Frequently Asked Questions

 A property insurance claim is a request for compensation from an insurance provider after a property is damaged or destroyed. The insurance company will investigate the claim to determine if it's covered and how much to pay out. 

 A property insurance claim process typically involves: initially contacting your insurance company to report the damage, providing details about the incident, having an adjuster inspect the property, receiving an estimate of the repair costs, negotiating the claim amount with the adjuster, and finally getting a settlement payment from the insurance company. 

The appraisal process is an alternative dispute resolution option which may be utilized to resolve a covered value dispute. Initiating the appraisal process has many benefits, including being expedient, relatively less costly, and generally less adversarial as comparted to litigation. 

"If you and this Company fail to agree as to the amount of loss, either party may demand that the amount of the loss be set by appraisal. If either party makes a written demand for appraisal, each party shall select a competent appraiser and notify the other party of their appraiser's identity within twenty days of receipt of the written demand for appraisal. The appraisers shall select a competent and impartial umpire; but, if after fifteen days the appraisers have not agreed upon who will serve as umpire, the umpire shall be appointed by a judge of the court of record in which the property is located. The appraisers shall then appraise the loss. If the appraisers submit written notice of an agreement as to the amount of the loss to this Company, the amount agreed upon shall set the amount of the loss. If the appraisers fail to agree within thirty days, the appraisers shall submit their differences along with any supporting documentation to the umpire, who shall appraise the loss. The appraisers may extend the time to sixty days for which they must agree upon the amount of loss or submit their differences and supporting documents to the umpire, if the extension is agreed to by the appraisers from both parties. A written agreement signed by the umpire and either party's appraiser shall set the amount of the loss, pursuant to the appraisal process, but shall not preclude either party from exercising its rights under the policy or the law. Each appraiser shall be paid by the party selecting that appraiser. Other expenses of the appraisal and the expenses of the umpire shall be divided and paid in equal shares by you and this Company. If there is an appraisal award, all applicable policy terms, limits, deductibles, and conditions will still apply. If you file a lawsuit relative to this policy against this Company prior to a demand for appraisal, the lawsuit will not be held in abatement until pending the execution of an appraisal award, and the court of record in which the property is located may set a deadline for timely demanding appraisal or completion of an appraisal."