Subrogation
Subrogation is an insurer’s right to recover claim costs from a liable third party. For the technician, the exam tests evidence preservation, cause-and-origin documentation, and coordination with the adjuster - not legal conclusions.
Core rules
- Identify potential liability early: defective appliances, failed supply lines, contractor error, product defects, or another party’s negligence.
- Preserve the failed component. Do not discard, repair, or alter it without authorization and photographs.
- Document cause-and-origin facts: what failed, where, burn patterns, and sequence. Report observations, not legal opinions.
- Notify the adjuster promptly when subrogation potential exists; follow instructions on testing and custody.
- Keep chain-of-custody records for samples and parts.
- Separate restoration billing from recovery claims; accurate scope and photos support both.
Worked example
A supply line to a water heater fails and a fire follows. During cleanup, a technician finds the failed line and throws it away. Reasoning: the line is central evidence for a product-defect recovery. It should be photographed in place, tagged, bagged, logged, and stored. The adjuster and possibly an engineer should be notified before any destructive testing. Discarding it can defeat the insurer’s recovery and expose the contractor to a spoliation claim.
Traps that cost marks
Discarding failed parts; stating that a manufacturer is liable; altering the scene before photographs; failing to notify the adjuster; no custody log.