Photograph Storm Damage Before You Clean Up

What the DFS advice says and why it matters

Take photographs or video of the damage before cleaning up, and make only the repairs needed to stop further damage. The advice is practical: the evidence is lost once the debris is removed.

The New York Department of Financial Services issued guidance after Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Its documentation advice was to photograph or record the damage before cleaning up, and to make only the repairs needed to stop further damage until the insurer inspects. The advice was written for a major storm, but the reasoning applies to any storm that damages a home.

The reason is simple. Once a roof is repaired, a yard is cleared or a room is cleaned, the evidence of what the storm did is gone, and the insurer has only the homeowner's word to go on. A photograph taken before the work is the best evidence the homeowner can offer.

What should be photographed from the ground?

The roof edges, the gutters, the downspouts, the siding and the yard. A ground photograph shows where the damage is and gives the adjuster a starting point.

From the ground, photograph each side of the house, with a wide view of the roof and a close view of any damage. Include the gutters, the downspouts, the siding and the ground beneath the eaves, where shingles or debris may have fallen.

Take the photographs in daylight if possible, and with a scale object such as a coin or a ruler in the frame. Note the time and the date on each photograph.

• A wide view of each side of the house
• A close view of each damaged part
• The ground beneath the eaves and any fallen material
• A scale object in each frame, with the date

What can be photographed from inside?

The ceilings, the walls, the floors and the attic, where safe. Stains, sagging and wet insulation are the signs of water that came through the roof.

Inside, photograph each ceiling and wall where water has come through, with the stain or the bulge in the frame. Photograph the floor beneath, where water has pooled, and any furniture or belongings that were damaged.

If the attic can be entered safely, photograph the underside of the roof boards, the rafters and the insulation. Do not walk on the insulation, and do not enter an attic that is unsafe.

Which temporary steps are allowed before the inspection?

Steps needed to stop further water damage, such as a tarp, buckets, towels and moving belongings. Permanent repairs are usually left until the insurer has inspected or agreed.

A temporary cover, a bucket under a drip, towels on the floor and the movement of belongings out of the wet area are all steps to stop further damage. They are reasonable and expected, and the homeowner should record them with the time and the date.

Permanent repairs are a different matter. The insurer usually expects to see the damage before the permanent work begins, unless it has agreed otherwise. A homeowner who is unsure should ask the insurer before replacing material.

• A temporary tarp or cover over the open area
• Buckets and towels under drips
• Belongings moved out of the wet area
• Permanent repairs held until the insurer has inspected

What about damaged material that must be removed?

Keep it, where it can be kept safely, until the adjuster has seen it. If it must be removed for safety, photograph it first and keep a sample.

Shingles, flashing, gutter sections and insulation that have been removed are evidence. A homeowner should keep them until the adjuster has seen them, where that can be done safely and without disrupting the house.

If the material must be removed for safety, such as a sheet of loose metal that could fall, photograph it first and keep a sample. The note should say where the rest of the material was taken.

How should the timeline be kept?

A short dated list from the storm to the first call, the inspection, the temporary cover and the repair. Gaps should be stated as gaps.

The timeline lists the storm date, the time the damage was first seen, the call to the roofer, the inspection, the temporary cover and the permanent repair date. It is a simple document, and it is the thread that connects the photographs and the report.

A timeline that admits a gap is more credible than one that guesses. The homeowner should write what is known and mark what is not.

Where do the photographs go?

Into the claim file, with a copy kept safely and shared with the insurer and the roofer as the homeowner chooses. The homeowner decides when and what to share.

The photographs, the timeline and the roofer's report make up the claim file. The homeowner keeps a complete copy, ideally in a second place, since a storm that damages the house can damage the papers too.

The homeowner decides what to send to the insurer and when. Sending the file in order, with a list of the contents, makes it easier for the adjuster to follow.

Photographing the attic safely

The attic can be photographed from the hatch if it is safe to enter, and the photographs should show the roof boards, the rafters and the insulation. Entering an attic with wet insulation or a weak ceiling is not worth the risk.

From the hatch, photograph the underside of the roof boards, the rafters and the insulation, with a scale object and the date. Look for stains, dark wood, frost and wet insulation, and photograph each one. Do not step on the insulation or the ceiling joists, since the ceiling below can give way.

If the attic is wet, unlit or unsafe, leave it. The roofer will photograph the attic on the inspection, and the photographs in the file will show what was found.

What not to do before the inspection

Do not replace damaged material, do not discard it, and do not sign a repair contract that states the insurer's decision in advance. Those steps can weaken the claim and the evidence.

Do not discard the shingles, flashing or gutter sections that came down in the storm until the insurer has seen them, where they can be kept safely. Do not agree a permanent repair that includes a statement about what the insurer will pay. A repair contract should state the work and the price, not the insurer's decision.

If you are unsure whether a step will affect the claim, ask the insurer before taking it. A short question on the phone or in writing is usually enough to avoid a difficult later discussion.

Keeping the record for later storms

A storm file kept for the house is useful again after the next storm. The first file becomes the baseline against which later damage is measured.

Keep the photographs, the report and the timeline in a folder that can be found again. Add the next storm's file to the same folder, and note any repair made between the two. The folder then shows the house's history, which is valuable for a claim, a sale or a repair.

A homeowner can also photograph the roof from the ground each year in good weather, which gives a simple dated record of its condition between storms.

What to do with photographs taken by a neighbor or a roofer

Keep them with your own, record who took them and when, and do not alter them. Photographs from more than one source make the file stronger, provided each one is labelled.

A roofer who inspects the roof will take photographs, and a neighbor may have taken some from the street. Both are useful. Label each set with the name of the person who took it and the date, and keep the originals unaltered.

Ask the roofer for copies of the photographs in their original form, with the date stamp. A photograph that has been cropped or edited can be questioned, while the original is hard to dispute.

Photographs and the timeline together

Each photograph should be matched to a line in the timeline, so the insurer can see when and where each sign was recorded. Photographs without dates and places are much less useful.

Number each photograph and note the date, time and location beside its number in the timeline. A roof photograph can be matched to the time it was taken and the place on the roof, and that match makes the file easy to follow for the adjuster and the roofer alike.

Why a second set of photographs after the work

A short set of photographs after the temporary cover or the repair shows the state the roof was left in, and it completes the record of the storm.

Photograph the roof and the house again once the temporary cover or the repair is finished, from the same positions as the first set. The two sets together show the damage before the work and the state of the house after it, which is the complete picture an insurer or a buyer will want to see.

Keep the second set in the file with the same labels and dates. A file that ends with the finished work is easier to explain than one that stops at the damage.