Home › Guides › A property claim, step by step: from the first call to the last check
A property claim, step by step: from the first call to the last check
Every property claim runs through the same eight steps, whether it is a burst pipe or a hurricane. Contractors see them from the estimate side, homeowners from the kitchen table, and most of the friction comes from not knowing what the next step needs. This page is the map: what happens at each step, who does it, and the guide that goes deeper. Process only; nothing here says what a policy pays.
The eight steps
| Step | Who acts | What has to happen | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Make it safe and stop the damage | Homeowner | Shut off the source, get people clear of water near electricity, photograph before anything moves | Hour one |
| 2. Report the loss | Homeowner | Notice to the carrier: date, cause, a short description. The claim number arrives | Day one |
| 3. Mitigate | Restoration company | Extraction, removal, drying, moisture map and drying log; the mitigation estimate | Days one to ten |
| 4. Document | Everyone | Photos tied to rooms, receipts, the contents inventory, the drying log, a scope narrative | Continuous |
| 5. Inspection | Adjuster | In person or by photos; the carrier's first estimate follows | One to three weeks |
| 6. Estimate and reconciliation | Contractor and adjuster | Line-item comparison, supplements for what the first estimate missed, agreement on scope | Weeks two to eight |
| 7. Payment | Carrier, then lender | Actual cash value first, less the deductible; the lender endorses; depreciation held | After the estimate is agreed |
| 8. Repair and close | Contractor | The rebuild, the final invoice matching the estimate, the certificate of completion, the depreciation release | Weeks to months |
Timings are what commonly happens, not promises; after a regional storm every step runs longer.
Step 1: safety and the first hour
The first hour decides how big the loss gets. Water stopped at the valve is a two-room job; water that ran overnight is a floor. The guide below covers the valves in order and when the breaker panel is safe to touch. For fire and storm, the first steps are on Restoration.com.co's safety pages.
- How to shut off the water after a burst pipeMain valve, meter, water heater, fixtures, and the breaker, with the order to try.
- Safety steps by kind of damageWater, fire, storm and mold: what to do now, from the certified-operations network.
Steps 2 to 4: report, mitigate, document
Report the same day; policies expect prompt notice and the carrier's deadlines start from it. Mitigation can start before the adjuster has seen anything, because the policy requires the homeowner to prevent further damage; the mitigation company's log is the record of what was wet and for how long. Documentation is everyone's job from the first photo to the last receipt.
- Water damage insurance claim: how to file it, document it, keep it movingThe first 24 hours, what the carrier wants to know, and the mistakes that get water claims cut.
- Water mitigation vs restorationWhat mitigation includes, why it is its own estimate, and how the category of water changes the scope.
- Contents inventory for an insurance claimThe columns a contents list needs and how to value items when the receipts are gone.
- Sworn proof of lossThe one document with a hard deadline: the clock, the fields, the attachments.
Steps 5 and 6: the inspection and the estimate
The adjuster inspects, in person or from photos, and the carrier's estimate follows: a line-item list by room with totals for replacement cost, depreciation, actual cash value and the deductible. The contractor's estimate is compared to it line by line. What the first estimate missed goes back as a supplement with documentation; what is disputed about cost rather than coverage can go to appraisal.
- The adjuster's estimate is too low: what to do, in orderReading the estimate, the common gaps, and the written sequence that closes them.
- How to write a supplement that gets approvedThe package desk adjusters approve: narrative, photos by line, measurements, the ask.
- Overhead and profit on an insurance estimateWhat O&P is, when carriers include it, and the file that supports it.
- The matching rule, state by stateWhen a repair has to match the rest of the roof or siding, and what to document.
- The appraisal clauseSettling a dispute over the amount without a lawsuit: appraisers, umpire, award.
Steps 7 and 8: payment, repair, close-out
The first check is actual cash value less the deductible; the lender, if there is one, endorses it on its own schedule. The rebuild runs on the agreed scope. The final invoice, matched line for line to the estimate and its supplements, releases the recoverable depreciation and closes the claim. The holdback is the money most often left unclaimed.
- Recoverable depreciation: why the first check is smallerRCV, ACV, the holdback math, the deadline, and the final-invoice package.
- Roof insurance claim, start to finishThe roof version of the whole process, including the inspection and the test square.
When a step goes wrong
Denials, delays and disputes have their own map: When the claim goes wrong. For the words used along the way, the glossary defines every term on an estimate.
What restoration.claims does in this process
Steps 6 and 8 run on paperwork, and that paperwork is what this site produces for contractors: a finished estimate in the carrier's format from the job's photos, sketch and drying records, and supplements with a written justification per line. Homeowners get the process explained and, on Restoration.com.co, a certified company for the mitigation and the rebuild. Neither site tells anyone what a claim is worth or whether a policy applies; a licensed public adjuster or an attorney does that.
Questions people ask
How long does a property claim take?
A simple water loss with no dispute commonly closes in four to eight weeks from report to final payment. Roof and fire claims, claims after a regional storm, and anything that goes to supplements or appraisal run longer, often months.
Do I need the adjuster's approval before mitigation starts?
No. Policies require the policyholder to prevent further damage, and mitigation is that duty. Photograph everything first, report the claim the same day, and keep the drying log; those are what the adjuster reviews afterward.
Who writes the estimate?
The carrier's adjuster writes one; the contractor writes one; the two are reconciled line by line. restoration.claims writes the contractor's estimate in the carrier's format from the job's documentation.
What is the most common reason a claim pays less than expected?
In order: items missing from the first estimate that were never supplemented, depreciation held back and never claimed because no final invoice was sent, and a contents list that was never completed.
Is this the same for renters and condo owners?
The steps are the same; the policies differ. A renter's policy covers contents and loss of use, the building belongs to the landlord's claim; a condo owner's policy picks up where the association's master policy stops.