If a carrier requires 10 hits per square and you can only find 7-8 hits per square, how do you explain to the insd that their insurance company does not owe to replace their roof?  How do you tell them that there are approx 400 damaging hail hits to their roof BUT it is not really damaged so they are not getting a new roof.  Then how do you explain to them that they will be getting an estimate for a minimum roof repair of $200 bucks to "repair" 400 damaged shingles?

Also, do you guys pay to replace dented vents when there is no damage to the shingles?  Technically they are damaged.

You need to figure out when the cost to repair the hit shingles will exceed the cost to replace a square of shingles and explain it to the homeowner. Ask your supervisor to explain it to you.

My, My,

Guess you should go to work for a vender that total's every roof.  Then you could be called a true West Texas Roof Jumper.

Houtz

If you are serious about becoming an adjuster read some of the many threads on this subject. Then answer  your own question.

A fairly new roof can be repaired shingle-by-shingle, but an old roof maybe cannot. 

I understand the frustrations of the initial poster, because certain carriers I've worked for required 7-8 hits and others 10-12 (which I personally feel is excessive).    However, the 10-12 hitters said if the repair factor exceeded 60% of RC (including steep & height), then that qualified same as total.   For instance, as Peter said, 7 hits @ $8/ea = $64.   I would use 1.3 factor for waste & adjacents, for total of  7 X $10.40 or $72.80 per sq.  Figure your 60% from there, and you might be close to total loss depending on geographical area. 

Sometimes you might have homes on the same block.  Can kinda make you look foolish if they are next door neighbors, and one is totalled while the other isn't.  But I have had it happen many times, in the case of an old roof vs. a new roof. That's where you just have to explain repairability.   It can be done on newer roofs...not as easily on older ones.   You old guys have seen it plenty of times, I'm sure.  No damage evident on one roof, and down the street it looks like it got hammered...just due to age and vulnerability.

This is just a personal opinion formed from my mentors while a staffer for 3 different carriers, prior to being an independent.  Go by what your carrier or manager tells you.  Or hope the carrier has a local staffer with authority that can make the call for you based on your observations and recommendations.