Questions to ask any restoration company before you sign

Why do the questions matter more than the sales pitch?

Most people do not choose a restoration company calmly. A DocuSketch survey reported by R&R Magazine in February 2026 found that 76% of homeowners call their insurer first after a disaster, 55% rely on the restorer for insurance guidance, and 94% gather more than one quote, most often two or three. That means the company you hire often ends up explaining your claim to you. The questions on this page are built to show, in one short meeting, whether a company is qualified, whether its paperwork is fair, and whether it will document the job well enough to survive an adjuster’s review. A company that dodges them has told you what you need to know. For the bigger picture on choosing help, start at our hire-a-pro hub.

What should you ask about licenses, insurance and certification?

Ask for the state or local contractor license number and look it up yourself on the state licensing site. In Florida that is the DBPR license search at MyFloridaLicense.com, which the Florida Attorney General points consumers to after storms. For mold jobs in Florida, Texas, New York or Louisiana, ask who holds the state mold license. Florida’s DBPR licenses individuals, not companies, so the license will be in a person’s name. Our mold licensing by state page lists each regulator.

Next, ask for a certificate of liability insurance. Florida requires licensed mold remediators to carry at least $1,000,000 in general liability coverage that includes mold claims (DBPR).

Then ask which IICRC certifications the technicians on your job hold. A Water Damage Restoration Technician (WRT) is the baseline for water jobs. You can check a firm on the IICRC Global Locator or by calling the IICRC.

What should you ask about the scope of work?

Ask the company to name the water’s Category and Class and explain how it decided. Under the IICRC S500 standard, Category describes contamination and Class describes how much water the materials absorbed. Sewage or floodwater is usually treated as Category 3 water, which changes what must be thrown away. Our guide to water damage categories and classes explains the terms.

Ask which standard the company follows: S500 for water, S520 for mold, S700 for fire and smoke. Then ask for a written, itemized scope before anything beyond emergency work begins. Florida §489.147 prohibits a contractor from giving you a repair authorization without a good-faith, itemized estimate.

Finally, ask how drying will be proven. A careful company takes moisture readings with a moisture meter at set points each day and keeps a drying log. Ask for a copy at the end. It is your best evidence if the insurer questions the equipment charges.

What should you ask about your insurance claim?

Ask the company to name every document it wants you to sign: a work authorization, a direction to pay, or an assignment of benefits. They are not the same. An assignment of benefits hands your claim rights to the contractor. In Florida, post-loss assignments under residential or commercial property policies issued on or after January 1, 2023 are “void, invalid, and unenforceable” (§627.7152).

Ask who will talk to your insurer. In Florida, a contractor may not interpret policy terms, advise you on coverage, or adjust your claim unless it is also a licensed public adjuster (§489.147 and §626.854). A contractor may suggest you call your insurer to confirm coverage. If you want someone to negotiate the claim for you, that is a public adjuster’s job, and the license can be checked. For coverage questions, check your declarations page and ask your insurer, your state insurance department or an attorney.

What should you ask about price and payment?

Ask how the estimate was priced and what software produced it. If it was written in Xactimate, the Verisk estimating program that Verisk says adjusters and restoration contractors use, its line items should be easy to compare with the adjuster’s. Our water damage restoration cost page shows the published ranges.

Ask what the company needs up front. The Ohio Attorney General suggests paying in stages tied to progress, such as a third at the start, a third at the midpoint and the rest at completion, and warns against large up-front payments. In Florida, a contractor who takes more than 10% of the contract price as an initial payment on residential work must apply for permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after permits issue, unless you agree otherwise in writing (§489.126). Pay by card or check, never cash.

What should you ask when the job is done?

Ask what proof of completion you will get. For water jobs that means final moisture readings showing materials reached their dry goal. For mold jobs, ask who performs the post-remediation check. EPA says remediation is done when the moisture problem is fixed and visible mold, mold-damaged materials and moldy odors are gone. You can also hire an independent assessor for mold clearance testing. In Florida, a licensed assessor may not remediate a structure their company assessed within the past 12 months (§468.8419), which keeps testing and removal separate.

The Florida Attorney General also advises getting lien releases from subcontractors before final payment and not signing a certificate of completion until you are satisfied. If anything about the paperwork worries you, read our list of restoration scams and red flags before you pay.