As I sat at lunch with a restoration contractor, the familiar story unfolded: “I did the Cat 3 water loss according to the IICRC S500 and the adjuster only wants to pay me for a Cat 2 loss. She knocked $1,000 off my bill. The job was from a backed up toilet in a home, I had to perform a Cat 3 water restoration. I had invoiced the job according to Xactimate software. What do I tell the adjuster in order to get paid the $1,000 they owe me?”
I have heard that scenario a lot over the past 10 years, not getting paid more for a Category 3 water loss than a Category 2 loss - it must happen a lot. This situation should never happen at all. If the insurance claims adjuster and contractor are on the same page and both are using the Xactimate software accurately, both would arrive at the same value of the job.