What a Garage Door Claim File Should Include

1. Cause of failure, in plain words

"Door not working" is a symptom. "Both torsion springs broke from cycle fatigue" is a cause. The cause decides coverage, so it belongs on the file before the work is approved.

Ask your vendor to name the failed part and the reason: wear, impact, rust, a failed board, a misaligned sensor. Wear and impact are often covered differently, and a vague note turns into a dispute later.

2. Photos before and after

• The whole door, closed, before any work
• The failed part up close (the broken spring, the frayed cable, the burned board)
• The label on the opener or the door, when model matters
• The finished work, with the door open and closed

Four or five photos usually settle it. One blurry photo of a garage does not.

3. Parts and quantities

Spring sizes, how many, what opener model went in. Quantities matter most on openers and springs, where one versus two changes the bill.

4. The not-to-exceed, respected

If the repair runs over your NTE, the file should show that the vendor stopped and asked before doing the work. An approval logged after the fact is a red flag.

5. Safety checks

Balance test, auto-reverse test, photo-eye alignment. A spring job that skips these is the job that comes back.

6. The invoice on your codes

Your service codes, your claim or work order number on every page, and a PDF in the claim file. If your team has to re-key the invoice, the vendor did half the job.

How we handle it

Every MS Facility Solutions claim closes with the cause of failure, parts used, before and after photos and an invoice on your service codes. Anything over your NTE comes back to you for authorization before the work is done. See how we work with claims desks.