Someone wants you to sign an Assignment of Benefits. You do not have to.
An AOB signed tonight hands your claim to the contractor before you have seen a scope; the drying can start without it.
What is probably happening
- An AOB transfers your insurance claim rights to the contractor. The Florida Department of Financial Services describes it as letting a third party file the claim, make repair decisions and collect the insurance payment without your involvement.
- In Florida, it is no longer valid for most people: the Department says recent law prohibits a policyholder from assigning post-loss benefits of a residential or commercial property policy issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2023.
- In every state, the Department's advice holds: you do not need to sign an AOB to get your claim processed or your home repaired.
Do this in the next five minutes
- Say no tonight. Ask for a written scope and price instead.
- Call your insurer yourself and open the claim in your own name.
- If you are in Florida and your policy was issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2023, the AOB is not valid anyway. Do not sign it.
- Ask the company to bill you or the insurer through a normal direction-to-pay, with you still in control of the claim.
- Photograph the paperwork they gave you.
- Get a second bid in the morning.
Do not
- Do not sign anything you have not read, at the door, at night, with water on the floor.
- Do not accept 'this is just so we can talk to your insurer'. That is what an AOB does, and it is also what it takes away from you.
- Do not let the contractor be the one who calls the insurer first.
Who to call
A water damage restoration company that will work without an AOB
Plenty of restoration companies set equipment on a signed work authorization and a written scope, with you keeping the claim. That is the one to hire.
BestHonestPro is a free comparison resource, not a contractor. There is nothing to sign up for and we do not sell your details. When we begin connecting callers to contractors, we will be paid a referral fee by the contractor, never by you, and this line will say so.
What it should cost
$1,383 to $6,369
Water damage restoration, typical range, national average $3,868. A scope in this range does not need you to give up your claim to get it done.
Source: Angi, water damage restoration cost, updated September 2026. View source
National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the water damage page.
Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out
Tap each one as you ask it.
- Are you asking me to sign an Assignment of Benefits, and what happens if I do not?
- Will you start drying on a work authorization and a written scope, with me keeping the claim?
- Who is your point of contact with my insurer, and will I be copied on everything?
- What is your cancellation policy if I decide to use someone else after the emergency drying?
End the call if
- The AOB is on the clipboard before anyone has taken a moisture reading.
- 'We handle everything with your insurance, you will not pay a thing.'
- A door knock after a storm, or a referral from the plumber who just left.