A Haag Certified Inspector is trained to identify and document storm damage on a roof, things like hail bruising, wind-lifted shingles, and granule loss, against Haag Engineering’s published standards for what counts as damage versus normal wear. A Haag Certified Reviewer holds a higher credential: it requires Xactimate certification in addition to the inspector training, which means the reviewer can write the repair estimate in the same software nearly every property insurance carrier uses to price claims, then compare it line by line against the adjuster’s number. Integrity CRR’s in-house team holds the Haag Certified Reviewer credential, the higher of the two, not just the inspector level.
What Is the Difference Between a Haag Certified Inspector and a Haag Certified Reviewer?
Both credentials come from Haag Engineering, the company that trains roof inspectors and insurance adjusters on how to tell storm damage from age, workmanship defects, or mechanical wear. The inspector-level credential covers roof inspection and damage documentation: identifying hail hits, wind damage, and their patterns, and writing a report that holds up to an adjuster’s review. The reviewer-level credential sits on top of that. It adds Xactimate certification, training on the estimating software carriers use to calculate what a claim is worth, so a Haag Certified Reviewer can write a repair scope in the carrier’s own line-item format instead of a general contractor bid, then set it next to the adjuster’s Xactimate estimate to show exactly which line items are missing, underpriced, or left off entirely.
That second part is the practical difference homeowners and property managers actually feel. An inspector can tell you what’s damaged. A reviewer can tell you what it costs to fix it correctly, in the same format the check gets cut from.
Why the Reviewer Level Changes How a Claim Gets Handled
Most contractors submitting a claim never open Xactimate. They write their own estimate in their own format and then argue, in general terms, that the carrier’s number is too low. A Haag Certified Reviewer writes the scope in Xactimate from the start, the same line-item codes, the same pricing database the adjuster used, so the comparison isn’t opinion against opinion, it’s line item against line item. Missing code-required upgrades, skipped detached structures, or underpriced labor and material categories show up as a gap in the spreadsheet, not a disagreement in tone.
Integrity CRR holds the higher Haag Certified Reviewer designation, which requires Xactimate certification, and uses it to write every roof claim scope in-house rather than farming the estimate out to a separate adjuster or estimating firm. Roofing is self-performed at Integrity CRR: the same team that inspects the roof, writes the Xactimate scope, and meets the adjuster also runs the crews that install the repair or replacement. That keeps the estimate and the workmanship with one company instead of splitting them across a contractor, an estimator, and a public adjuster.
What Happens When Your Contractor Only Has Inspector-Level Certification
Most roofing contractors chasing storm work carry no Haag certification at all, and most of the ones who do stop at the inspector level. That’s not a knock on the credential, it just covers less of the process. An inspector-only contractor can document that damage exists, hail bruising, torn shingles, granule loss, but can’t write the repair scope in Xactimate. So they either submit a bid in their own format and hope it lines up with the adjuster’s number, or the property owner ends up holding two documents, a contractor bid and a carrier estimate, that don’t speak the same language and can’t be compared item by item.
That’s usually where claims settle short. Not because the damage wasn’t real, but because nobody wrote a counter-estimate in the same software the carrier used to justify the lower number. A reviewer-level credential in-house closes that gap before the claim gets to a disagreement instead of after.
What the Process Actually Looks Like
- Inspection. A Haag-certified roof inspector walks the roof and documents damage with photos, measurements, and a written report tied to Haag’s damage criteria.
- Estimate. The Haag Certified Reviewer writes the repair or replacement scope in Xactimate, the carrier’s own software, with every line item priced.
- Adjuster meeting. Someone from Integrity CRR meets the insurance adjuster on the roof, or on a video inspection, to walk the damage together, not after the fact by email.
- Comparison and supplementing. The in-house Xactimate scope is set against the adjuster’s approved estimate. Any gap, a missed code upgrade, a skipped detached structure, underpriced labor, gets documented and submitted as a supplement.
- Repair. For roofing, the same company that wrote the scope self-performs the roof replacement or repair. For other trades affected by the storm, Integrity CRR general-contracts the work with vetted subcontractors.
Residential claims typically move from inspection to a resolved estimate faster than commercial ones, simply because there’s less roof to document and usually one adjuster involved. Larger or multi-building commercial claims can take longer for the same reason the claim value is higher: more roof area, more line items, sometimes more than one adjuster visit before both sides’ numbers match.
Does the Reviewer Level Matter for Commercial Roofs, Too?
Yes, and arguably more. Commercial claims tend to cover larger roof areas, mixed membrane systems (TPO, modified bitumen, sometimes multiple sections replaced at different times), and higher total claim values, which means a missed line item is a bigger dollar gap. The same Xactimate comparison applies on commercial roofs as it does on residential ones: the in-house team writes the scope one line item at a time against the same Haag damage criteria, then compares it against whatever the adjuster comes back with. Multi-building or multi-roof commercial claims sometimes need more than one adjuster visit before the two estimates line up, which is normal and not a sign the claim is being disputed for the sake of it.
The Guarantee, and What It Does and Doesn’t Cover
Once your claim is approved, Integrity CRR guarantees you get the full value of it. The in-house Xactimate team writes every item of justified, claimable damage into the scope, including the things carriers routinely leave off: code-required upgrades, detached structures, and the labor and materials that only show up once the roof is opened. If the approved estimate comes in short, Integrity CRR documents the gap and pursues the supplement as the contractor.
That guarantee covers the completeness of the scope Integrity CRR writes: the work it controls. It isn’t a promise about what the carrier will approve, and it isn’t public adjusting. What your policy covers is a decision between you and your carrier. Integrity CRR is not a licensed public adjuster and doesn’t negotiate or settle the claim for you. What it does is make sure the number the carrier is working from reflects the actual damage, in the carrier’s own format, before that decision gets made.
What Roof Damage Typically Costs to Repair in Metro Atlanta
Roof replacement pricing varies by material, pitch, access, and how much of the deck needs to be replaced, but these are general market ranges for the metro Atlanta area, not a quote from Integrity CRR. An estimate specific to your roof requires an inspection.
| Roof Type | General Market Range (per square*) |
|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle (3-tab or architectural) | $450 – $750 |
| Standing seam metal | $900 – $1,500 |
| Commercial TPO / single-ply | $550 – $950 |
| Modified bitumen | $600 – $1,000 |
*A “square” is 100 square feet of roof area. Steep pitches, multiple layers of tear-off, poor decking underneath, or hard-to-access roofs push a project to the top of these ranges. Simple one-layer tear-offs on an accessible, low-pitch roof land at the bottom.
Who This Matters For
This distinction matters most for storm restoration claims, hail and wind damage where the gap between what a carrier initially approves and what the repair actually costs can run into thousands of dollars. It applies to both commercial and residential roofing claims across Georgia and Florida, the two states where Integrity CRR holds its general contractor licenses (GA #GCCO009212, FL #CGC1539499). Integrity CRR is a service-disabled veteran-owned general contractor, SAM.gov registered and bonded, based in Atlanta, GA, and is also GAF and Mule-Hide certified for roofing installation.
For more on the company’s licensing and certifications, see the about page.
Get a Roof Inspection Before You File, or After a Denial
If you have storm damage and haven’t filed yet, get the Haag-certified inspection first so the documentation is right from the start. If you’ve already filed and the approved estimate looks short, bring it in. The in-house team can review it against Xactimate line items and identify what’s missing. Call (833) 423-6255 or contact Integrity CRR to schedule an inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Haag Certified Inspector actually check on a roof?
A Haag Certified Inspector documents storm-related damage, hail bruising, wind-lifted or torn shingles, granule loss, and related patterns, using Haag Engineering’s criteria for distinguishing storm damage from age, wear, or installation defects. The output is a written, photo-documented report that supports an insurance claim.
Why does Xactimate certification matter for a roof insurance claim?
Xactimate is the estimating software nearly every property insurance carrier uses to price claims, so a scope written in Xactimate can be compared line by line against the adjuster’s estimate instead of argued about in general terms. A Haag Certified Reviewer has Xactimate certification on top of the inspector-level training, which is what allows that direct, line-item comparison.
Can the same company that writes the estimate also do the repair, or is that a conflict of interest?
It’s standard for a contractor to write the repair scope and then perform the repair. That’s part of the job of a general contractor, not a conflict requiring a separate party. Integrity CRR writes the roofing scope in-house in Xactimate and self-performs the roof repair or replacement with its own crews, so the estimate and the workmanship stay with one company.
What if the insurance company’s estimate misses items on my roof?
Missed items, code-required upgrades, a detached structure, or underpriced labor and material line items, are documented and submitted to the carrier as a supplement. Integrity CRR’s in-house Xactimate team handles this as the contractor, not as a public adjuster; what the carrier ultimately approves is a decision between the policyholder and the carrier.
Is a Haag Certified Reviewer the same thing as a public adjuster?
No. A public adjuster is licensed to negotiate and settle a claim on the policyholder’s behalf, which is separate, regulated work. A Haag Certified Reviewer writes the repair scope in Xactimate and documents damage as the contractor performing the repair, not as a negotiator. Integrity CRR is not a public adjuster and doesn’t negotiate or settle claims; what your policy covers is decided between you and your insurance carrier.
Does hiring a contractor with a Haag Certified Reviewer cost more?
Writing the Xactimate scope in-house is part of Integrity CRR’s standard process for every roof claim, not a separate line item or an add-on service. It replaces the step where a homeowner or property manager would otherwise need to hire a public adjuster or a separate estimator to get a comparable, line-by-line estimate.