Most disputes, with customers and with insurers, come down to "can you show me?" This checklist makes sure you can. It leans toward restoration work but applies to most field jobs.
What's inside
- Four stages: before, during, finish, and billing
- What to photograph and when
- A single-folder habit that saves hours later
The checklist
Before work starts
- Signed work authorization or estimate approval
- Written scope of work with the price
- Photos of every affected area, wide and close, before anything is touched
- Notes on pre-existing damage or conditions
- Customer's insurance details, if a claim is involved
During the job
- Daily progress notes with the date and who was on site
- Equipment placed and removed, with times
- Readings or measurements that matter for your trade, logged each visit
- Any change to the scope, in writing and signed before the extra work begins
- Receipts for materials and disposal
At completion
- After photos from the same angles as the before photos
- Customer walk-through and sign-off
- Punch-list items resolved or listed
- Warranty or care information handed over
Billing and records
- Itemized invoice that matches the signed scope and change orders
- Documentation package sent to the customer, and to the adjuster if there is one
- Everything stored in one folder per job, named the same way every time
- Follow-up scheduled: payment reminder, review request, 30-day check-in
Requirements differ by insurer and by state. Ask the adjuster or carrier exactly what documentation they need before work starts, and add it to this list.