.
Read definition