Consumer, Restorer and Adjuster Right-to-Know Bulletin #105: What is the IICRC S500 Standard and how should it Be Used to Manage Water Damage Claims?

A 13-page bulletin written for the three parties who end up arguing over a water loss — consumer, restorer and adjuster — explaining what the IICRC S500 is and how it ought to govern a claim. Moffett covers the standard's history, the three Categories of water defined by sanitary source, the four Classes defined by degree of saturation (warning explicitly against confusing the two), then what the standard puts on the restorer: compliance requirements, obligations of responsibility, and the point at which a specialised expert or indoor environmental professional belongs on the job.

Why a contractor cares. It is a short, plain-language route into Category and Class, and it makes the point that deviating from the standard is permitted but has to be documented as to why.

Why a public adjuster cares. It is written partly for your side of the table. Its argument — that the standard binds the restorer while also defining what returning a property to pre-loss condition actually requires — is directly usable when a carrier holds an insured to a narrower scope.