What to Do Before the Insurance Adjuster Sets Foot on Your Property

Step 1: Create a Room-by-Room Inventory Sheet

• Account for adjacent spaces: Water travels along framing, ductwork, and ceiling joists. Document rooms directly adjacent to or below visible damage, as moisture often migrates behind dry drywall and under intact flooring.
• Specify structural materials: Note high-value or specific building materials, including real wood baseboards, plaster versus drywall, custom cabinetry, tile underlayment, and specific shingle types.
• Organize pre-loss proof: Gather past appraisal photos, real estate listings, receipts, or home maintenance records showing the property’s condition prior to the date of loss.

Step 2: Clear Safe Access to Hard-to-Reach Areas

• Clear pathways: Move personal property and debris away from the attic hatch, crawl space entry, mechanical closets, and electrical breaker panels.
• Highlight elevation damage: If the roof is inaccessible due to steep slope or safety hazards, mark damaged areas you can see safely from the ground such as lifted drip edges, broken rake boards, displaced fascia, and detached siding.
• Keep utilities visible: If water or wind damaged heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) condensers, ductwork, or water heaters, ensure the adjuster has clear, unblocked sightlines to those units.

Step 3: Identify the Adjuster's Role and Document Credentials

• Staff Adjusters: Direct W-2 employees of your insurance company who manage claims internally.
• Independent Adjusters (IAs): Adjusters who work independently or for an adjusting firm and may be hired by an insurance company to investigate and evaluate claims. Although they are not necessarily employees of the insurer, they generally represent the insurer’s interests when handling a claim on its behalf.
• Create a claim log: Ask for their business card, state license number, employer name, and desk supervisor’s contact information. Note the exact time they arrive, the time they leave, and the specific areas they inspected or skipped.

Step 4: Stick Strictly to Facts—Never Speculate

• Be accurate about age and prior condition: Avoid guessing when damage occurred or making assumptions about its cause. For example, misstating how water entered the structure can complicate coverage determinations regarding wind-driven rain vs. flood damage. If you are unsure whether a condition existed before the loss, explain what you know, what you observed, and what you do not know. Do not state that damage was absent before the event unless that is accurate to the best of your knowledge.
• Avoid downplaying damage: Casual remarks such as “It’s not as bad as the neighbor’s” or “It looks mostly cosmetic” can be documented as statements of fact. Confine all discussions strictly to observable physical damage.

• Important Record-Keeping Tip: Carefully review any document before signing it, particularly a Proof of Loss, release, or settlement agreement. This also applies to rapid work authorizations from mitigation crews, helping you avoid emergency repair contractor scams. We do not recommend signing a blank or incomplete form. If you are unsure what a document means or how it may affect your rights, consider consulting a professional.

3 Questions to Ask Before the Adjuster Departs

• "Did you inspect both the interior attic cavity and the exterior roofline?" Helps verify that hidden roof-decking compromises or wet insulation are not overlooked.
• "When will your field report and preliminary scope be submitted to the carrier?" Sets an operational timeline for your claim review.
• "Who is my assigned inside desk adjuster?" Field adjusters rarely make final payment determinations. You need the direct contact information of the examiner authorized to issue claim decisions.