"Asking for things that have already been sent in": how small roofers stop losing money on insurance jobs
Roofers say insurance jobs leak money in three places: the ACV policy nobody caught before the build, the supplement items you forgot, and the adjuster asking for things you already sent. One habit fixes all three. Here's the 10-minute version.
LinkedControls field report · October 22, 2026 · Free
Here's the short version. On insurance jobs, money leaks in three places:
- You build before you read the claim (especially ACV vs. RCV).
- You miss the usual supplement items (starter, drip edge, steep charge).
- The adjuster asks for photos or papers you already sent.
Fix all three with one habit: the same claim check and the same photo set on every job. We got this from reading what roofers say in public on r/Roofing and r/RoofingSales, and we opened every source we quote.
This is mostly process, not a new AI tool. The only software pick is a free Google Drive folder, with CompanyCam as the paid upgrade.
AI matters here for one reason: a law firm's note lists ways insurers can catch fake or AI-enhanced damage photos. So send originals, and put a coin or tape measure in your close-ups.
Do this tonight (10 minutes):
- Save the claim-check text in section 1 as a text replacement or a note on your phone.
- Save the supplement email in section 2 as a template in your email app (Gmail help, Outlook help).
- Screenshot the shot list. Then make one
Jobsfolder in Google Drive with the four subfolders in section 3.
Prices below were checked Oct 22, 2026.
1. Read the claim before you build
A homeowner on r/Roofing posted in May: "It is an ACV policy." Their roofer had "operated under the assumption it was an RCV policy." Now the roofer is asking the homeowner to cover the gap, "which is several thousand dollars."
Roofers in the thread didn't defend the contractor. "It's the roofer's error if it wasn't noticed prior to the build," one wrote.
Two terms to know:
- RCV (replacement cost value): the insurer holds back some money ("recoverable depreciation") and pays it after the work is done.
- ACV (actual cash value): the insurer pays what the old roof was worth. The "non-recoverable" part is the homeowner's to pay.
The claim-check text. Send it before every insurance job:
Hi [first name], it's [your name] from [company]. Before we order materials, can you send me every page of your insurance estimate? Photos of each page are fine. I need the summary pages at the end too. I want to check what your policy pays before we start, so nobody gets a surprise bill later. Thanks!
When the pages come in, run these five checks. It takes about five minutes.
| Check | Where to look | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| ACV or RCV? | Depreciation lines near the end. Look for "recoverable" or "non-recoverable." | Non-recoverable money comes from the homeowner, not the insurer. |
| Deductible | Summary page | Some policies use a % wind/hail deductible. One commenter has seen "15k wind/hail deductibles." |
| Code upgrades | A code upgrade line (often called O&L, "ordinance or law") | Roofers check "whether their policy… covers building code upgrades." |
| Missing items | Compare to your own scope | See section 2. |
| What the homeowner owes | Your math | Text it to them. Get a reply before you build. |
Caption: the five-minute claim check. Run it before you order materials, not after the final invoice.
What this means for you: get every page before you order, and get the homeowner's OK on what they owe before you build. (General information, not legal or insurance advice. Let the homeowner's agent explain their policy.)
2. Supplements and photos: send it once, send it complete
A roofer on r/Roofing said the adjuster "is asking for things that have already been sent in." A writer who now works on the claims side listed the usual misses: "no starter, no drip edge, no steep charge on a 9/12… it's the same handful of misses every time."
A January note from the law firm Debevoise warns that AI can now make photorealistic fake damage photos. It lists ways insurers can catch them, including photos "from multiple angles and distances," a "reference object" for scale, and "native files" (the original photo, not a screenshot).
The supplement email. Save it as a template:
Subject: Claim [number] – [property address] – supplement, [#] items
Hi [adjuster name],
Attached is our supplement for claim [number]. Each item lists the photos that show it.Starter course – [__] LF – photos [#–#]Drip edge – [__] LF – photos [#–#]Steep charge – pitch is [__]/12 – photo [#] (pitch gauge on the roof)[Item] – [quantity] – photos [#–#]
Attached: measurement report, photo report (original files with dates), and our estimate.
Already sent on [date]: [list]. If anything else is needed, please send one list and we'll answer it the same day.
Thanks,
[Name] · [Company] · [Phone]
The last paragraph does the work: it shows what you already sent and asks for one list.
The shot list:
| When | Shots | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| Before (arrival) | House front with address showing. Then rear, left, right. | Right house, condition on day one |
| Each roof slope, wide shot | Overall damage and size | |
| Each damage spot: far, middle, close. Coin or tape measure in the close shot. | Real damage, real scale | |
| Pitch gauge on the roof | Steep charge | |
| Eaves and rakes: drip edge or no drip edge; starter | The usual misses | |
| Edge of the roof showing how many layers | Extra tear-off | |
| Flashing, vents, skylights, pipe boots | Items adjusters skip | |
| Gutters, siding, driveway, landscaping | Damage that was already there | |
| During | Decking after tear-off, each slope. Bad wood with tape measure. | Decking replacement |
| Ice and water, underlayment, drip edge going on | Code and scope were done | |
| After | Each slope, finished. Ridge, vents, flashing. | Quality |
| Gutters, yard, driveway, dumpster spot | Clean site, no new damage |
Caption: our shot list, built from what roofers say adjusters ask for and the Debevoise list. Our estimate: 30–40 photos on a normal house.
Three photo rules:
- Never edit or filter a claim photo. Send the original.
- Send the original file, not a screenshot.
- One folder per job. Not your camera roll, not a group text.
3. Where the photos live: free Drive first, CompanyCam when it breaks
Our pick to start: a shared Google Drive folder (free). Every Google account gets 15 GB free. If one fills up, 100 GB is $1.99/mo for that person (one.google.com/about/plans, checked Oct 22, 2026).
That's $0–$1.99/mo per person. One catch: photos count against the storage of whoever uploads them.
Use these folder names:
Jobs2026-10 Smith 123 Oak St(one per job)1 Before,2 During,3 After,4 Insurance papers
Share Jobs with your crew as Editor (Drive help). What you give up: no checklists, no reports, and nobody checks that photos got uploaded.
One rule for either option: name one person per job who owns the photos. A crew lead who likes CompanyCam still warned that when everyone can upload, "they just assume the next guy will do it."
Upgrade when the free folder gets messy: CompanyCam. Why it wins: you load the shot list as a checklist the whole crew sees. For a 3-person shop, the Crew plan includes 3 users at $119/mo billed yearly ($1,428 up front) or $149/mo month to month (companycam.com/pricing, checked Oct 22, 2026).
Five roofers in one r/Roofing photo thread said they use it. You can cancel anytime, and yearly plans renew on their own. Plan on one evening to set it up (our estimate).
What you still do: take the photos and write the supplement. We have no affiliate deal with CompanyCam.
4. Satellite reports are for quoting, not ordering
Field-measure before production. The misses that cost more than a few squares are things like a second layer, decking that needs replacing, or an addition the report didn't catch.
Prices (checked Oct 22, 2026): GAF QuickMeasure $20, Roofr $19 on its free plan, EagleView from $32.75. If a report is way off, save your measurements and photos. GAF gives you 30 days to ask for a replacement.
What to ignore
- Long paid-lead contracts. One insurance roofer rated purchased leads "Not as good," and a year-long deal won't fix insurance cash flow.
- AI photo enhancers and filters on claim photos. A real photo that looks edited is a problem you don't need.
- A new CRM to fix this. A shot list and one folder per job come first.
- AI receptionists. One roofer said theirs "didn't provide us with any more leads vs. baseline and it cost a lot."
Keep customer data safe
- Keep claim papers (name, address, policy number) in the job's
4 Insurance papersfolder, not in group texts. - Don't post house photos that show the address or the homeowner's face without asking first.
The takeaway
- Tonight: save the claim-check text and the supplement email template.
- Tonight: screenshot or print the shot list, and make one
Jobsfolder with the four subfolders. - This week: run the five-minute claim check on your next insurance job. Add CompanyCam only if the free folder becomes a mess.
Some links may be affiliate links. We pick tools before we check commissions.
Sources
Opened and re-checked Oct 22, 2026.
Roofers and homeowners (Reddit) - ACV surprise after the build (r/Roofing, May 18, 2026): reddit.com/r/Roofing/comments/1tgn84n - "15k wind/hail deductibles" (r/Roofing, Mar 17, 2026): reddit.com/r/Roofing/comments/1rvs616 - Adjuster "asking for things that have already been sent in" (r/Roofing, Dec 18, 2025): reddit.com/r/Roofing/comments/1ppv507 - "No starter, no drip edge, no steep charge" (r/RoofingSales, Sep 25, 2026): reddit.com/r/RoofingSales/comments/1wq3qxm - Job photos, five CompanyCam users, "the next guy" (r/Roofing, Mar 14, 2026): reddit.com/r/Roofing/comments/1rt8abb - Layers, decking, additions, field measure (r/Roofing, Mar 6, 2026): reddit.com/r/Roofing/comments/1rmtbrw - Purchased leads "Not as good" (r/Roofing, Feb 7, 2026): reddit.com/r/Roofing/comments/1qybep5 - AI receptionist (r/RoofingSales, Aug 14, 2026): reddit.com/r/RoofingSales/comments/1vnxkqy
Research - Debevoise Data Blog, "Use of AI-Generated Images for Fake Insurance Claims and Other Frauds" (Jan 19, 2026): debevoisedatablog.com
Prices and help pages (checked Oct 22, 2026) - companycam.com/pricing · one.google.com/about/plans · GAF QuickMeasure · roofr.com/pricing · eagleview.com/pricing - Gmail templates · Outlook templates · Google Drive sharing