Insurance Appraisal Demand: What Happens After Appraisal Is Invoked?
Need to Name Your Appraiser?
Need to Name Your Appraiser? Request an Appraisal Review
A demand starts a policy process with deadlines and duties. Do not treat it as a casual letter. Read the clause, calendar every requirement, and build the valuation record from the first day.
First question: who demanded appraisal?
The answer changes the immediate work.
- If you demanded appraisal, confirm that the demand follows the policy's form, notice, and timing rules.
- If the insurer demanded appraisal, identify the deadline and qualification requirements in its letter and in the policy.
- If both parties are discussing appraisal, confirm whether the provision allows one party to invoke it or requires agreement.
Whether appraisal can be demanded by one party or requires agreement from both sides depends on the policy. We start every review by reading the appraisal provision itself.
The selection deadline
Some provisions require each side to identify its appraiser within a specified period, commonly 20 days after a written demand. Your policy controls the actual deadline, the event that starts the count, and the method for giving notice.
Do not borrow a deadline from another policy or another claim. Calendar the date from your clause and the demand documents. If the insurer's letter states a different date, resolve the difference immediately.
The right to demand appraisal can expire
A demand has a shelf life. Depending on the policy and the facts of the claim, waiting too long can leave a policyholder time-barred from requesting appraisal at all. Replacement-cost repair deadlines and any extension connected to recovering depreciation can also narrow the practical window for finishing the repair record and pursuing the valuation.
Do not assume an old dispute can be placed into appraisal at any time. Map the date of loss, repair status, depreciation deadlines, extension requests, policy suit or demand limits, and the current claim posture at the start of the review. Your policy and the facts control whether the appraisal right remains available.
Read the policy requirements before naming anyone
The clause and endorsements may address:
- Who can invoke appraisal.
- Whether the demand must be written.
- The appraiser selection period.
- Competence, independence, impartiality, or disinterestedness language.
- Umpire selection.
- Inspection and information exchange.
- How the award must be signed.
- How appraiser and umpire costs are allocated.
- Conditions that must be met before or during appraisal.
Other policy duties can also matter. Gather the full policy, not just the declarations page.
Most Citizens policies let the policyholder invoke appraisal. The actual Citizens form still controls the demand, appraiser selection, umpire, and award process for that claim.
Documents to assemble now
- The appraisal demand and proof of delivery.
- The complete policy and endorsements.
- The insurer's current estimate and every prior version.
- Payment letters, denial letters, and reservation letters.
- Your contractor or consultant estimates.
- Expert reports and testing records.
- Photographs, videos, measurements, plans, and moisture records.
- Invoices for mitigation and temporary repairs.
- Leases, rent rolls, operating records, or financial records when income is disputed.
- Any release, agreement, or settlement document already signed.
Do not discard earlier estimate versions. Changes between versions often reveal which items remain truly disputed.
Choosing the appraiser
Name an appraiser who can inspect the property, understand the repair method, build the estimate, and explain the valuation record. Commercial and large losses may also require coordination with engineers, roof consultants, accountants, or other specialists.
The policy's qualification language comes first. Then confirm availability, conflicts, relevant property experience, and who will personally perform the inspection and valuation.
Nathan serves as the appraiser you select. His job is to approach the loss with an open mind, independently evaluate the amount of loss, and support the valuation with evidence, construction knowledge, documentation, and professional judgment.
Umpire selection
Under a typical provision, the two appraisers select the umpire. The umpire should be addressed early enough that an impasse does not stall the panel.
Some provisions also give the two appraisers a separate window to agree on an umpire, commonly 15 days in clauses that use that structure. That umpire window is distinct from the appraiser-selection window. Your policy controls the actual number of days, the event that starts the count, and the consequence of missing it.
If the appraisers cannot agree on an umpire, some policies provide a mechanism for court appointment. The actual process depends on your policy.
Inspection and document review
After selection, the appraisers inspect the property and exchange the records needed to value the loss. The inspection should document the damaged assemblies, quantities, repair access, sequencing, and constraints. Document review should test whether estimates use the same scope and assumptions.
Keep a clean record of what was sent, what was received, and what remains outstanding. A panel cannot value an item well when the evidence for it is scattered across messages and unnamed files.
What not to sign blindly
Do not sign a document during the demand stage without understanding what it changes. Read carefully before signing:
- A release of the claim or any part of it.
- A settlement agreement.
- An agreement that defines the scope of appraisal.
- An agreed amount of loss.
- A withdrawal of the appraisal demand.
- A direction to pay another party.
- A form that changes who serves in a claim role.
- A blank or incomplete document.
If a document may affect coverage, payment, or legal rights beyond the amount of loss, get legal review before signing. Loss Recovery Experts handles the appraisal role and does not act as your lawyer.
What happens next
The appraisers inspect, build their valuations, and work through the differences. Agreed items are recorded. Remaining items are narrowed and presented to the umpire if needed. Two of the three panel members sign the final award, subject to the policy language.
The written award establishes the amount determined through appraisal. Any payment due after the award remains subject to the policy, prior payments, deductibles, limits, and any issues reserved outside appraisal.