Documenting Tree Damage for Insurance in Puerto Rico (Photo Checklist)

After a storm, the difference between a smooth insurance claim and a frustrating one usually comes down to a few minutes of photos taken before anyone cleans up. Puerto Rico adjusters see hundreds of tree-damage claims after every hurricane, and the ones that get paid quickly are the ones that are documented clearly. The ones that stall are missing exactly the shots the adjuster needed.

Use this checklist the moment it is safe to move around your property. Save everything - you cannot re-shoot a scene once the debris is gone.

Before you photograph: safety first

None of this is worth an injury. Stay away from downed power lines, trees resting on wires, and anything still shifting. Do not climb onto a damaged roof. Assume any line touching a tree is live. If the scene is not safe to photograph from the ground, photograph what you can from a safe distance and let the crew document the rest when they arrive.

The photo checklist

Take more than you think you need. Storage is free; a missing photo is not.

1. Wide establishing shots

Start far back. Capture the whole tree and the whole structure it hit in one frame, so the adjuster understands the relationship at a glance. Get the house from the front, the affected side, and from angles that show the tree's path down.

2. The point of impact

Move in on where the tree meets the damage: the crushed section of roof, the broken rafter, the caved fence, the dented car. These are the frames that establish causation - that this tree caused this damage.

3. Close-ups of every damaged element

One element per photo, close enough to see detail:

• Punctured or lifted roof and shingles.
• Cracked soffit, fascia, or gutter.
• Broken windows, screens, or doors.
• Damaged fence, gate, deck, or shed.
• Any vehicle damage, including plates and VIN if a car is involved.

4. Interior and water damage

Tree damage rarely stays outside. Photograph water stains on ceilings, wet insulation, soaked drywall, damaged floors, and any belongings ruined by the intrusion. Water damage often keeps developing for days, so keep photographing as new stains appear.

5. The base and roots of the tree

This one is easy to forget and important. Shoot the root ball, the trunk base, and the break point. These photos help establish whether the tree was healthy and failed suddenly in the storm - a covered peril - versus already rotten or dead, which an adjuster may treat as neglect. A clean break on a healthy trunk tells a very different story than a hollow, punky base.

6. Context and cause

Photograph anything that shows this was storm-driven: other downed trees nearby, debris fields, the general devastation. This supports that your loss came from a named storm event, not gradual failure.

7. Serial and detail shots

If a covered structure has a model or serial plate (an AC condenser, a water heater, solar equipment), photograph it. For vehicles, get the odometer and dashboard. Small details speed up valuation.

8. A measuring reference

Where it helps show scale, place a common object in frame - a tape measure, a ruler, or even a standard-size item - next to the damage. A photo that lets the adjuster gauge the size of a roof puncture or the diameter of a fallen trunk is far more useful than one with no sense of scale. For larger damage, a person standing at a safe distance gives instant context to how big the tree and the impact really were.

Add these, not just photos

Photos are the backbone, but round out the file with:

• Video walkthrough. A slow narrated video of the whole scene captures things still photos miss and shows the extent in context.
• Timestamps. Use a camera or phone that records date and time. Do not alter photos - unedited originals are more credible.
• A written list. Note each damaged item, roughly when the damage happened, and any belongings affected.
• Receipts. Emergency tarping, a hotel stay if the home is uninhabitable, and any emergency tree work - keep every receipt.
• Your crew's documentation. A licensed tree service can hand you an itemized invoice and its own set of photos, which strengthens the file.

Special case: a neighbor's tree

If the tree that hit your property grew on a neighbor's lot, document it the same way, and add a few shots that show the property line and where the tree originated. In most cases you still file on your own policy first, but if the tree was provably dead or neglected, your insurer may pursue the neighbor's carrier to recover the payout. Clear photos of the tree's condition and its origin give your insurer what it needs to make that argument - and can protect your future premium.

Documenting before the storm helps too

The strongest evidence that a tree was healthy before it failed is a photo of it healthy. If you have trees near your home, take a few clear shots of them each year, ideally around the start of hurricane season in June. A dated before-photo of a sound, full canopy makes it much harder for an adjuster to argue the tree was already dead or dying when it came down. The same annual pass is a good moment to note any leaning, cracked, or declining trees and deal with them before the season.

Common documentation mistakes

These are the errors that cost Puerto Rico homeowners money:

• Cleaning up first. The single biggest mistake. Once the tree is hauled off, the evidence of causation is gone. Photograph thoroughly before removal, and if you must clear debris for safety, keep a section of the trunk.
• Only wide shots, or only close-ups. You need both - wide for context, close for detail.
• Forgetting the roots. Without a base shot, an adjuster may question whether the tree was healthy.
• No timestamps. Undated photos are easy to dispute.
• Editing photos. Cropping is fine; enhancing or altering is not. Keep the originals.
• Losing receipts. Emergency mitigation is often reimbursable, but only if you can prove what you paid.

Keep it all in one place

Create a single folder - on your phone and backed up to the cloud - for the whole claim: photos, video, receipts, your written list, the claim number, the adjuster's contact, and your tree crew's paperwork. When the adjuster asks for something, you want to send it in minutes, not spend a week hunting for it.

We document the scene with you

When we respond to storm damage, part of the job is evidence. Our crews photograph the tree, the point of impact, and the removal work, and we provide written, itemized paperwork built to support your claim. Licensed, insured, and used to working alongside adjusters across Puerto Rico.

If a tree has damaged your property, call us at (787) 513-9441 or request an orientation. We serve all 78 municipios and dispatch 24/7 for storm emergencies - and we will help you document the damage the right way from the start.