When the carrier will not pay fairly, your policy may hold the answer. Most property policies include an appraisal clause, a binding way to resolve a dispute over the amount of loss without going to court.
The appraisal clause settles the number, not the coverage. When you and your insurer agree a loss is covered but disagree on what it is worth, AYC invokes your policy's Demand Appraisal. It is a structured, binding process built into the policy you already pay for. It exists so a fair amount can be reached without a courtroom fight.
Once the Demand Appraisal is invoked, each side names an appraiser. AYC acts as the appraiser for the insured, never the insurer. We document the damage, build the valuation, and advance your position with rigor. If the two appraisers cannot agree, they select a neutral umpire to decide the difference.
Appraisal resolves the amount of loss, not whether a loss is covered. When the disagreement is about dollars rather than coverage, appraisal is often the faster path. Felice Morina, known as the Negotiator, used this rigor to negotiate roughly six million dollars in supplemental damages for homeowners after Superstorm Sandy.
Most property insurance policies include an appraisal provision — a binding way to settle a dispute over the amount of a covered loss without going to court. It is a right you already pay for. A typical clause plays out in four steps:
When you and the carrier agree the loss is covered but cannot agree on what it is worth, either party can make a written demand to set the amount of loss by appraisal.
After a written demand, each party selects a competent, independent appraiser and notifies the other of that appraiser’s identity within 20 days. We serve as the appraiser for you, the insured.
The two appraisers then choose a competent, impartial umpire. If they cannot agree within 15 days, either party can ask a judge in the property’s state to appoint one.
The appraisers set the amount. On any point they cannot agree, they submit it to the umpire — and a written agreement signed by any two of the three sets the final amount of loss.