Create a room and item index
Use a room name or number to connect wide views, detail photographs, and written observations. Keep building damage separate from belongings. Label soot, heat damage, firefighting water, and suspected concealed damage as observations rather than declaring a cause you cannot verify.
Track what happens before the adjuster visits
- Record the fire date, claim number, fire report reference, and current contact information.
- Keep dated mitigation authorizations, invoices, receipts, and a list of removed items.
- Ask the insurer how it wants unsafe items and urgent protective work documented.
Connect the record to the repair estimate
Give the contractor and adjuster the same indexed information. When their quantities or repair methods differ, ask for the specific room and line item at issue. Preserve the insurer’s written decisions separately from the construction contract.