Insurance-ready estimates
How to write an estimate a landowner can hand to their insurer: itemized, photographed, factual, and billed to the owner. Plus the rules contractors must follow.
General information, not insurance or legal advice. Read your policy and ask your agent or your state insurance department.
What makes an estimate easy for an insurer to read
- Itemized lines. One line per task, with quantity, unit, and unit price (for example, "Remove fallen oak, 30 in. trunk, from driveway: 1 each").
- Before and after photos, dated, matched to each line.
- Cause of loss stated as fact, not as a coverage opinion: "Tree uprooted during storm on 4/12; trunk resting on shop roof." Don't write "covered by insurance".
- Your license number and proof of insurance on the estimate.
- Bill the property owner. The landowner is your customer and pays you. No assignment of benefits (AOB) and no direct-pay arrangements with the insurer. Florida bans post-loss AOB on residential and commercial property policies issued on or after Jan 1, 2023.
- Deductible notice where your state requires one. In Texas, a contract of $1,000 or more expected to be paid partly from insurance must carry the state's deductible notice in bold type.
Estimate layout (SAMPLE, made-up)
Example Land & Tree Co. · License # EXAMPLE-0000 · Insured: certificate attached
Customer: [Property owner name] · Property: [Address / parcel]
Date of loss: [date] · Inspected: [date]
Cause of loss (as observed): [What you saw, in plain facts]
| # | Description | Qty | Unit | Unit price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Remove fallen tree from structure] | [ ] | each | $[ ] | $[ ] |
| 2 | [Haul debris to approved site] | [ ] | load | $[ ] | $[ ] |
| 3 | [Replace fence, 5-strand barbed wire] | [ ] | ft | $[ ] | $[ ] |
Photos: [#1 to #12 attached, dated] · Total: $[ ] · Bill to: property owner
[State-required notices go here, e.g. the Texas deductible notice.]
Rules contractors must follow
- Don't act as a public adjuster. Don't negotiate or settle a claim for the owner, or act as their representative with the insurer, unless you hold a public adjuster license.
- Never waive, rebate, absorb, or pay the deductible, and don't offer gifts or discounts tied to a claim.
- No "claim specialist" or "insurance specialist" titles in your ads or on your truck.
- Members who break these rules can be removed from the network (our policy).
State laws to read:
- Texas: Insurance Code ch. 4102 (public adjusters, including contractor limits) and Business & Commerce Code ch. 27 (deductible rules and notice)
- Minnesota: Statute 325E.66 (residential contractors and insurance claims)
- Oklahoma: Insurance Department roofing contractor bulletin
- Florida: Statute 489.147 (prohibited property insurance practices) and the 2022 SB 2A AOB ban
Have a lawyer in your state review your estimate and contract forms. Rules differ by state and change.
Last checked Oct 26, 2026. Examples, names, and numbers above are made up.