Insurance · Claims
What Was on the Risk Before the Loss?
The most reliable record of a property's pre-loss condition: verified permit timelines showing what was built, what was permitted, and what wasn't, before the first call.
UnderwritingClaims
155M+
U.S. properties in scope
25+ yrs
Of pre-loss history at the address
0-100
Scores at the property
The deliverable
Element state at the date of loss
Loss histories, aerial imagery, and weather data describe the event. None of them say what was on the roof, in the panel, or behind the walls the day before it. The condition timeline does, and it lands before the first site visit.
| Date | What the record shows | At the loss |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Structure permitted and built | Build year established |
| 2012 | Re-roof over existing layer | One prior covering on record |
| 2019 | Tear-off and replacement, architectural shingle, finaled, contractor of record named | Roof was 6.5 years old, and the licensed contractor is named for subrogation |
| 2019 | Nine impact windows installed under the current code cycle | Opening protection was in place before impact |
The insured reported the roof as roughly five years old. The record dates it, and settles the scope conversation before it starts.
Use Cases
The property record in the claims workflow
Pre-Loss Condition Baseline
What condition a property was in before a loss: roof material, install date, HVAC type, panel age. A baseline self-reported data can't provide.
Permit-Gap Signals
Visible additions or conversions with no matching permit are a legitimate flag for coverage and fraud review. Builty surfaces the full timeline.
Rebuild Cost Validation
Check claimed rebuild costs against permit-derived rebuild-cost scores, built from cumulative improvements and comparable properties.
Material & System Verification
New metal roof or old shingles? Permit records carry material type, specs, and install dates adjusters can verify scope against.
Post-Event Scope Assessment
After a cat event, see what mitigation was in place (impact-resistant roofing, flood vents, hurricane clips) before impact.
Fire Protection Verification
Confirm the presence, install date, and permitted status of sprinklers and alarms where fire protection is disputed.
Insights Lab · Claims
The property record in the claims room
Claims
Was That Roof Ever Replaced? How Permit Records Decide Prior-Damage Disputes
Loss histories, aerial imagery, and weather data can't answer the one question that decides a prior-damage claim. A permit record can.
Claims
Property Claims Blind Spot: Building Permits
Permit history is one of the most overlooked signals in property claims: for triage, reserving, settlement, and spotting fraud.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How far back does pre-loss history go?
25+ years in the deepest jurisdictions, and the timeline is cumulative: a 1978 build permit, a 2012 re-roof and a 2019 tear-off together establish both the age of the current roof and how many coverings preceded it.
Can a record decide a prior-damage dispute?
It is often the only dated evidence available. Imagery shows the roof today and weather data shows the storm, but the permit shows a replacement was finaled on a specific date, which settles whether damage predates the covered event.
Does the record name the contractor?
Where the jurisdiction records it, yes: license number and business name. That matters for subrogation, because it ties a named, licensed contractor to the work at the center of the claim.
What is a permit-gap signal?
A visible feature of the property with no matching permit in the timeline. It is a flag for review, because work done outside the permit process was never inspected, and coverage questions follow from that.
See what permit history reveals about your claims
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