How do insurance companies determine the value of property damage claims and can they be disputed?

“Insurance companies primarily determine the value of property damage claims by sending an adjuster out to evaluate that claim. Whether that’s a claim for real property, so your dwelling, your land, the house, or the structures on the house, or whether the claim is for personal property, which is basically your stuff, that will make a difference as to how the insurance company evaluates that. The valuation that an insurance company gives can always be disputed. There are a couple of different avenues. Sometimes at Lawrence and Associates, we will try to directly negotiate that with the adjuster. Other times, we might engage the appraisal process, and sometimes, unfortunately, we just have to file a lawsuit. You feel that the insurance claim is not being adjusted or evaluated properly. You have an opportunity to present more information and they have to consider that information. So, for example, that might be photographs or estimates or opinions from contractors or professionals. The insurance company will consider that or should consider that new information and adjust their value accordingly.”