Water Damage Documentation for Restoration Contractors (2026)

Water damage documentation is one of the highest-stakes documentation tasks in the trades. Insurance adjusters need evidence of conditions before remediation starts — and once remediation begins, that baseline is gone forever.

What to document on arrival (before touching anything)

Source of water intrusion, extent of visible water and saturation across all affected areas, all affected materials, moisture readings photographed in situ at each location, any pre-existing damage unrelated to the current claim, personal property affected. Every photo taken in Manifold is GPS-tagged to the job address and timestamped automatically.

During remediation

Equipment placement and setup, daily moisture readings at each monitoring point (with photo of the meter at each location), material removal before and after, conditions inside walls once opened. Build a moisture reading checklist in Manifold where each monitoring point requires a photo before it can be marked complete. See our inspection checklists guide for the framework.

Orbit Measure for damage extent

For large-area claims, Orbit Measure lets your technician walk the affected space for 60 seconds with any iOS or Android phone and get a measurable 3D model — shareable via browser link with the adjuster.

Restoration contractors using Jobber: see our Jobber for restoration contractors guide and the Manifold for restoration contractors page.

Photo plan: $16/user/month. Photo+Scan: $24/user/month. No seat minimums. Free trial.

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