 In some cases policyholders, home owners and contractors may need assistance in preparing support for home owners insurance claims. They may have questions or need advise on some parts of a home owners insurance claim estimate or associated damages to the home.
Worse yet, many home owners will find themselves in a dispute with their insurance company. Many will call and ask us if there is any way to dispute their home owners insurance claim with their carrier. Yes, you can dispute home owners insurance claims with your insurance company. Not all claims reach an agreed settlement. There is a clause called Appraisal in most insurance policies that allow the two parties of the contract to settle their differences using a less costly, less time consuming process than litigation in a court of law.
First, a brief overview of the insurance appraisal clause. Your dispute may be about damage to your building or your personal property (furniture, clothing, etc.). Let's say that a home owner suffers an severe fire to their home or building. Your insurance company sends a claims adjuster to your home who determines the damage to be $325,000. However, you have a local, trusted contractor that provided you an estimate to repair all the damages for $500,000. At this point a dispute between the cost to repair your home has begun and an agreement on the repair or replacement costs cannot be reached. Either the home owner or the insurance company has the right, per the appraisal clause in the policy, to demand an appraisal of the damages. Once either party has requested an appraisal, both parties are required to select and hire an independent insurance appraiser. Home Owners insurance claim disputes that are to be settled using the insurance appraisal process is exactly what we do.
Insurance Claims Group, Inc. exceeds in their knowledge of the appraisal process and is available to represent the facts of the loss on your behalf. To execute the job as an independent insurance appraiser properly, not only should one be educated in the process, but one should also be qualified to review the differences between the two parties. Our extensive experience with construction, building repairs, building materials, home owners insurance claim disputes, and the insurance appraisal process qualifies us as an excellent choice. We have extensive knowledge of Xactimate and MSB IntegriClaim. We are capable of reading and understanding the unit costs these estimating software's provide and work with the Appraisal Panel to determine a realistic amount of loss for the claim.
 What We Do As A Home Owners Insurance Claim Dispute Appraiser!
The first step to our insurance dispute appraisal process is to obtain as much documentation that is available on the claim. We will collect a copy of the insurance companies estimate, the policyholder's estimate, as well as any other documentation that is available. We will vigorously review and inspect each estimate line-by-line for discrepancies.
The next step will be to inspect the property that has been damaged. A thorough inspection will be conducted, room by room, and piece by piece (or any remaining parts). We will conduct this inspection with the two different estimates that are being disputed. With these estimates in hand during our inspection we can determine if one estimate has missed items to be addressed and/or if the other is excessive.
Our inspection will include 50 to 300 photos (depending on the size of the loss and extent of damage). These photos will prove and support our findings. The photos will be taken in a manner that supports our position of whether items can be saved or will require replacement. The photos will also show cause and affect damages. Yes, the bricks on the exterior of a home or building may not appear damaged. However, if the sheathing/plywood behind the brick is smoked and damp - the bricks will require removal to access other repairs.
Some rooms or even an entire building may be damaged beyond recognition. In these cases we will conduct an interview process with the owners of the property to confirm room layouts, types of wall and floor finishes, electrical items, cabinetry, and more. This type of questions and answer session will paint a clear picture of the TRUE value of the damages. The proper value of the claim depends on it's accuracy.
All the data collected will then be programmed into the Xactimate estimating software. Xactimate configures and displays the data in the exact format that the insurance companies require. Line by line, piece by piece, the exact square feet of drywall, paint, wallpaper, and carpet will be calculated for a real and accurate cost to pay the claim. In fact, Xactimate is used by more than 70% of insurance companies.
Any items that are in question will be reviewed by our group of engineers, building inspectors, or contractors as additional documentation to support the true repairs. Foundations, brick, support beans, electrical may require removal and may not meet current building codes. These professionals can advise on ways to keep these types of materials or why they will require replacement.
After all this has been completed we will meet with the other parties appraiser and discuss each others findings. In some cases an agreement cannot be reached between the two appraisers. In the event this happens, the two appraisers will submit their differences to the Appraisal Umpire. (For more information about the appraisal umpire and what their job is in the process, visit here.)
How To Hire ICG, Inc. As Your Home Owners Insurance Claim Dispute Appraiser!
Please call (919-669-9111) so we can discuss your needs or feel free to fill out the Appraisal Form. We will provide a free consultation and review your entire claim file at no cost. If we agree to be your independent appraiser you must formally advise the insurance company that we will be acting in your behalf.
To appoint one of our highly qualified professionals as your independent appraiser we make this process very easy. We will provide a letter that you sign and submit to your insurance company naming us your appraiser. This letter should be sent to the insurance company via certified mail!
Contact Us For Interview!
Is Joe Brennan the right fit for your appraisal needs? How do you know unless you ask? Please feel free to contact me by email to set up a date and time to to discuss your Insurance Appraisal needs. Or, call me directly at (919) 669-9111. I will be happy to assist you in any way I can.
We provide consulting and evaluation assistance for any part of a claim you may require answers for. If we can't answer your questions we can refer you to someone who can.
We consult and assist professionals, policyholders and home owners with insurance claims that are a result of Fire, Smoke, Water, Flood, Wind, Hail, Theft, as well as Weight of Ice & Snow.
Our Home Owners Insurance Claims Consulting Services Include;
Estimate Review & Reproduction: Many times insurance companies require line item detailed estimates from policyholders or their representatives. It's a way to compare apples to apples as opposed to a lump sum bid by contractors or subcontractors. We can consult and assist with the review and/or preparation of such estimates. We also have Reproduction Services where an estimate can be reproduced using Xactimate Estimating Software. Xactimate is used by more than 80% of insurance carriers.
Damage Inspection and Scope: We can provide a complete and thorough inspection and scope of your home owners insurance claim damages. The Scope will include visiting the loss location, full detailed sketch of the damaged areas, as well as detailed, labeled photographs to support the damage incurred to the property.
Insurance Claim Estimates: Many professionals and policyholders are in need of insurance claim estimates and insurance appraisal estimates for claims with insurance companies. Most insurance companies require detailed estimates to support the damages of a claim. We provide detailed, line item, insurance claim estimates for home owners, business owners, insurance companies, contractors, attorneys, and public adjusters. [More...]
Who's Behind Your Home Owners Insurance Clam Assistance & Consulting?
Joe Brennan is President and owner/operator of Insurance Claims Group, Inc., a national independent adjusting, appraisal, and umpiring firm. Joe has been in the property loss business for more than 24-years. His loss experience began as a contractor / builder, which included water and fire damage restoration repair services. After 20-years of insurance restoration estimating and repair experience, Mr. Brennan became a licensed, independent, insurance claims adjuster.
Joe has maintained his IICRC Certification in both Fire and Water Restoration and also maintains active adjuster licenses in 10-states. Throughout his career, he has handled many multi-million dollar losses, both commercial and residential. The amount of combined experience and knowledge of new construction, damage repairs, and insurance claims handling has advanced his ability to act as a Dispute Appraiser and Appraisal Umpire. Mr. Brennan is highly educated with the appraisal process and has acted as an appraiser and umpire on dozens of claims.
We also have a group of qualified insurance claim experts around our coverage areas, each with multiple years of construction and insurance claim damage experience.
Not Sure What Your Needs Are... Give Us A Call !
How do you know unless you ask? We will answer all your home owners insurance claim related questions at no cost. Get your questions answered by an Insurance Claims Expert so you can make an informed, educated decision on whether we can assist you or not. Call us at (919) 669-9111 of fill out our Insurance Claim Consulting form letting us know the best time to contact you back.
If you are in need of any type of Insurance Appraisal Services as outlined; please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here
to help you in any way we can. |
