How to write a general loss report

Open with the facts that identify the file: claim reference, report number, date of loss, date of inspection, the insured's name, and the risk address. Then describe the risk itself — occupancy, year built, construction type, number of stories, roof covering, and square footage.

These details are not filler. A reviewer uses them to sanity-check the scope: a 1974 three-tab roof and a 2021 architectural roof lead to very different conversations about repairability and depreciation.

State the peril, then the mechanism. Two sentences that connect a dated weather or plumbing event to the specific damage pattern you photographed do more for a file than a page of general description.

Cover four things in order:

• What the insured reported, in their words, and the date they discovered it.
• What you observed that supports or contradicts that account.
• Whether a storm-created opening, a failed component, or a third party caused the entry of water or damage.
• Any pre-existing condition, wear, deterioration, or prior repair that affects the scope.

When the evidence does not support the reported cause, say so plainly and factually, and let the photos and measurements carry the argument. Never characterize the insured's intent.

For sample cause-of-loss paragraphs covering eighteen individual perils, see cause of loss wording examples.

Work the exterior in a fixed order — front, right, rear, left, then roof by slope — and the interior room by room. A consistent order makes omissions obvious to you and to your reviewer.

For each area, record what was damaged, the extent, and the measurement or count that supports it. Tie each item to a photo number.

Note what you inspected and found undamaged as well. "Front and left elevations inspected; no storm-related damage observed" closes a question before it is asked.

This section explains the estimate rather than repeating it. State what the scope of work includes, then justify the decisions a reviewer would question: full slope replacement versus repair, why a room was included for paint continuation, why a code item was added, why matching material was unavailable.

Reference the pricing basis and version of your estimating platform, and confirm that the figures in the narrative match the attached estimate exactly. Mismatched totals are the fastest route to a returned file.

Lay out the applicable coverages and limits, then show the arithmetic: replacement cost value, depreciation applied, deductible, and net actual cash value payable. Break out each coverage separately — dwelling, other structures, contents, and loss of use — so the payment can be traced line by line.

• Name the coverage each item falls under, and say which items were excluded and on what basis.
• State whether depreciation is recoverable and what the insured must do to recover it.
• Apply the deductible once, to the correct coverage, and state which one.
• Note whether overhead and profit is included, and why.

Where a limit is approached or exceeded, flag it explicitly rather than leaving the reviewer to notice.

Habitability is a conclusion drawn from conditions, not an opinion. Document each condition you checked — utilities, water supply, sanitation, cooking facilities, heating or cooling, structural safety, and secure entry — then state the conclusion those conditions support.

When a dwelling is not habitable, say which specific condition drives that conclusion, what must be restored, and the expected duration of displacement if it can be estimated.

Address these three even when the answer is no — a reviewer needs the negative on the record. If a third party may be responsible, identify them, describe the evidence that points to them, and recommend the follow-through: preserve the failed component, obtain the service records, refer the file to the subrogation unit.

For salvage, state whether any recoverable property exists and its disposition. For liability exposure, keep the description factual: what was reported, what was observed, what remains unverified.

Close with what you recommend and what remains open. Each recommendation should be an action someone can take:

• Issue payment for the net actual cash value shown.
• Obtain a specific document, invoice, or specialist report before final settlement.
• Reinspect after a named event, such as mitigation completion or repair start.
• Refer for engineering, subrogation, or contents review.

Sign the report, date it, and state clearly that you remain the adjuster of record for the file.

Before submitting, confirm each of these:

• Every figure in the narrative matches the attached estimate.
• The peril named in the cause of loss matches the damage described.
• Each damaged item ties to a photo, a measurement, or both.
• Areas inspected and found undamaged are noted.
• The deductible is applied once, to the correct coverage.
• Depreciation is identified as recoverable or non-recoverable.
• Habitability follows from documented conditions.
• Subrogation, salvage, and liability each receive an answer.
• Dates — loss, inspection, report — are consistent throughout.
• No insured or claimant name is misspelled.