Insurance Company’s Adjuster vs Your Appraiser

An insurance adjuster is the person who checks out your property to determine how much damage has been sustained, and how much it will cost to fix it. Remember that insurance adjusters work for your insurance company – not you! Although insurance adjusters are supposed to accurately value the loss, they often leave things out which can leave you in a terrible situation when it comes time to make those repairs.

An appraiser is the person who comes in after your adjuster has offered a settlement, if you felt that the payment was not correct. Adjusters assess the damage, investigate the cause and extent of the loss, take statements, make recommendations for payment, and interpret the policy. On the other hand, appraisers have a very specific mission in appraisal, their singular only purpose is to determine the amount of the loss.

Appraisal can be an awesome tool for policyholders because it takes the decision-making power out of the insurance company’s hands as it relates to the amount of the loss. However, appraisal does have its limitations because appraisers are not authorized to make coverage decisions, i.e., determine whether damage is covered by the policy.