How to Document Property Damage for a Claim
All damage types
A documentation method for property damage: one identifier across photos, timeline, inventory and receipts, copyable…
Read the guide Property damage documentation
guides
Photograph the damage as found, build a dated timeline, list each damaged item and keep receipts apart from estimates. Documentation only: no guide tells you what your policy provides or what your loss is worth.
What Is a Property Damage Documentation Report?
All damage types
What a property damage documentation report records, how it differs from an estimate, adjuster report or proof of loss…
Read the guideWater and flood
Water damage in your home: what to do first and what to document
Shut off the source, stay clear of wet electrics, then photograph the source, the spread and the drying day by day: the dated records a report needs.
My house flooded: what to do first and how to document flood damage
Safe re-entry after a flood, then how to document flood damage: high-water lines, photos before cleaning, material samples, receipts, NFIP timeframes.
Storm and roof
Hurricane damage: how to document your Florida home after the storm
How to document hurricane damage to a Florida home: pre-storm baseline photos, each wind or water entry point, NHC advisory times, tarp receipts.
Wind damage documentation for Florida homes (storms, tornadoes, downbursts)
How to document wind damage to a Florida home: enclosures, fences, soffits and gutters panel by panel, wind direction, debris paths, NWS reports.
Roof damage: what to photograph and record without getting on the roof
How to document roof damage from the ground, attic and ceiling: shingle counts per slope, flashing and vents, dated stain photos, tarp receipts.
Hail damage in Florida: how to document it while the evidence lasts
Hail melts within hours. How to measure hailstones, photograph spatter and witness marks, check SPC storm reports and record the roof from the ground.
Fire, smoke and mold
Fire damage: documenting your home safely after a house fire
After a house fire: wait for the fire department’s all-clear, record the incident report number, photograph the origin area and list what burned.
Smoke damage: what to document when the fire was somewhere else
Smoke reaches rooms the fire never touched. How to record odour per room, show soot without touching it, and photograph the HVAC filter first.
Mold damage documentation: what to record about moisture, spread and remediation
Mold is documented as a consequence: the moisture source, the date first seen, the measured size of each patch and the paperwork remediation produces.
Editorial policyHow ClaimPrep turns your documentation into a report