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How to write a restoration supplement that gets approved
A supplement is a request to add or increase line items on the carrier's estimate. The ones that get approved share a shape: the same format as the adjuster's estimate, a quantity with a source, a photo, and a reason tied to a standard. This is that shape, with a worked example.
What a supplement is, and isn't
A supplement documents work the loss requires that the carrier's estimate doesn't include or under-counts. It is not a price negotiation, a complaint, or a request for the carrier to pay your contract price. The desk adjuster reading it has a queue of forty others; the one they approve fastest is the one that answers every question before it's asked.
The four parts
1. The line-item table
Same structure as the adjuster's estimate: room or area, line item code or description, quantity, unit. Most adjuster estimates are Xactimate, so write to that: the category and selector the adjuster would use, in the room the adjuster named. If you write your own estimate in the same software, the supplement is the difference between the two.
2. Quantities with their source
Every quantity needs a measurement behind it: the sketch for square footage, the moisture map for which walls were wet, the drying log for equipment days, the photo count for hail hits. An adjuster can't approve "approximately 400 SF"; they can approve "412 SF per attached sketch".
3. One photo and one justification per item
The photo shows the condition; the justification says why the item follows from it. The strongest justifications cite a standard the carrier already accepts:
| Item type | Justification that works | Justification that doesn't |
|---|---|---|
| Antimicrobial, PPE, containment | Category 2/3 water per IICRC S500 section on category determination; source photo attached | "Standard practice" |
| Equipment days | Drying log attached: readings above dry standard through day 5 | "We needed five days" |
| Drip edge, starter, ice-and-water | Manufacturer installation instructions and local code section require it for warranty and permit | "Every roof needs it" |
| Detach and reset (fixtures, gutters, HVAC) | Photo shows the item in the work path; removal is required to perform the approved line | "It was in the way" |
| Decking replacement | Photo of rot after tear-off with tape measure; cannot fasten to compromised deck | "Found rot" |
| Overhead and profit | Three or more trades coordinated (list them) per the carrier's own O&P guidance | "We're a GC" |
4. The cover letter
One page. Claim number, insured's name, property address, date of loss, the adjuster's estimate date and total. Then: "The attached supplement adds N items totaling $X, each with a photo and justification. Please review and issue a revised estimate." List the attachments. Sign with your license number.
Worked example
Kitchen, Category 2 (dishwasher supply failure), adjuster's estimate dried in place with two air movers for three days. Tear-out found wet pad under the adjacent dining room carpet and wet drywall behind the cabinets.
| Area | Item | Qty | Source | Justification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | Remove carpet pad | 146 SF | Moisture map day 1, photos D-3 to D-5 | Pad saturated; cannot be dried in place (S500) |
| Dining | Air mover, per day | 3 units × 4 days | Drying log | Readings above dry standard through day 4 |
| Kitchen | Detach & reset lower cabinets | 8 LF | Photo K-2 | Wet drywall behind run; access required to remove |
| Kitchen | Remove drywall, 2 ft flood cut | 24 SF | Photo K-4, meter reading | Wicking above base; drywall non-dryable at reading |
| Kitchen | Antimicrobial application | 170 SF | Source photo K-1 | Category 2 per S500 |
| Kitchen | Dehumidifier, per day | 1 × 4 days | Drying log | Required for closed-drying system |
Six items, each with a quantity, a source, a photo reference and a reason. The adjuster can approve, reduce or decline each one on its own.
Submitting and following up
- Send through the carrier's document channel (portal, app, claim email) so there is a receipt. Where each carrier takes documents.
- Note the date. Carriers commonly review in one to three weeks.
- If items are declined, ask for the reason per item in writing. A declined item with a reason can be answered; a silent decline can't.
- Keep the supplement, the response and the photos with the job file. The approved supplement is part of the final invoice that releases recoverable depreciation.
Who can submit a supplement
A contractor may document and submit the scope of work they are performing. Negotiating the claim on the policyholder's behalf, or charging the policyholder a fee for handling the claim, is public adjusting, which is licensed in most states. Keep the supplement about the work.
Or have it written
restoration.claims writes supplements from the adjuster's estimate, your scope and your photos, with a justification for every item and the cover letter, reviewed by an experienced estimator. Priced on the approved increase with a flat minimum.
Questions people ask
How many supplements can I submit on one claim?
There's no fixed limit, but every additional one slows the file. Submit once after demo when the full scope is visible, and once at completion if something else appeared. Three or more invites scrutiny of all of them.
Should I supplement before or after the work?
Items visible before work (missed line items, under-counts) go in immediately. Items found during work (rot, hidden wet material) go in as soon as they're photographed, before they're covered up.
What software do I need?
None to submit. The carrier accepts a PDF. Writing in Xactimate makes the line items match the adjuster's, which is why estimating services use it; a licence is expensive for a contractor who writes a few a month.
Does the homeowner need to sign the supplement?
Usually the homeowner is copied, and some carriers only accept supplements from or through the insured. Check the carrier's instructions on the estimate letter.
What's a reasonable supplement approval rate?
Estimators who submit documented, standard-cited supplements report most items approved on first review. Lump-sum or undocumented supplements are mostly declined. The format is the variable.