The best claim is the one that never starts. The second best is the one that closes quickly and cleanly. Both come down to the same thing: the culture around how you work – the handful of routines that settle disputes while they're still just questions. This article brings the practice straight from Marci's workshop: small habits, big impact.
The original source of most disputes is the verbal order: “we agreed that…” – two memories, two different versions. A written agreement doesn't need to be a work of legal art: even an email records what the job is, what it isn't, and the timing and terms involved. Recording “what's not included” is especially valuable: the condition of old wiring, protecting existing flooring, materials supplied by the client – it clarifies the typical points of dispute in advance (see the article on who the policyholder is for more on the roles involved).
Three essential photo moments: at the start – the condition of the work area, including any pre-existing damage (this protects you from the “you did that” accusation); before covering up – whatever goes behind the wall, under the flooring, or underground (this proves what was there at handover); and at handover – the finished condition. With a phone, in two minutes – invaluable if a claim arises (see the documentation article).
A work log isn't a big-company luxury: date, location, work carried out, people involved, any unusual circumstances – three lines a day. Where your trade requires a measurement or inspection record (a pressure test, an electrical safety check), that's not paperwork for its own sake – it's proof that everything was in order at handover. In a disputed claim – where the very question is when the fault arose – this is the difference between a well-ordered case and a drawn-out one.
A signed handover record closes out the job: the client saw it, accepted it, in this condition. Follow-up keeps the relationship in good repair: checking in a week later to ask if everything's fine – so a small concern arrives as a question, not as a claim. A culture of open communication is the best form of loss prevention: a fast, fair response to dissatisfaction resolves many concerns before a demand letter is ever written – the art of being helpful without admitting liability (see first steps for where that line sits).
The remaining risk – the genuine accident, the damage that compounds at the end of a chain of events – is where insurance takes over: the routines shrink the risk, and cover carries what's left. Together, the two give you peace of mind in your trade: a properly sized limit plus a documentation culture. To review your own set of routines: the claim documentation checklist; for your cover: a free consultation.
Marci's documentation routine takes five minutes a week – because it's a habit, not a project. At the start of a job: three phone photos (the site, existing conditions, the surroundings of the work area), one line in the log. Before covering up: two photos of whatever disappears behind the wall. At handover: a signed record – he has a one-page template – and closing photos. In the evening, the pictures go into the project folder, synced to the cloud. That's it. Those five minutes turn into days saved if a claim ever comes in: nothing to remember, search for, or argue about – it's all right there. A documentation culture isn't extra homework for perfectionists – it's the best insurance your trade can buy, and it's free, forever.
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