- •The carrier pays for what the file proves, not what the house lost. Documentation is the claim.
- •Shoot every damage point three ways: wide to place it, mid to show extent, close with a scale reference.
- •Work the four zones in order: exterior and roof, interior, contents, systems. Miss a zone, lose that money.
- •Preserve metadata: no screenshots, no filters, back up the originals to the cloud so timestamps survive.
- •Document before you clean up. Once damaged materials hit the curb, the proof goes with them.
The file is the claim
When an adjuster values a hurricane loss, they are not paying for the damage; they are paying for the proof of the damage. Two identical houses can produce wildly different settlements based on nothing but the file each homeowner hands over. The one with a thin file of a dozen blurry photos gets a thin estimate; the one with a systematic, zone-by-zone record gets scope items the first estimate would have missed. Florida law even frames the carrier’s obligation around this: under Fla. Stat. § 627.70131 the insurer must investigate and justify its number in writing, and a complete file is what forces that number up.
This is why public adjusters and contractors document the way they do. It is not talent; it is a checklist. This guide is that checklist, built for the phone you already own. It is the standalone, whole-house companion to the focused 10-photo roof protocol. Where that one wins a roof claim, this one documents the entire loss.
Wide, mid, close: the three-shot habit
The professional habit that separates a usable file from a pile of images is shooting every damage point three ways, in the same order, every time:
- Wide: where is it? A shot that places the damage in the room or on the elevation, so there is no dispute about which wall, which slope, which room.
- Mid: how much of it? A step closer, showing the full extent of the damage in context.
- Close: what exactly? The detail, with a scale reference in frame (a tape measure, a coin, a ruler) so size is provable, not estimated.
Three frames per damage point sounds like a lot until you realize an adjuster cannot pay for a close-up they cannot locate. The wide shot is what makes the close-up count. Do this for every damaged area and the estimate practically writes itself.
Work the four zones: miss one, lose that money
A hurricane loss lives in four zones, and money leaks out of every zone you skip. Adjusters and public adjusters walk them in the same order so nothing is missed:
- Exterior & roof: the elevations, every roof plane, flashing and gutters, broken openings, and the debris that caused it. The roof is where wind claims are won; never climb a damaged one.
- Interior: ceilings, walls, and floors room by room, the attic above them, and any standing water before you extract it.
- Contents: damaged belongings in place, with make, model, and serial numbers for anything of value, and receipts for sublimited items like jewelry and firearms.
- Systems: HVAC, water heater, and the electrical panel, which take storm and water damage that a surface walkthrough misses entirely.
The checklist below runs all four zones in order. Work it on your phone as you shoot.
The four-zone protocol
CHECKLIST · SAVES ON THIS DEVICEFourteen frames across four zones cover a full hurricane loss. Check them off as you shoot; progress saves on this device, and you can print the list to work offline in the field.
What the carrier sees: thin file vs. public-adjuster file
The damage is identical. The settlement is not, because the estimate is built from the file. This is the difference the protocol makes on the same house.
No wide shots, no scale, no interior. The adjuster scopes what is visible and defensible, and that is little.
Damaged contents already at the curb. No proof they existed, so they are not paid.
Edited and re-saved images with stripped timestamps invite "pre-existing" and "undated" objections.
Every damage point placed, sized, and detailed. Nothing to dispute, plenty to scope.
Contents photographed in place with serial numbers; existence and value both provable.
Dated, geotagged originals in the cloud: a record the carrier’s written basis has to answer.
Illustrative comparison drawn from standard claim-documentation practice. The estimate follows the file: a complete file forces a complete scope.
Timestamps and metadata: the evidence you can’t see
Every photo your phone takes carries hidden data (the date, the time, the device, and often the GPS coordinates) embedded inside the file. This metadata (EXIF data) is what lets you prove a photo was taken at your address the day after the storm, not staged weeks later. It is silent, automatic corroboration, and it is easy to destroy without realizing it. Protect it:
- Do not screenshot your photos. A screenshot is a new image with none of the original’s date or location data.
- Do not run them through filters or editing apps. Editing and re-saving can strip or alter the metadata and hands the carrier a "these were altered" argument.
- Share originals, not compressed copies. Some messaging apps shrink photos and drop the EXIF. Send the full-resolution originals or upload them directly.
- Back up to the cloud immediately. Upload the originals the same day, so the dated files survive even if the phone does not.
Video: narrate what you shoot
Stills prove specific damage; video proves the whole scene and the fact that it is real. Walk the property filming in one continuous take where you can, and narrate as you go: say the date out loud, name each room, and describe what you are pointing at. A continuous, spoken walkthrough is difficult for a carrier to dismiss as staged or assembled after the fact, and it naturally captures context the still shots skip: the sequence of rooms, the extent of the water, the smell and sound you describe.
Do both, not one or the other. The video is the establishing context; the stills are the detailed evidence the estimate is built from. Together they are the record a public adjuster would build. Paired with your pre-storm walkthrough, it becomes the before-and-after that ends the argument about pre-existing condition.
Contents: prove what you owned
Personal property is the coverage people are least able to prove and therefore most often shorted on. The carrier pays for the belongings you can document, not the ones you can remember. Photograph damaged contents in place before anything is moved, and for anything of value, get the detail that establishes existence and worth:
- Make, model, and serial numbers: photograph the plates on electronics, appliances, and tools. This single habit answers "did you own it and what was it worth."
- Receipts and appraisals: for jewelry, watches, firearms, art, and collectibles, which typically carry special sublimits on an unendorsed policy (commonly in the low thousands; your policy may differ, read yours). Paperwork is what recovers the full value or supports a scheduled endorsement.
- The overlooked spaces: the garage, the shed, the attic, the closets. Tools, equipment, and stored belongings are routinely undercounted.
Organize the contents photos by room as you go. A navigable, room-by-room inventory hands the adjuster a complete claim instead of a guessing game, and a guessing game always resolves in the carrier’s favor.
Florida vs. South Carolina: why the file matters in each
§ 627.70131 requires a written basis for the payment or denial; a complete file is what that basis has to answer to.
18 months to file a supplemental (§ 627.70132), but only your documentation supports the additional scope.
Dated, geotagged photos and a pre-storm walkthrough defeat the wear-and-tear reclassification before it starts.
No fixed statutory deadline: document immediately and report promptly so nothing is lost to the passage of time.
Coastal owners face wind-pool and flood adjusters separately, and your file is what allocates damage correctly between them.
Claim handling is judged for reasonableness; thorough documentation is what makes an underpayment look unreasonable.
Statutes summarized as of July 2026. Documentation practices are general guidance, not legal advice; read your policy and consult an attorney about your specific claim.
The photo protocol: the questions people ask
How many photos should I take after a hurricane?
Far more than you think you need: hundreds, not dozens. Storage is free and the adjuster pays only for what you can prove. Follow the wide-mid-close pattern for every damage point: a wide shot to establish the location, a mid-range shot to show the extent, and a close-up with a scale reference. If you are unsure whether to photograph something, photograph it. You cannot go back and shoot the intact version once it is at the curb.
Do I need a special camera, or is a phone enough?
A phone is enough. It is what most public adjusters use for the bulk of a claim. Modern phone cameras are high-resolution and, importantly, they embed the date, time, and often GPS location in each photo’s metadata, which timestamps your evidence automatically. Keep the lens clean, use good light, and hold steady. The only place a phone falls short is the roof: never climb a storm-damaged roof for a photo; use a drone, a ladder from the edge, or a zoom from the ground.
What is metadata and why does it matter for my claim?
Metadata (EXIF data) is the invisible information a camera stores inside each photo file: the date and time it was taken, the device, and often GPS coordinates. It is what lets you prove a photo was taken the day after the storm and at your address. To preserve it, do not screenshot your photos, do not run them through filters or editing apps, and share the original files rather than compressed copies. Back the originals up to the cloud so the timestamps survive even if the phone does not.
Should I photograph the damage before or after I clean up?
Before, always. This is the single most common and most costly documentation mistake: cleaning up or hauling damaged materials to the curb before there is a record of them. The adjuster values what you can prove was damaged, and once the soaked drywall and ruined furniture are gone, the proof is gone. Document everything in place first, then meet your mitigation duty by tarping, drying out, and removing materials. See our first-72-hours guide for the full order of operations.
How is this different from the 10-photo roof protocol?
The 10-photo protocol on our roof-denial guide is the focused version for a roof claim. This is the whole-house version: it adds interior, contents, and systems documentation for a full hurricane loss, not just the roof. If your claim is roof-only, the 10-photo list is enough. If the storm hit the whole house (interior water, ruined contents, damaged HVAC), use the four-zone protocol here.
Should I narrate a video walkthrough too?
Yes. Still photos prove specific damage; a narrated video proves context and continuity. Walk the property filming continuously and say what you are looking at: the date, the room, the damage. A continuous video is hard for a carrier to argue was staged or assembled after the fact, and it captures things you would not think to photograph individually. Do both: the video for context, the stills for the detailed evidence the estimate is built on.
Where should I store all these photos?
In the cloud, immediately, in addition to your phone. A phone can be lost, stolen, or destroyed in the same disaster that produced the photos. Upload the originals to a cloud service or email them to yourself so the files, and their metadata, survive. Keep them organized by zone or room so you can hand the adjuster a complete, navigable file rather than a thousand loose images.
- FL LEGISLATURE Fla. Stat. § 627.70131: insurer duty to investigate; pay or deny in 60 days ↗
- FL LEGISLATURE Fla. Stat. § 627.70132: notice of claim (1-year / 18-month windows) ↗
- UP United Policyholders: home inventory and documentation guidance ↗
- FEMA / NFIP FEMA: documenting damage for your claim ↗
- SC DOI SC Dept. of Insurance: filing and documenting a claim ↗
Not legal advice; consult an attorney about your specific claim.
The claim is won on the record, not the wreckage.
A hurricane claim isn't decided by how badly your house was hit. It's decided by how well the loss is documented and how precisely the deadlines are met. Photograph everything, keep every receipt from the tarp to the hotel folio, put every notice in writing. The carrier pays for what the file proves.
The deadlines are the trap: Florida gives a year to notice a claim, 18 months for a supplemental, then 60 days for the carrier's decision; South Carolina runs on prompt notice. Miss the window and the evidence won't save the claim; meet it, and a denial or lowball becomes an argument you can win.
Got the photos? Is the estimate too low?
Upload your documentation and the adjuster’s estimate. You'll get a straight read on which zones the estimate missed and whether the scope matches the file you built.
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