Restoration Brief: Documentation and Local Presence This Week

Three topics worth a restoration owner’s attention this week: how estimates are built, how carriers review invoices, and who you compete with. None of it is a reason to panic. All of it is a reason to tighten your documentation and your local presence.

Xactimate labor efficiency options for large losses

What we can confirm. The Restoration Industry Association published a post on April 26, 2026 on updates to Xactimate labor efficiencies for large loss, with a white paper in its member store. We did not read the white paper, so we make no claim about its figures.

Why it matters. Labor efficiency settings affect how labor line items are priced in an estimate. If your estimators do not know which setting an estimate used, ask.

What to do. Read the RIA post, check which labor efficiency setting appears on your recent large-loss estimates, and ask about it before you submit the next supplement.

Documentation for invoice review

Why it matters. In Bodyne’s view, carriers and TPAs are likely to use software to review invoices over time, so clear documentation matters. We are not citing a specific vendor or program here.

What to do. Build your photo and scope documentation so a reviewer, human or software, can follow it: clear room-by-room captures, labeled damage, and line items that match the evidence. Treat documentation as the thing that gets you paid, not the thing you do after.

Compete where capital does not help

What to do. Compete on owned local relationships, response from a nearby shop, and a web presence that shows you serve this specific city. A genuinely local service-area page gives you something a template page does not (see the tutorial on service-area pages).

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This brief is Bodyne’s commentary. It is not advice for your specific situation. Verify anything that affects a live claim with your own adjuster and counsel.