You do not need special software or a paid service to vet a contractor and read paperwork clause by clause. The Contractor AOB Defense Guide was built for the tools already in your home: a free PDF reader, a phone at the door, a printer if you want paper copies to mark up, and either Excel or Google Sheets for the vetting tracker.
What software opens and edits it
The guide arrives as PDFs and one spreadsheet, in five files. The flat printable PDFs — US Letter and A4, plus an ink-friendly black-and-white US Letter version — open in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free), Apple Preview, Apple Files on iPhone and iPad, Files by Google on Android, and most modern web browsers. Print the Clause Finder and the Pause Page if you want them in hand, on paper, while someone is asking you to sign something else.
The fillable PDF is the working version at the door. Open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) on your phone or tablet and tap-type into 55 fields while the contractor is still there: vetting answers, clauses you flagged, and insurer call notes. Working on the phone keeps the guide, the camera for photographing the paperwork you were handed, and your own notes in one place. Photograph every page you are asked to sign, whether you sign it or not, and file the photos with the tracker.
The Vetting Tracker is an .xlsx file. It works in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and LibreOffice Calc. Google Sheets is the easiest free option if you do not own Excel: upload the file to Google Drive and open it as a Sheet. The demo shows 3 contractors logged, 2 with insurance certificates in hand, and 1 whose papers had an AOB clause, a document checklist with 8 documents, 5 in hand, and a contact log. Replace the demo rows with your real contractors and documents.
What devices it works on
- iPhone and iPad — fillable PDF in Files or Acrobat Reader at the door; camera for photographing paperwork page by page
- Android phones and tablets — fillable PDF in Acrobat Reader; tracker in Google Sheets
- Windows and Mac desktop — best for reading a full contract carefully, comparing the flagged clauses, and keeping the claim file together
- Any home, office, or library printer — US Letter or A4, color or the included ink-friendly black-and-white version
A practical setup is phone at the door, desktop for the careful read: use the pause and vetting pages on the spot, then sit down away from the doorstep to read the paperwork with the Clause Finder before you decide anything.
What pairs with it
The guide pairs with your own policy documents and your insurer’s written answers — the tracker keeps the document checklist and the call log where those answers live. [Affiliate slot: expanding document folder for claim files] [Affiliate slot: highlighter and document tabs for contract review] On the DealShore shelf, it pairs well with the Insurance Claim Communication Log for the full record of insurer contact, the Post-Storm Roof Damage Inventory when the work is roof damage, and the Home Inventory Master List for documenting what was in the home.
Honest comparison: this kit vs. doing it manually
You can vet a contractor from a search engine and read a contract on your own, and many homeowners try — under doorstep pressure, with no checklist, no clause guide, and no written alternative to offer. Hiring a professional to review every contract costs far more and still takes time you may not feel you have after a storm. This guide keeps the review in your hands, as plain files you own, for a one-time price, with the sequence built in: pause, vet, flag, call, then hire in writing. It is honest about its limit: it cannot tell you whether a specific clause is enforceable or what your policy covers. Those answers come from your insurer in writing and, for legal questions, an attorney.
This guide is a general organization tool you complete from your own policy, the documents in front of you, and your insurer’s written answers. It is not legal advice, consult an attorney about your situation — and it is not insurance advice either. It states no insurance law, rule, deadline, or outcome as applying to you.
Companion guide: Contractor AOB Defense Guide: Vet the Contractor, Find the Clauses That Move Your Money, and Hire on Your Terms
Get the kit
CONTROL. Get the Contractor AOB Defense Guide for $14.95, or find DealShore on Etsy.
Get free sample pages + new kit alerts — email contact@dealshore.com