Water damage · Insurance claims

How to document water damage for an insurance claim

Stop the water, then photograph everything before anything moves: the source, the spread, the materials, the contents.

By Andre Gaz, developer of InspectCam™ · Published 18 October 2026 · Last updated 18 October 2026

A water claim is paid on what the adjuster can see. By the time they arrive, the carpet may be in a dumpster, the wet drywall cut out, and the leaking valve already replaced. What's left is your photos, your list and your memory, and memory is the weakest of the three. Nobody wants to rebuild what happened from memory three weeks later, on the phone with a claims desk.

This guide is for the homeowner with a wet floor and for the plumbers and restoration techs who help them. It follows the advice insurers, regulators and FEMA publish, put in the order you'd actually work in.

What to do before the first photo

Make it safe. Water and electricity come first. Ready.gov's flood advice is not to touch electrical equipment if it's wet or if you're standing in water, and to turn off the electricity if it's safe to do so. Stay out from under a ceiling that sags with water.

Stop the water. Close the shut-off valve under the sink or behind the toilet, or the house main. Travelers' mitigation guide puts it first: if it's safe, stop the source of the leak straight away, and call a plumber if you can't.

Report it. The NAIC, the body of state insurance regulators, notes that most insurance companies have a time requirement for reporting a claim, so call your agent or insurer as soon as you can. Write down the claim number and the name of everyone you speak to.

Stopping the water is not the same as cleaning up. You can, and should, limit the damage. The Insurance Information Institute's claim steps put it in that order: photograph or videotape the damage, then take reasonable steps to protect the property from further damage.

What photos does insurance need for water damage?

Work from the cause outwards, then from the building to the things inside it. Wide shots give the close-ups their context, so the adjuster knows which wall the stain is on.

1. The source: what failed

Photograph the thing that let the water in: the split supply line, the corroded valve, the burst pipe, the overflowing drain, the stain on the roof deck. Shoot it wide enough to show where it is, then close enough to see the failure. Travelers also asks you to keep any pipes, hoses or parts involved in the leak if you can, and to photograph them if you can't. When the plumber swaps the part, ask for the old one in a bag.

If you can't find the source yet, photograph where the water is and keep looking. Our guides on finding a leak under the sink and checking a crawl space cover the two places it most often hides.

2. A wide shot of every room

Stand in the doorway and take the whole room, then turn and take it from the other side. Do every affected room, plus the rooms next to them, so it's clear where the damage stops. Include the floor: wet carpet in a wide shot shows how much of it got wet in a way no close-up can.

3. The extent: how far the water reached

Photograph the waterline on the walls, the stains on the ceiling below a bathroom, the swelling at the bottom of the cabinets and the tide marks on the baseboards. FEMA's documentation advice adds a step people skip: take photos of the insides of closets and cabinets too.

4. The damaged materials, up close

Now go close: the soft drywall, the cupped hardwood, the delaminated cabinet base, the wet pad under the carpet. Put something in the frame for scale, a tape measure or your hand. If a wall gets opened up, photograph the wet insulation and framing before it's bagged. For flood claims, FloodSmart, the National Flood Insurance Program's site, asks you to keep samples of damaged carpet, flooring and curtains.

5. The contents, item by item

Photograph every damaged thing you own, one item or one group at a time, and make a written list as you go. FEMA asks you to record the serial numbers of large appliances, such as washers, dryers and refrigerators; photograph the label and you won't have to copy it. The NAIC's home inventory advice is to note each item's age, purchase price and estimated value, and to keep receipts where you have them.

6. The moisture readings

A wet floor that looks dry isn't. A moisture meter tells the difference, and a restoration company will take readings on the first visit and keep taking them until the structure is dry. Photograph the meter on the material with the reading visible, and ask the restorer for a copy of their drying records for your claim file.

7. Repairs, receipts and what you spent

Photograph each emergency step: the tarp, the board-up, the fans and dehumidifiers running. Then keep every receipt. The Insurance Information Institute says you may be able to submit them for reimbursement, and Travelers asks you to save all your emergency repair and expense receipts.

Is a video walk-through worth it?

Yes, as well as the photos, not instead of them. The NAIC, the Insurance Information Institute and FEMA all name photos or video. A slow walk through each room, narrating what you see ("this is the hall bath, the leak was the supply line behind the toilet, the water ran under the wall into the bedroom"), ties every still together. Walk slowly, hold the phone steady, and let the camera settle on each stain before moving on. If music is playing on your phone, it will be in the video.

How do you prove when the photos were taken?

Your phone's camera saves the date and time inside each photo file. Keep that intact:

• Keep the originals. Don't send screenshots of photos, and keep a copy of every photo exactly as the camera took it.
• Don't let them live only in a chat. Photos stuck in text messages are often compressed, and some apps drop the details stored in the file. Send the originals by email or a shared folder when the adjuster asks.
• Name or group them by room. You'll need to retrieve the right image weeks or months later, often during a phone call.

What does the adjuster ask for?

Policies and insurers differ, but the same list comes up again and again in the guidance from the NAIC, the Insurance Information Institute, FEMA and the insurers themselves:

• The claim number, the date of loss and what caused it.
• Photos and video of the damage, taken before cleanup where it was safe to wait.
• A list of damaged items, with ages, prices and serial numbers where you have them.
• The failed part, if you kept it.
• Receipts for emergency repairs, drying equipment and any extra living costs.
• Bids for the repair work. The NAIC advises always getting more than one.
• The restorer's drying records, if a company dried the house.

Be there when the adjuster walks through, if you can, and hand over your list, photos, video and bids. Point out the damage you know is there but can't be seen any more, like the wall that was already opened up.

Mistakes that hurt water damage claims

1. Throwing things out before they're photographed. The Insurance Information Institute's advice is to avoid throwing out damaged items until the adjuster has visited, if possible, and the NAIC's is to save them so your insurer can inspect them if needed. If something is a health risk, like wet food or soaked pillows, photograph it first, then throw it away, as FloodSmart advises.
2. Making permanent repairs too early. Limit the damage, yes: the NAIC expects temporary repairs and says to keep the receipts. But it also notes your adjuster may want to review estimates before you make repairs, so talk to your insurer before the new drywall goes up.
3. Waiting. Wet materials grow mold. The EPA says to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, and FloodSmart points out that flood policies don't cover mold damage. FEMA strongly encourages owners to begin cleanup and documentation immediately.
4. Only close-ups, or only dark ones. A blurry, dark close-up of a stain could be anywhere. Light it, focus it, and pair it with a wide shot.
5. Ignoring the cause. Coverage often turns on what happened. The NAIC says water from plumbing or a roof leak is typically covered, but flood, ground water and runoff generally are not. The Insurance Information Institute's Am I covered? answers yes for a burst pipe and no for water seeping in from the ground, which it treats as maintenance. A clear photo of what failed is your best evidence. Your policy wording decides the rest.
6. Signing away the claim without reading it. The NAIC warns about assignment of benefits agreements, which let a contractor deal with your insurer directly. You don't have to sign one to get the work done.

For plumbers and restoration techs

You're often the first person on site with a camera, which makes your photos the claim's evidence. The homeowner's photos are usually dark phone shots from the moment of panic. Yours are the ones the adjuster trusts, if they're clear and in order.

• Photograph the source before you fix it, and again after, from the same spot.
• Record the water's category as you found it. The IICRC S500 standard for professional water damage restoration covers inspections and preliminary determinations, project documentation, and drying. Your photos of the source and the water itself back up the category you chose.
• Read the same moisture points every visit, with the material, the location and a dry standard, and write down the day's equipment.
• Keep each job's photos together. A camera roll that mixes five jobs means scrolling for the right valve while the adjuster waits.

Seeing into dark cabinets and crawl spaces

The source of a leak is almost always somewhere dark: the back of the sink cabinet, behind the washer, under the floor. You need one hand for the flashlight and one for the phone, and many people find their flashlight goes off when they open the camera.

InspectCam™ is free on Google Play (I build it). Turn the light on once and it stays on while you look, shoot and record.

• Tap to focus on the fitting you suspect.
• Pinch to zoom, or use the wide and close presets your phone supports, to read a corroded valve from the cabinet door.
• Reach in with the timer (3 or 6 seconds), or press a volume button to take the shot when the screen is out of sight.
• Touch lock stops a knee or a wet sleeve from changing anything while you film.

The light turns off after 10 minutes untouched, with a warning first, or if the phone gets very hot; tap it to turn it back on. Free photos carry a small, faint InspectCam™ mark in one corner.

Pro, coming soon: the claim file as you go

For restorers, plumbers and adjusters who do this every week, InspectCam™ Pro is coming soon. It keeps a water loss in one job on your Android phone, built in the order this page describes, and its timestamp camera puts the date, time, address and GPS on each photo. None of this is in the free app on Google Play today.

• Stamped photos. Every photo and video taken into a job carries the date, time, street address and GPS position the phone reports, in one thin line along the bottom. With location off, it's the date and time only. Dual videos, with both cameras at once, don't carry the stamp.
• The right job, picked for you. With location allowed, the camera picks the job you're standing at. When several jobs are close by, it asks “Which job?” instead of guessing.
• A shot list for water. The ready-made Restoration template asks for the front of the property and where the water came from, and reminds you of the affected rooms, moisture readings, equipment, removed materials and the rooms after drying.
• Drying and equipment logs. Type the temperature, humidity and meter readings, and grains per pound and dew point are worked out. A day nobody read a wet room prints as “No readings”, so you see the gap before the adjuster does.
• The homeowner's own photos. Photos from their phone's gallery can go into the job, marked “Added from phone gallery” so nobody mistakes them for yours.
• A PDF report under your name. One tap builds it with your company name, logo and license number, and a small “Generated with InspectCam” credit on the last page.

Pro comes in three plans, all coming soon: Duo for up to 2 people at $39.99 a month, Team for up to 5 at $89.99, and Business for up to 10 at $159.99. On Duo and Team, paying yearly gets you a year for the price of ten months; Business is monthly only. Prices are in US dollars, plus any tax, charged by Google Play. On Team and Business, the plumber who fixed the cause can send photos of the repair from their phone's browser, by QR code or link, with no app. For now, each person on your crew needs an Android phone; the iPhone app is coming soon, with Pro included. The details are on the Pro page.

Questions people ask

What photos does insurance need for water damage?

Start with what failed, then take each affected room wide from the doorway, then the waterline and stains, then each damaged material up close, then every damaged item with its serial number label, then any moisture readings. Add photos of emergency repairs and keep the receipts. FEMA also asks for photos of the insides of closets and cabinets.

Should I take photos before cleaning up water damage?

Yes. Stop the water first if it's safe, then photograph and film the damage before you clean up, move or throw anything out. The Insurance Information Institute's order is to photograph or videotape the damage, then take reasonable steps to protect the property. Don't wait long: the EPA says to dry wet areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold.

Can I throw away water-damaged items before the adjuster comes?

If possible, keep them until the adjuster has visited, as the Insurance Information Institute advises. Items that are a health risk, like wet food, pillows or soaked carpet, can go once they're photographed and on your list. For flood claims, FloodSmart asks you to keep samples of carpet, flooring and curtains.

Do photos need a timestamp for an insurance claim?

Your phone's camera already saves the date and time inside each photo file, so keep the original files and send those, not screenshots or copies squeezed through a text message. A date printed on the picture itself is a plus, but the originals matter more.

Is a video better than photos for a water damage claim?

Take both. A slow, narrated walk-through ties the rooms together and shows how far the water spread. Still photos are easier for an adjuster to pull into a file and point at. The NAIC, the Insurance Information Institute and FEMA all name photos or video.

Does homeowners insurance cover a slow leak?

It depends on your policy. The NAIC says water damage from plumbing or a roof leak is typically covered, while flood, ground water and runoff are not. The Insurance Information Institute treats water seeping in from the ground as a maintenance issue that isn't covered. Photograph what failed clearly and ask your insurer how your policy treats it.

This page is general guidance, not legal or insurance advice; your policy and your insurer decide what's covered. If something here didn't match your claim, tell us and it may help the next person.