The Process of “Appraisal” with Delta Appraisers

Your insurance policy allows for the “Invocation of Appraisal”.  Appraisal is a binding contractual process to settle valuation disputes between policyholders and their insurance companies when they fail to agree on the amount of loss or the scope of damages. Either the policyholder or the insurance company may initiate the appraisal clause, which is done in writing. Policy coverage issues cannot be decided by appraisal, since the appraisers only negotiate the value of the loss, not the scope of loss. This process removes the insurance adjuster from the claim and allows independent parties to determine the amount of money you will receive in relation to your property loss.

Prior to an appraisal, you and your insurance company must make an honest attempt to come to a consensus as to the loss and damages.  Appraisal is not appropriate based on an initial disagreement between the two parties without some effort to resolve the disagreement.

An insurance appraiser is a competent and disinterested professional who will evaluate the claim and value of the property loss. Each party (insurance company and policyholder) must pick its impartial appraiser when the insurance policy appraisal clause is invoked. An insurance appraiser can be an adjuster, contractor, engineer, or someone who is competent to value and determine the amount of property loss.

Once the appraisers are selected, they select a competent, disinterested and impartial individual to serve as umpire. The umpire renders a binding decision when the two appraisers fail to agree on the value of the property loss. A qualified umpire can be a retired judge, engineer, contractor, or someone who can give an impartial valuation based on their expertise in the field. The agreed upon appraisal award is binding on your insurance company.