Appraisal Clause Review
KCC reviews appraisal clause language, claim documents, appraiser and umpire issues, appraisal award risk, and amount-of-loss disputes before fire, wind, hail, roof, siding, or storm claims move into appraisal.
Appraisal Clause Signals
The appraisal clause should be reviewed before the policyholder assumes appraisal is the right next move. The key question is whether the dispute is the value of covered damage or a coverage/legal issue that appraisal may not decide.
The appraisal clause is strongest when the remaining fight is scope, price, quantity, matching, repairability, contents, mitigation, or rebuild value for covered damage.
Review supporting resourceLarge estimate gaps should be reviewed before appraisal is invoked so the disputed amount-of-loss items are organized by scope, pricing, and evidence.
Review supporting resourcePayment letters, depreciation, deductibles, supplement responses, and final-payment language should be reviewed before treating the appraisal path as ready.
Review supporting resourceA weak appraisal demand can create problems when photos, estimates, reports, invoices, disputed line items, and claim correspondence are not organized first.
Review supporting resourceReview Process
Step 1
Review the policy language for who may invoke appraisal, required notice, appraiser selection, umpire selection, cost sharing, timing, and what the appraisal process may decide.
Step 2
List the covered damage items that are disputed by value and flag denial language, exclusions, causation disputes, policy interpretation issues, or legal questions separately.
Step 3
Organize photos, estimates, invoices, reports, payment letters, contractor notes, material information, matching facts, repairability support, and disputed line items.
Step 4
Decide whether the next step is public adjusting support, appraisal consulting, selecting a policyholder appraiser, preparing for an umpire, or attorney review.
Appraisal Terms
The policy language that explains when appraisal may be used, how appraisers are selected, how an umpire may be chosen, and what valuation dispute the process addresses.
View glossary termA party-selected valuation professional who reviews the claim file, damage, estimates, disputed scope, pricing, materials, and amount-of-loss support.
View glossary termA neutral decision-maker who may resolve disputed valuation items if the two appraisers cannot agree during the appraisal process.
View glossary termThe written valuation outcome from appraisal. Its effect depends on the policy language, the disputed items, and any unresolved coverage or legal issues.
View glossary termClaim Type Paths
Fire appraisal disputes can involve rebuild scope, smoke cleaning, soot, odor, contents, mitigation, electrical, HVAC, and additional living expense valuation.
Review claim helpWind appraisal disputes can involve lifted shingles, missing roofing, siding, gutters, storm-created openings, interior leaks, matching, and repairability.
Review claim helpHail appraisal disputes can involve roof impacts, siding cracks, soft metals, gutters, vents, window wraps, cosmetic positions, and below-deductible estimates.
Review claim helpAppraisal Clause FAQs
