‘We bill the carrier’ sounds like you can go sleep. You cannot. You are still the customer. If the check is short, they will come back to you.
Direct pay or assignment arrangements are common after Houston floods. Some are clean. Some lock you to one company and a price you never saw.
Get the math on paper before the dehumidifiers hum overnight.
Do this now
- Ask exactly who invoices whom, and what you owe if insurance pays less.
- Keep your own copy of every estimate and work order.
- Call the carrier and confirm they have the company name on the claim.
- Do not sign a blank assignment. Cap the authorized dollar amount if you can.
How the money actually moves
Sometimes the carrier pays you, and you pay the shop. Sometimes they jointly pay. Sometimes the shop waits on a supplement. None of those are ‘free.’
If they say you will never see a bill, ask them to write ‘homeowner owes $0 if insurance denies’ and watch them hesitate.
Mortgage lenders often have to endorse large checks. That adds days. A crew that needs cash tomorrow may not like that. That is not your cue to empty savings.
When direct bill helps
A preferred vendor who already speaks Xactimate with your carrier can start faster. You still photograph the work.
If the relationship sours, you need a termination sentence in the contract. You do not want equipment hostage in the living room.
Read the supplement process. Houston humidity finds more wet drywall on day three. Someone has to price that. Ask who.
Written scope or it did not happen
Houston restoration threads after Harvey kept landing on the same ask: written scope, moisture readings, and who pays if the adjuster cuts the line item. Street water is contaminated. Porous materials usually leave. Do not sign an assignment of benefits on the porch so a stranger can run your claim.