What an adjuster actually looks for at a water loss

1. What caused it

The first and most consequential question, because it decides whether the policy responds at all.

They will want to see the failure point, or evidence of it. They will look at whether the water came from inside the plumbing, from above through the building envelope, or up from the ground — which are three different coverage positions.

Have ready: photographs of the failed component, the plumber's invoice describing the repair, and the component itself if you kept it.

2. When it happened

Timing decides whether the loss was sudden or gradual, and whether you reported promptly.

They assess material condition for signs of long-term exposure, and they compare your reported timeline against what the building shows.

Have ready: the date and time of discovery, what you were doing when you found it, the call log showing when you reported it and when you called a contractor.

3. How far it went

This is where most disputes actually live — not over coverage but over scope.

An adjuster cannot see inside a wall. If nobody measured, they assess what is visible, and the visible area is routinely a fraction of the wet one. That is not bad faith; it is the limit of what an inspection can establish.

Have ready: the moisture map, the dry standard, and the daily readings log. This is the single most useful document you can put in front of them, because it converts an invisible condition into a documented one.

4. What you did about it

Policies require reasonable steps to prevent further damage. They are checking you took them.

Water left sitting for days, a roof left open through another rain band, or drying that was never done properly all support an argument that part of the damage was avoidable.

Have ready: dated mitigation invoices, photographs of tarping or board-up, and equipment placement records showing when drying started.

What helps on the day

Be there, and have your contractor there. Walking the loss together resolves most scope disagreements in one conversation rather than three weeks of email. Someone who can point at a meter reading on a wall that looks fine is worth more than any letter.

Have the file organised. Photographs by room, timeline written down, invoices together, moisture log printed.

Be accurate rather than expansive. Describe what you know. Do not speculate about causes or estimate quantities you have not measured — an inaccurate statement early is hard to walk back.

Ask what they need. If something is missing, better to learn it during the visit than in a letter a fortnight later.

If the number comes back low

Most gaps are scope rather than principle — moisture that was not seen, or line items omitted rather than refused.

Provide the readings and the line-item detail addressing the specific omissions, and request a reinspection. That resolves the majority.

If a substantial gap survives that, you have reached the point where a licensed public adjuster or an attorney earns their fee. We are neither, and we will say so plainly — but every document we hold goes to whoever you bring in.

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