Southeast Michigan’s storm season does not announce itself politely. It arrives — sometimes in the first week of April, often with little warning — and runs without mercy through the better part of September. For homeowners across Wayne, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Macomb counties, the months between spring thaw and the first frost represent the highest period of weather-related property risk of the entire year. Severe thunderstorms, straight-line winds, and hailstorms are a fact of life here, and the roofs above our heads bear the full consequence.

Hail damage is among the most misunderstood forms of residential property loss. From the ground, a roof struck by hail can look completely intact. The granule loss, bruised asphalt mat, and fractured fiberglass substrate that an adjuster or qualified contractor documents on the surface are often invisible at street level. A homeowner who steps outside after a storm, sees no missing shingles, and declares the roof fine may be sitting on thousands of dollars in hidden damage — damage that will compound quietly over the following seasons as water infiltrates the compromised material. Ice dams the following winter. Premature shingle failure within two to three years. Interior water intrusion that triggers mold. What appeared to be nothing becomes everything.

The timing of a claim matters enormously. Michigan homeowners insurance policies contain language that requires losses to be reported promptly — and while most policies do not set an absolute deadline, insurers routinely use delay as justification to reduce or deny claims outright. An adjuster inspecting a roof one year after a documented storm event will note weathering, aging, and secondary damage alongside the original hail strikes, and the carrier will use that ambiguity to limit its liability. What might have been a full replacement claim becomes a partial payment, or nothing at all. Filing promptly, and documenting thoroughly, protects the homeowner’s legal and financial position.

In the first 48 hours after a storm, homeowners should take the following steps: photograph visible exterior damage at the ground level, including any debris, dented gutters, or damaged window screens — these are often early indicators of hailstone size and trajectory. Do not attempt to walk a residential roof without professional equipment and training. Contact your insurance carrier to open a claim and request an inspection date. Before allowing any contractor on the property, verify that the individual holds a current Michigan general contractor license. Under Michigan law, roofing work on a residential structure requires a licensed GC, and any contractor who cannot provide license verification upon request should be turned away. The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) maintains a public license lookup at michigan.gov/lara.

Southeast Michigan’s documented hail season peaks between May and August, with the highest frequency of damaging events occurring in late June and July. The 2023 season produced multiple storm cells with hailstones exceeding one inch in diameter across portions of Oakland and Macomb counties — the threshold at which asphalt shingles typically begin to sustain functional impairment rather than merely cosmetic bruising. Homeowners who experienced storms in that window and have not had their properties evaluated should consider doing so before the 2026 season intensifies further. Michigan homeowners with questions about storm damage can request a free property inspection at phase3construction.com.

No weather phenomenon is more punishing to residential roofing in Michigan than the freeze-thaw cycle, and no threat is more consistently underestimated by homeowners. Detroit’s metropolitan area averages more than 50 freeze-thaw cycles per calendar year — meaning that any water that has infiltrated a roof assembly, however slightly, will expand and contract dozens of times before spring arrives. A hairline crack in flashing becomes a fracture. A slightly lifted shingle becomes a conduit. A compromised valley becomes a leak that reaches the attic deck before the homeowner has any reason to look up.

Ice damming is the most dramatic expression of this cycle’s damage potential. When heat escapes through an insufficiently insulated attic, it warms the roof deck above the living space and melts snow from the inside out. That meltwater runs down toward the eave, where the roof surface remains cold because no heat rises from the soffit — and it refreezes. The resulting dam forces standing water to back up under shingles, beneath felt underlayment, and ultimately through the roof deck itself. The damage is typically not discovered until a homeowner notices a water stain on a second-floor ceiling, at which point the rot, mold, and structural deterioration have already been underway for weeks or months.

Spring is the correct time for a thorough exterior inspection, precisely because the damage inflicted by the previous winter is now fully revealed. Homeowners should look for granule accumulation in gutters, which indicates accelerated shingle wear. Missing, curling, or cracked shingles warrant professional evaluation. Gutters and downspouts should be cleared and tested for proper drainage. Attic insulation and ventilation should be checked — both for adequacy of coverage and for any moisture staining that would indicate the freeze-thaw cycle has already crossed the threshold into interior damage. Identifying and addressing these issues before storm season reduces both repair costs and insurance complications significantly.

Michigan’s Seller Disclosure Act (MCL 565.951 et seq.) requires residential sellers to deliver a written disclosure statement to prospective buyers before entering into a binding purchase agreement. Among the items specifically addressed: known conditions affecting the roof, the presence of water intrusion or leakage, and any history of structural or exterior damage. A seller who has filed an insurance claim for hail or wind damage — or who has knowledge that such damage occurred, regardless of whether a claim was filed — is legally obligated to disclose that information. Failure to do so does not expire with the sale; buyers who discover undisclosed defects after closing may have grounds for litigation under both the Seller Disclosure Act and common law fraud theories.

In practice, the disclosure form asks sellers to identify roof defects, water infiltration, and any insurance claims filed within the past two years. Buyers should not treat these disclosures as a complete picture. It is entirely possible for a roof to carry undetected storm damage that the seller genuinely did not know about — particularly if the property was never professionally inspected after a major storm event. For this reason, buyers purchasing homes in Southeast Michigan should, at minimum, request a dedicated roof inspection as part of their due-diligence contingency period, separate from and in addition to a standard home inspection.

Buyers’ agents in high-storm-frequency counties like Oakland and Macomb have increasingly included storm damage inspection riders in purchase agreements, particularly for homes constructed before 2010 when roofing materials and installation standards were less rigorous. A thorough inspection protects both the buyer’s financial interest and the seller from post-closing dispute. When in doubt, the record of permit history and any filed insurance claims is accessible through local building departments and, in many cases, through the carrier directly with the homeowner’s consent.

Michigan homeowners who have experienced storm damage are often approached quickly — sometimes within hours of a major weather event — by out-of-state contractors, storm chasers, and unlicensed solicitors who follow the damage trail. Before signing any restoration contract, every homeowner should be prepared with five specific questions whose answers will distinguish a legitimate operation from a liability. First: Can you provide your Michigan general contractor license number for verification? Under Michigan law, roofing and structural repair work on a residential dwelling requires a valid GC license issued by LARA. Any contractor who cannot immediately provide that number — and encourage the homeowner to verify it independently at michigan.gov/lara — should not be permitted on the property.

Second: Will you provide a Lien Rights Notice before work begins? Michigan’s Construction Lien Act (MCL 570.1101) grants contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers the right to place a lien on your property if payment disputes arise. A legitimate contractor will provide written notice of these rights before any work commences — and that notice is a legal requirement. Third: What are my rights under Michigan’s three-day cancellation law? Contracts for home improvement services entered into at the homeowner’s residence carry a mandatory three-day right of rescission under Michigan’s Home Solicitation Sales Act. Any contractor who resists or minimizes this right should be viewed with skepticism. Fourth: Can you provide a current certificate of insurance listing general liability and workers’ compensation coverage? Uninsured contractors expose homeowners to personal liability for on-site injuries and property damage.

Fifth and finally: What is the payment schedule, and does the contract prohibit payment-in-full before work completion? Reputable restoration contractors align payment milestones with work progress — typically a deposit to schedule, a draw at material delivery, and a final payment upon satisfactory completion and inspection. Any contract demanding full payment upfront, or that ties payment to insurance proceeds in a way that disadvantages the homeowner, warrants careful review by an attorney before signing. Michigan homeowners who are uncertain about a contract’s terms can also contact the Michigan Attorney General’s Consumer Protection division for guidance.

Effective with the adoption of the 2021 Michigan Residential Code, new minimum requirements for ice and water shield underlayment now apply to roofing projects requiring a building permit in most Michigan jurisdictions. The updated code extends the required ice barrier application from the eave to a point 24 inches inside the exterior wall line — a change that directly addresses the ice-damming scenarios common in Southeast Michigan winters. Homeowners undertaking permitted roof replacements should confirm with their contractor that the installation meets current code, as compliance is required for permit closure and may affect future insurance claim outcomes.