What to document, what to say, and what not to sign before help arrives.
What to document, what to say, and what not to sign before help arrives.
This is the window where a lot of claims get smaller than they should. Not because the damage is small. Because people are wet, tired, and trying to be cooperative with the person who showed up from the insurance company.
That person does not work for you.
If the house is not safe, get out. Gas smell, live wires, a roof that is coming in: that is a 911 call, not a photo shoot.
Once everyone is safe, the claim starts whether you have filed it or not. What you do in the next two days will be in the file.
Take more pictures than feels reasonable. You will not get this moment back.
Photograph:
Write the date and time on a note in at least one photo. Carriers argue about when damage happened. A timestamped photo of hail in the driveway is harder to talk past than a memory.
If you have a moisture meter, use it. If you do not, do not start cutting holes because a YouTube video told you to. Temporary openings to stop active leaking are one thing. Exploratory demolition is another.
Keep damaged material. A piece of dented aluminum siding, a torn shingle, a wet piece of decking: that is evidence. Once it is in a dumpster, the carrier's version of the story gets easier.
You can tell the truth without helping them shrink the claim.
Fine to say:
Do not volunteer:
The company adjuster will often sound friendly on site and then write a different report. I have sat through that conversation in person. They tell you they have enough to extend coverage. Then the report covers a piece of the front elevation and nothing else.
If they ask you to walk the property and point to "what's wrong," you can say you want a full inspection of the whole building, not a tour of the spots you already found. You are not the estimator.
Do not sign a release. A release is how a partial check becomes the whole claim.
Do not sign a blank authorization, a "we can close this out" form, or anything that says the payment represents full and final settlement. If they hand you a check with release language on the back, do not endorse it until someone who works for you has read it.
Do not sign a contractor contract you do not understand, especially one that assigns your insurance proceeds or lets the contractor "handle the insurance" for you. In Maryland and Virginia, only a licensed public adjuster or an attorney can represent you in the claim. A contractor can repair the house. They cannot be your adjuster.
You are allowed to hire a public adjuster. You are not required to. If you do, you sign a separate contract with us, and you have a cancellation window after you sign. That is a different document from anything the carrier puts in front of you.
Your policy almost always requires you to protect the property from further damage. That means tarps, boards over broken glass, a water extraction, a dryer running on wet carpet. Keep every receipt.
It does not mean start the reroof, replace the siding, or throw out the kitchen cabinets before the loss is documented. Once it is gone, "that was already like that" becomes their favorite line.
If a restoration company wants to start pack-out or demolition the same day, slow them down long enough to photograph the rooms as they sit.
Someone will come. Sometimes the same day. Sometimes they send a ladder, three photos, and a denial.
You can be there. You should be there. You can also have someone there who works for you.
Ask for:
You do not have to accept their scope on the spot. "I'll review the estimate when I have it" is enough.
If they want a recorded statement in the first 48 hours, you can wait. Get the facts down for yourself first. A recorded statement is not a casual chat.
Declarations pages are not the policy. You need the forms and the endorsements.
I have looked at Allstate policies where the roof and siding restoration endorsement quietly limits those items to actual cash value. That is not a reason to skip the claim. It is a reason to know what you are walking into before anyone promises the homeowner a full replacement.
If you cannot get a certified copy fast, ask the agent for the full form list. Send it to whoever is going to represent you.
Call if:
The review is free. Sometimes the honest answer is that you do not need a public adjuster. I would rather tell you that on day one than watch you give the claim away because you were trying to be polite.
Scope & Price
(888) 720-5618
claims@scopeandprice.com
This is practical claim guidance from a licensed public adjuster. It is not legal advice, and it is not a promise about your policy. Your contract with the carrier controls coverage. Maryland and Virginia law control how carriers have to handle claims. If you need a lawyer, get a lawyer.
Scope & Price, LLC is a public adjusting firm in Maryland and Virginia. Free claim review: (888) 720-5618. Coverage and payment depend on the policy and the facts of the loss.