Damage Claim Lifecycle

The six stages of a damage claim

Every damage claim in TrailerBase moves through a defined set of statuses. Understanding the flow helps you keep claims moving and gives you a clean audit trail for insurance and legal purposes.

The six stages

1. Open — the claim has been filed. You are still gathering evidence, photos, and estimates.
2. Under Review — you are actively deciding who pays, how much, and whether to involve insurance. You may be waiting on a repair quote or renter response.
3. Approved or Denied — decision made. Approved means you are moving forward with repair and cost recovery. Denied means no further action (wear and tear, pre-existing damage, etc.).
4. Repair — the trailer is actively being fixed. This may involve an in-house repair task or an outside shop.
5. Resolved — repair is complete, costs are paid, and any deposit or insurance reimbursement has landed.
6. Closed — the claim is archived. No further edits, but all history is preserved.

Moving between stages

Each transition is a click from the claim detail page. The status bar at the top shows the current stage and highlights the next allowed transitions.

1. From Open, click Send for review to move to Under Review.
2. From Under Review, click Approve (goes to Approved) or Deny (goes to Denied).
3. From Approved, click Start repair to move to Repair. You will be prompted to create or link a maintenance task.
4. From Repair, click Mark repaired to move to Resolved.
5. From Resolved, click Close claim to archive.

Every transition is logged

Every status change creates a line in the claim's activity log with:

• Who made the change (by user name)
• When (date and time, down to the second)
• From status and to status
• Any comment you add at transition time

This is the audit trail your insurance carrier or attorney will ask for.

Re-opening a claim

If new information surfaces after close — the renter disputes the charge, or new damage is discovered — you can re-open a closed claim. This moves it back to Under Review and adds a log entry.

Parallel work during each stage

Some stages lend themselves to specific actions:

• Open — upload photos, write description, get quotes, talk to renter
• Under Review — apply deposit, file with insurance, get second quote
• Repair — attach repair invoices, update estimated vs. actual cost
• Resolved — send the renter a final-settlement email
• Closed — nothing; it is archived

Bulk closing old claims

If you have many old Resolved claims, go to Damage Claims > Bulk actions > Close resolved older than 30 days. This is a one-click way to keep your open list tidy.

Status visibility

• Renters see only a simplified version in their portal: Open, In progress, or Resolved.
• Team members see the full six-stage lifecycle.
• Auditors (Advanced plan) can be given read-only access to the activity log without edit rights.

Tips

• Do not skip Under Review — rushing from Open to Approved leaves you without a paper trail.
• Set a target close date on the claim when you file it. TrailerBase will remind you if it is still open.
• Use comments liberally — future-you will thank past-you for writing down reasoning.