Use dotted terms for definitions. You can also browse the glossary.
Before you decide
- Records support investigation; they do not guarantee payment.
- Keep originals and a dated event timeline.
- Separate damage evidence, expense evidence and income evidence.
Create the baseline
Keep the policy and endorsements, ownership records, inspection reports, dated photographs, contractor invoices and an inventory of owner property in a secure location accessible away from the building. Photograph serial numbers when useful. Do not collect tenant identity documents merely to fill an insurance folder.
TDI’s disaster guidance recommends documenting damage before work and coordinating permanent repairs with the insurer. Apply those recordkeeping principles while following the actual policy duties and local safety instructions. Texas-specific legal time limits should not be applied to another jurisdiction.
Use a three-part evidence file
| Folder | Contents | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Physical damage | Before/after images, cause reports, repair scopes | Show what changed and what was observed |
| Expenses | Emergency work, invoices, proof of payment | Distinguish incurred costs from estimates |
| Income | Leases, rent roll, ledger, continuing expenses | Support an income calculation if the coverage responds |
Worked scenario: an incomplete invoice
A contractor invoice says only “water repair, $8,000.” Request a breakdown of emergency extraction, damaged materials, replacement work and upgrades, with dates and affected rooms. Keep the original invoice and the clarification. The insurer can then evaluate distinct items rather than an undifferentiated total.
Record who identified the water source and how, without rewriting an uncertain observation as a proven cause. A plumber’s finding, an owner’s assumption and an insurer’s coverage decision belong in separate entries.
Maintain a communication register
For each contact record date, person, claim reference, documents sent, questions outstanding and next action. Save written decisions and the provisions cited. Ask for clarification when an estimate omits an item or a payment is described ambiguously.
Restrict access to the file, redact unnecessary personal information and use the insurer’s approved submission channel. A well-organized file makes review easier; it cannot change an exclusion or prove a loss occurred during the insured period by itself.
Download a blank claim register
Download the claim register CSV. Record observed facts, estimates, invoices, payments and open questions separately. Complete it privately and retain source documents in a secure file; the download contains no personal data.
Sources & scope
- Texas Department of Insurance: Homeowners insurance and disaster claims
September 15, 2025. Evidence, temporary repairs and staged-payment context. Texas deadlines are not national rules.
Sources checked October 24, 2026. General descriptions do not replace the policy, endorsements, declarations or an insurer’s coverage determination. Examples are hypothetical unless explicitly identified otherwise.
Continue your field guide
Print or save a private copy using your browser’s print command.