What photos do I need for an insurance claim? What adjusters look for
Short answer: photograph everything before you clean up or throw anything away, then shoot each damaged area three ways: wide, medium and close. The wide shot shows which room it is. The medium shot shows the damaged section. The close-ups show the damage itself, plus model labels and serial numbers on anything that was ruined. Minnesota's Department of Commerce puts it plainly: "Before you start to clean up, take pictures or video to document the extent of the damage."
Photograph the cause as well as the result: the split pipe, the tree on the roof, the water line on the wall. Keep damaged items until the adjuster says you can discard them; spoiled food and other health risks are the exception. Make temporary repairs, keep receipts, log every call. Send original photo files, not edited copies or screenshots.
Why photograph before you clean up?
The adjuster was not there when it happened. The photos are the only view of the scene before anyone moved anything. Once the carpet is out and the drywall is cut, there is nothing left to inspect.
State agencies say the same thing in different words. Minnesota: "Avoid throwing anything out (with the exception of perishable food) until you meet with the insurance adjuster." Texas Department of Insurance: "Don't throw away damaged items until your insurance company gives permission." Florida's Department of Financial Services: "Only dispose damaged items that present a health risk." FEMA's flood guidance adds the other side of that rule: "immediately throw away anything that could be a health risk, like spoiled food or moldy clothing, cushions and pillows."
So the order is fixed: photograph, remove only what is unsafe to keep, make temporary repairs, wait for the adjuster.
What shots does an adjuster want?
FEMA's FloodSmart guidance says to "Capture wide shots and close-ups of walls, floors and furniture." In practice that means three distances for every damaged spot, plus a few shots people forget.
| Shot | What it answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Wide | Which room, which side of the house | Stand in the doorway, whole room in frame |
| Medium | How big the damaged area is | The stained ceiling with the light fixture for scale |
| Close | What the damage actually is | Cracked tile, swollen cabinet base, mold line |
| Label | What the item was, so it can be priced | Model and serial plate on the washer, TV, furnace |
| Cause | What did this and when | The burst pipe, the fallen limb, the failed water heater |
| Water line | How high the water reached | Tape measure against the wall at the stain line |
| Before repair / after repair | What the temporary fix covered | Roof hole, then the tarp over it |
| Receipts | What you spent | Tarp, plywood, fan rental, hotel |
Serial numbers matter. FEMA: "Remember to record serial numbers from electronics and appliances to support your claim." Florida DFS asks for "a list of damaged items along with specific product description information." A clear photo of the label gives you both.
The "cause" row is the one most people skip. A soaked floor shows damage. The cracked supply line under the sink shows what the policy is being asked to cover. Texas TDI's advice on the adjuster visit is short: "Make sure the adjuster sees everything." Your photos should do the same.
How do I photograph a claim, step by step?
- Stop the loss, then stop. Shut off the water or power if safe. Do not start cleaning yet.
- Walk the whole property with video first. One slow pass per room, narrating what you see.
- Shoot wide, medium, close for every damaged spot. Include something for scale in the medium shot: a door, a tape measure, your hand.
- Photograph the cause. The pipe, the tree, the appliance, the roof opening. If a contractor finds it later, have them photograph it before they fix it.
- Photograph labels and serial plates. Appliances, electronics, HVAC, water heater. Get the whole item in one frame and the plate in another.
- Remove only health hazards, and photograph them first. Keep a small sample of ruined materials. FEMA: "Keep small samples of damaged materials for the insurance agent".
- Make temporary repairs and photograph before and after. Florida DFS: "Take photos before and after the repairs and keep receipts." Texas TDI: "Don't make permanent repairs until your company gives the OK."
- Start a log the same day. Minnesota: "Keep a log of who you spoke to and when". Add every receipt and every photo batch you send.
- Build the list the adjuster will ask for. Room by room, item by item, with the matching photo. If you are sending a lot of photos, a simple photo report with a cover sheet and a numbered list is easier for the reader than 200 loose files; see what goes in a photo report template.
What should I not do with claim photos?
Do not edit them. No filters, no brightness fixes, no cropping. A cropped photo removes context, and context is what the adjuster is looking for. If a shot is too dark, take another with the flash on and send both.
Do not send screenshots. A screenshot is a new image with none of the original file data and usually a lower resolution. Send the original files from the phone.
Do not "enhance" a photo to make damage look worse, and do not drop photos that make it look better. Florida's insurance fraud statute covers anyone who, with intent to deceive an insurer, presents a statement in support of a claim "knowing that such statement contains any false, incomplete, or misleading information concerning any fact or thing material to such claim," and it requires every claim form to carry a notice that a person who "knowingly and with intent to injure, defraud, or deceive any insurer" files such a claim "is guilty of a felony of the third degree." An unedited photo set is the safe set.
Does a date or location on the photo help?
It helps the reader. It does not settle anything on its own. An adjuster working through 150 photos wants to know, for each one, when and where it was taken. A visible date and address on the image answers that without opening file properties, and puts the "before" shots before the tarp in the order you say they were.
Be honest about what a stamp is. Pixels can be edited. EXIF data can be edited. A stamped date is a label the camera wrote, and an app like Asof also prints where each value came from, such as GPS or the phone clock. That tells the reader how much to rely on it. It does not make the photo anything more than a photo. The same logic applies to move-in inspection photos: the stamp saves the reader time, and the full set of unedited originals is what matters.
What about a home inventory before anything happens?
The hardest claim photos are the ones you cannot take anymore, because the item is gone. That is what a home inventory is for. Texas TDI: "Most insurance companies will want a record of your lost or damaged items before they will pay a personal property claim," and "Not having a home inventory could delay your claims payment."
The method is simple. TDI: "take pictures or video of each room in your home" and "Open closets and drawers and record serial numbers of items like appliances and electronics." California's Department of Insurance suggests the same walk-through on video, with commentary on each item, then sending a copy to someone off-site. NAIC says to update it every year and whenever you buy new items. Store it away from the house, in cloud storage, email, or with a relative.
Questions people ask
Can I throw away ruined carpet or a soaked mattress before the adjuster comes?
Keep damaged property until the adjuster says it is okay to discard it. The exceptions are health risks: spoiled food, moldy clothing, cushions and pillows. If something must go, photograph it from several angles and keep a small sample.
Should I send photos by text message or email?
Use whatever channel your insurer asks for, but send the original files at full size, not screenshots. Messaging apps often shrink photos and strip file data. If a portal limits file size, note that in your log and offer the originals on request.
Is video as good as photos?
Minnesota Commerce, Texas TDI and FEMA all say to take pictures or video. A walk-through video is good for context. Still photos are easier to label, list and attach to a form, so do both: one slow video per room, then stills of each damaged item.
Can I fix the roof leak before the adjuster sees it?
Make temporary repairs that stop further damage, such as a tarp over a roof hole or plywood over a broken window. Photograph the damage before you cover it and again after. Keep every receipt. Do not make permanent repairs until the insurer gives the OK.