Shoot each room in the same order
Consistency makes it easy for an adjuster to match photos to rooms. Use your phone's timestamp and turn on location if you are comfortable with it.
Doorway wide shot
Stand in the doorway and capture the whole room, then turn and capture the view back toward the door.
Each wall
One photo per wall showing the floor line, baseboard and any staining or wicking.
Floor close-ups
Standing water, wet carpet, lifted planks or swollen seams, with a tape measure or ruler in frame for scale.
Ceiling
Stains, sagging, drips and wet light fixtures, even if they look minor.
Video walk
A slow, narrated video of the room catches things still photos miss and records the order of events.
Shots people forget
- The failed part in place before the plumber removes it, then the part itself after removal
- The water meter reading and the main valve in the closed position
- Model and serial plates on damaged appliances, the furnace and the water heater
- Labels on damaged furniture, rugs and electronics
- Flooring brand or a close-up of the pattern and edge profile for matching
- Rooms next to the wet area that are dry, to show where damage stops
- Drying equipment in place, with the date, once work begins
- Removed materials piled for disposal before they are hauled away
Contents inventory worksheet
- Column
- Room
- What to write
- Where the item was when the water hit
- Tip
- Use the same room names as your photo folders
- Column
- Item
- What to write
- Plain description with brand and model if known
- Tip
- Search old email for order confirmations
- Column
- Quantity
- What to write
- Number of identical items
- Tip
- Count books, clothes or tools in groups
- Column
- Age
- What to write
- Approximate year purchased
- Tip
- Close estimates are fine; do not guess wildly
- Column
- Condition
- What to write
- Wet, stained, swollen, or untouched but in an affected room
- Tip
- Separate damaged from just moved
- Column
- Kept or discarded
- What to write
- Whether you still have it
- Tip
- Ask before throwing out anything valuable
- Column
- Photo reference
- What to write
- File name or photo number
- Tip
- Makes every row verifiable
Copy these columns into a spreadsheet. One row per item; group by room.
Common questions
Should I throw away ruined items once they are photographed?
Ask your adjuster first. Some insurers want to see large or valuable items in person, or keep a sample. If something is a health hazard, such as items soaked in sewage, photograph it thoroughly, list it, and ask whether it can go.
What if I don't have receipts for older belongings?
That is common. Photos of the item, bank or card statements, order history emails, product manuals and even old family photos showing the item in the room all help establish what you owned.
General information for Parker, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.