# Insurance Claim Photo Documentation Checklist

> An insurance claim photo checklist for car accidents and home damage: the shots adjusters need, extra photos by claim type, and how to send them.

## Insurance claim photo checklist

An adjuster is the person who assesses your claim for the insurance company. The adjuster cannot approve damage that the photos do not show. Take the photos before you clean up or make repairs, if it is safe. The [NAIC](https://content.naic.org/article/navigating-claims-process-recover-and-rebuild) (the association of state insurance regulators) gives the same advice. Take photos or videos first, and make a list of the damage and the lost items.

Use these rules for each claim:

1. Take a wide shot of each area first. Then take close-ups of each damaged part.
2. Photograph each damaged part from at least two angles.
3. Put a ruler or a tape measure next to cracks, dents, and holes.
4. Photograph the cause of the damage: the fallen tree, the failed pipe, or the hail.
5. Photograph the labels with the model number and the serial number of damaged appliances and electronics.
6. Turn on all lights in dark areas, and take several shots of each spot.
7. Keep the date and time data in your photos. Do not send screenshots in place of the original files.
8. If a video is easier, walk through each area slowly and say what you see.

## Car accident

![Car accident photo order: accident occurs, wide-angle shots, damage close-ups, vehicle details, scene documentation](/assets/blog/insurance-claim-photos/accident-occurs-wide.webp)

Make sure that everyone is safe first. If a person is hurt, call 911. Then, if it is safe, take these photos:

1. Each vehicle from all four corners.
2. Close-ups of each damaged area, from more than one angle.
3. The other vehicles, with their license plates.
4. The driver's license, the registration, and the insurance card of the other driver.
5. The scene: road conditions, skid marks, traffic signs, signals, and debris.
6. The VIN plate and the odometer of your car. The VIN is the vehicle identification number.
7. Warning lights on the dashboard.
8. Any visible injuries.

The [Triple-I](https://www.iii.org/article/what-to-do-at-the-scene-of-an-accident) (the Insurance Information Institute) also tells drivers to write down the location, the time of day, and the weather. Get the names and the contact details of each person in the crash. Include the witnesses.

## Home and property damage

![Property photo order: exterior context, damage with scale, serial numbers, before photos, temporary repairs](/assets/blog/insurance-claim-photos/diagram_exterior-context-damage.webp)

Take these photos for a home or property claim:

1. The outside of the building, to show where the damage is.
2. Each affected room, with a wide shot from the doorway.
3. The damage with a ruler for scale.
4. The cause of the damage, and its connection to the damage. For example, show the tree, the roof, and the place where they meet.
5. Damaged personal property, item by item.
6. Model and serial number labels.
7. Undamaged areas next to the damage, to show the scope.

Look for photos of the property from before the damage. Your phone, your social media, and old rental or sale listings can have them. The NAIC recommends a [home inventory](https://content.naic.org/article/what-you-need-know-when-filing-homeowners-claim) with photos or videos of each room before a loss. It also recommends that you update the inventory each year.

The NAIC also advises temporary repairs that stop more damage. Examples are a tarp over a hole in the roof or boards over a broken window. Photograph the damage before the temporary repair, and photograph the repair after it. Keep all receipts. If possible, save the damaged items, so that the insurer can inspect them.

## Extra photos for each claim type

| Claim type | Extra photos |
|------------|--------------|
| Water damage | The source of the water, the water line on the walls, wet floors and ceilings, the shut-off valve, and drying equipment |
| Theft or break-in | The point of entry, damaged locks, doors, and windows, the empty places where items were, and your proof of ownership (receipts, older photos, serial numbers) |
| Storm or hail | Each side of the roof, gutters, siding, windows, vehicles, and fallen trees |
| Injury on a property | The hazard that caused the fall or the injury, the area around it, and the injury on the first day and as it heals |

## Organize and send the photos

An adjuster finds photos faster in a clear order. Follow these steps:

1. Make a folder for each area, for example Roof, Basement, Kitchen, or Front bumper.
2. Give each file a name with the date, the area, and the damage. For example: 2026-03-15_Roof_Hail_South-side.jpg.
3. Copy all photos to a cloud backup on the same day. A phone can get lost or damaged.
4. Keep the full-size original files. An upload portal can make the photos smaller.
5. Write a list of the damage and the lost items, and add the photo file names to the list.
6. Report the claim to your insurer as soon as possible. The time limit to report a claim is different from state to state.

If the adjuster asks for more photos, take them soon, and tell the adjuster when you send them.

## Mistakes that delay a claim

Avoid these mistakes. Each one can delay a claim:

- Only close-ups, with no wide shot that shows where the damage is.
- No photo of the cause of the damage.
- Blurry or dark photos.
- Photos taken weeks later, after the damage changed.
- Permanent repairs or cleanup before the photos.
- Damaged items that went to the trash before the adjuster saw them.

## Use this checklist with Claude or ChatGPT

Claude or ChatGPT can compare your photos with this checklist and tell you which shots are missing:

1. Paste the checklist for your claim type into the chat.
2. Upload a few photos at a time, or write one line that describes each photo.
3. Tell the model the type of claim and the areas that have damage.
4. Ask which shots are missing and which photos are unclear.

```text
Here is my insurance claim photo checklist. This is a water damage claim for a
kitchen and a basement. The photos are attached. Go through the checklist item
by item, say which shots I have and which are missing, and point out any photo
that is too dark, too close or blurry. Then suggest a folder and file name plan.
```

Remove personal data before you upload. Crop or cover policy numbers, license numbers, other people's faces and plates, and your address. Read the data settings of your workspace. The model can miss damage in a photo or describe damage that is not there. Look at each photo yourself before you send it to the insurer.

The model does not know what your policy covers. Your policy and your insurer decide that. If you disagree with a claim decision, ask your agent, or contact the insurance department of your state.

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