What your adjuster actually needs from a water loss
Most water damage claims do not stall because the carrier doubts the water was there. They stall because the file cannot answer basic questions: when did it start, what did it touch, why was that material removed, and why was equipment on site for that many days. Here is what an adjuster is actually looking for, and how a mitigation company should be handing it to you.
Cause and date of loss
What failed, where, and when you first noticed it. A photo of the source (the split supply line, the failed fitting, the backed-up drain) is worth more than a paragraph. If a plumber made the repair, keep their invoice; it is independent evidence of the cause.
Photos before anything was moved or removed
Wide shots of each affected room, then close-ups. Then the same again after the work. Adjusters reconstruct the loss from these, so the gap between "before" and "after" is where questions come from. A mitigation crew should be photographing throughout, not just at the end.
Moisture readings, with dates
This is the part most homeowners never see and most carriers care about most. Readings from affected materials on the first visit establish how wet things were. Readings at each monitoring visit, taken 24 to 36 hours apart, show progress toward a documented drying goal. The final readings show the goal was reached. Without that sequence, "we dried it for five days" is just a claim.
Equipment logs that justify the days
How many air movers and dehumidifiers, placed where, for how many days, and why that count fits the size and wetness of the area. The industry's published drying standard gives a basis for the numbers. Carriers will pay for drying that the readings justify; they push back on equipment that sat past the point the readings needed it. Which is why we pull equipment when the readings say so and not a day longer than that.
What was removed, and the reason
Wet drywall, flooring, insulation, and baseboard come out when they cannot be dried safely or effectively. Each removal should have a stated reason in the record, plus photos. Removal without a reason is the single most common thing adjusters question.
An itemized invoice that matches the record
Labor, equipment, materials, and services listed line by line, and every line traceable to something in the documentation above. When the invoice and the record agree, review goes quickly. When the invoice includes things the record does not show, it does not.
One thing to be clear about
A mitigation company documents the work. It does not decide coverage, and it should never tell you it can. Coverage decisions are between you and your carrier. What a good mitigation company can do is make sure the file answers every question before it gets asked.