How to File a Homeowners Insurance Claim (Without Screwing Yourself)

I processed auto claims during my adjusting years but I sat next to the property team. Heard everything. And the thing that came up constantly—like CONSTANTLY—was people not knowing what to do after something bad happened to their house. They’d panic and make mistakes that cost them money. Or they’d wait too long. Or they’d throw stuff away before documenting it.

The auto claims process is stressful but contained. Car is a car, damage is damage, pretty standard. Home claims are messier. More at stake. More varied damage. Takes longer. And people screw it up because nobody ever explained how any of this works.

So here’s what I learned from six years of listening to property adjusters complain.

First: make sure you’re safe

Sounds obvious but people get weird when their home is damaged. They want to start fixing things immediately. Want to make it stop being a crisis.

But is it safe to be in the house? Fire—get out, stay out until fire department clears it. Gas leak—get out. Structural damage—careful about what might collapse. Standing water near electrical—don’t wade through it.

Your stuff can be replaced. That’s what insurance is for. You can’t be replaced.

Document everything BEFORE you touch anything

This is the biggest thing. Before cleaning up. Before repairs. Before throwing anything away. Document the damage.

Take photos. Then more photos. Then photos you think you don’t need. Every angle. Close-ups. Wide shots. The source of damage if visible. The broken pipe, fallen tree, whatever.

Video if you can. Walk through narrating what you see. “This is living room, water two inches deep, couch soaked, TV stand damaged…”

The property adjusters said constantly that the biggest problem was lack of documentation. People clean up, throw stuff away, start repairs. Then no proof of what damage looked like. More photos = smoother claim.

Prevent further damage (but save receipts)

Your policy actually requires you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage. Roof damaged and rain coming? Tarp it. Pipe burst? Turn off water. Window broken? Board it up.

If you don’t and damage gets worse, insurance might not cover the additional damage.

BUT—save every receipt. Emergency tarping. Water extraction company at 2am. Plumber who shut off water. These costs are usually covered on top of damage repair. Need receipts to get reimbursed though.

Don’t make permanent repairs yet. Temporary fixes fine. Rebuilding your kitchen before adjuster sees it? Not fine.

Call your insurance company

Call them soon as reasonably possible. Most have 24/7 claims lines. Don’t wait until Monday if basement floods Saturday night.

Give basic info: what happened, when, general description of damage. They assign claim number and adjuster. Write both down. Claim number is how you reference this forever.

File police report if applicable

Theft, vandalism, any crime—file police report. Insurance company will require it. Even if nothing was stolen, file it anyway for documentation.

Create inventory of damaged items

Tedious but necessary. Go through everything damaged and list it. What the item was (specific—not just “couch” but “gray sectional sofa, fabric, three pieces”). When you bought it approximately. What you paid approximately. Condition before damage.

This list is how you get paid for personal property. More detail = better payout. “Furniture – $5,000” gets you way less than itemized list with specifics.

Dig up old receipts, credit card statements, photos of stuff from before. Anything proving what you owned.

Work with the adjuster

Adjuster comes to inspect. Be there if possible. Walk them through everything. Point stuff out. Don’t assume they’ll notice—show them.

Be honest. Don’t exaggerate. Insurance fraud is a crime and adjusters spot inconsistencies. But also don’t downplay things. Damaged is damaged.

After inspection they prepare estimate. You get it in writing.

Get your own estimates

Here’s what people don’t realize: you don’t have to accept insurance company’s estimate as final. Get your own estimates from contractors. At least two or three.

If they’re significantly higher than insurance estimate, push back. Provide your contractor estimates. Ask them to reconsider. They might increase payout. They might not. But you can advocate for yourself.

Understand how you’re paid

Usually two parts. Actual Cash Value (ACV) first—depreciated value. Then replacement cost vs actual cash value Value (RCV) difference after you complete repairs and submit receipts.

So you might get $15,000 initially, then another $5,000 after you show you actually spent $20,000 on repairs. If you don’t complete repairs you only get ACV amount.

People think claim is settled with first check. There’s often more money if you actually do the repairs.

Common mistakes

Not documenting before cleaning. Throwing away damaged items before adjuster sees them. Not reading policy. Making permanent repairs before inspection. Not getting own estimates. Not following up. Accepting first offer without question.

Keep records of everything. All photos, inventory, correspondence, estimates, receipts, notes from every phone call.

Comprehensive just knocked something over—I heard the crash—but yeah. Document everything. Call fast. Don’t throw stuff away. Push back if settlement seems low. You’ve been paying premiums. Make them work for you.