How to photograph damage for an insurance claim

A flooded home, a car hit by hail, a warehouse full of ruined stock: in moments like these it is easy to rush the photos and miss important details. The loss adjuster arrives days later, and sometimes the first argument is not about the damage at all but about the photos: when they were taken, and whether they really show everything.

After the incident: notify your insurer and limit the damage

Almost every insurance policy sets a deadline for notifying the insurer, often just a few days from when you discover the loss, so check your policy wording straight away. Most policies also expect you to do what you reasonably can to limit the damage: turn off the water, move furniture, protect what can be saved.

Limiting the damage often means taking action before the adjuster arrives, and every action changes the scene the adjuster would otherwise see. That is what the photos are for: record the damage before you change anything, so you can act without losing the evidence.

If it is safe and will not delay urgent action, photograph the damage before you start work. Then photograph the work as well.

What to photograph, in what order

1. Overview. The whole room, from one corner, then from the opposite one. It shows what was around the damage and makes it hard to suggest you only framed the worst part.

2. Context. The damaged area with something recognisable next to it: a window, a door, a piece of furniture. Weeks later, anyone looking at the close-ups can tell where they were taken.

3. Detail. The damage up close, in focus, without direct flash if it causes glare. Several shots from different angles, not just one.

4. Reference. A tape measure or an object of known size next to the damage; for appliances, the rating plate with model and serial number; for ruined goods, the receipts or invoices next to the item. For a car: number plate, odometer, all four sides, then each dent.

A short walk-through video, filmed slowly from room to room, helps show how the damaged areas relate to the rest of the property. And if there is something the images do not show (where the water came in, when you noticed, who was there), record a voice note now: in a month you will not remember it as precisely.

When the date of a photo is challenged

Photos taken with the phone's camera have a date, but it is a date written by the phone, and it can be changed in seconds in the settings or with a metadata editor. The same goes for the GPS position stored in the file (see the guide on EXIF metadata).

In most claims nobody questions it. Things change when a claim gets complicated: a large amount, a suspicion that the damage was already there, further damage discovered later. You may then need supporting evidence of when the photos were taken.

How to make them verifiable

A photo is harder to challenge when three things are fixed at the moment of capture, not afterwards:

• a fingerprint of the file (a code calculated from its bytes: change one pixel and the fingerprint changes);
• a timestamp issued by an independent authority, attesting that the fingerprint existed at that moment;
• the location, with the accuracy reported by the device.

That is what LOCUS does: you shoot inside the app and within seconds the photo is sealed with fingerprints, the device signature, timestamps from independent authorities (including a qualified eIDAS timestamp from InfoCert over the whole package), location and address. The result is a package that anyone, including the insurer's adjuster, can check independently without having to trust you or us. The guide on how the opposing party verifies your evidence walks through the process.

Two things to know. The protection applies to photos taken inside the app: photos already in your gallery cannot be sealed after the fact with the same guarantee, because there is no way to establish when they were taken. And sealing needs a connection: in a basement with no signal, take the photos where there is coverage or go back upstairs straight away.

A checklist to keep on your phone

• Safety first: do not walk into flooded rooms with the power on.
• If it is safe and will not delay urgent action, photograph before moving or cleaning anything. Photograph the work you do to limit the damage too.
• Four shots for each item: overview, context, detail, reference.
• A walk-through video and a voice note covering what the photos do not show.
• Do not throw away damaged goods before talking to the insurer: the adjuster may want to see them.
• Notify the insurer within the deadline set by your policy.
• Keep the package and make a separate backup copy.

If you carry out insurance inspections professionally, LOCUS for loss adjusters explains how to organise a complete site visit; if you manage buildings, see LOCUS for property managers.

This guide describes good documentation practice. It does not replace your policy terms or legal advice: if a dispute reaches court, admissibility and the weight of the evidence are for the court to decide.