Property Damage Photo and Evidence Log

Who this is for

A numbered index of the photographs and papers gathered after damage. Each picture gets a number, a date, a room, a line saying what it shows and the file name it was saved under, so a folder of two hundred images becomes something an insurer or a surveyor can follow.

Anyone making a claim after a leak, fire, flood or break-in, landlords photographing a property between tenancies, and people gathering evidence for a dispute with a builder, a neighbour or an agent.

What this helps you track

• Every photograph numbered, dated and described in a line
• Which room or part of the property each one was taken in
• The file name and where the picture is actually stored
• Which pictures and documents have been sent, and to whom
• The other evidence held — receipts, quotes, reports and statements

How to use it

1. Write the address, the insurer, the claim or job reference and the date of the incident at the top, with the name of whoever took the pictures.
2. Number the photographs as you take them and write the same number on the sheet, so the numbering on the page and in the folder agree.
3. Say in one line what each picture shows and which room or area it was taken in — a description is what makes a picture usable months later.
4. Write the file name exactly as it is saved, and where the file lives: a phone, a card, a computer folder, a cloud account.
5. Tick sent when a picture or document goes to the insurer, loss adjuster or solicitor, and note the date in the notes column.
6. List the other evidence — receipts, quotes, reports, statements — in the second table, and keep the sheet with the claim file.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Why number the photographs?

Because a claim is discussed in writing weeks later, and 'the third picture of the kitchen' means nothing to anybody. A number on the page that matches a number in the folder lets you and the insurer point at the same image.

Should I take pictures before I clear up?

That is a question for your insurer, who may say something specific about it when you report the damage. This sheet records what you photographed and when, whenever that was.

What do I write in the file name column?

The name the file is actually saved under, however unhelpful — IMG_4821 is fine. The point is that the picture can be found from the sheet, so copy it exactly.

Does the log prove anything by itself?

No. It is an index of what you hold and what you sent. What is accepted as evidence depends on your policy, your insurer and the rules where you are.

Can I use it for a rental inventory?

You can, though the move-in and move-out inventories are built for that. This sheet suits the situation where damage has already happened and a claim or dispute is under way.