Reviewing a contractor estimate on an insurance claim
After a storm or a water loss you are handed two documents that rarely match: the adjuster's scope of loss and the contractor's proposal. The gap between them is where homeowners lose money — usually by approving work that the policy would have covered under a properly documented supplement.
Line up the two documents first
Insurance scopes are itemized by task and quantity: squares of shingles, linear feet of drip edge, square feet of drywall. Contractor proposals are often a single number. Before you approve anything, ask your contractor for an itemized estimate in the same structure so the two can be compared line by line.
Line items most often missing on a claim
- Drip edge, starter course, ridge cap, and ice-and-water shield on roof claims
- Code upgrades — ventilation, decking thickness, fastener schedule — where ordinance-and-law coverage applies
- Detach and reset of solar, satellite, gutters, and HVAC condensers
- Steep and high charges where the roof geometry warrants them
- Drying equipment days, antimicrobial treatment, and containment on water losses
- Matching and continuous-surface items on partial replacements
- General contractor overhead and profit where multiple trades are involved
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Understand ACV, RCV, and depreciation
Most policies pay actual cash value first and release recoverable depreciation once the work is complete and documented. That means your first check is intentionally smaller than the total. Approving a cheaper scope to 'fit the check' can permanently forfeit the depreciation you were entitled to recover.
Supplements are normal, not confrontational
When the contractor finds work the adjuster's scope missed, the correct path is a documented supplement with photos, measurements, and the code or manufacturer requirement behind it. Verbal agreements do not survive a claim file.
Two warnings
- Be cautious with any contractor who offers to cover your deductible — that is illegal in many states and puts you on the claim.
- Read assignment-of-benefits paperwork carefully; signing it hands your claim rights to the contractor.
Frequently asked
- Can you tell me whether my insurer should pay for something?
- No — coverage depends on your policy language and your state, and we do not give coverage opinions. What the review does is show where the contractor's scope and the adjuster's scope differ, so you can ask both parties specific, documented questions.
- Do I have to use the contractor my insurer recommends?
- In most states you choose your own contractor. The insurer's estimate sets what they will pay, not who does the work.