Insurance claim disputes are unwanted but sometimes necessary part of recovering from property damage or loss.
When going through these instances, it’s important to know all of the steps to the process and the options that you have available to you… before it’s too late.
That’s where an umpire can come into play.
“What is an umpire,” you ask? See below for a description of who they are and what part they play in the insurance dispute process.
What Is an Umpire and What Role Do They Play?
When someone tells you that they’re sending in an umpire to do an appraisal, these are the expectations you should have of this piece to the process.
They’re Unbiased
As with any situation where two sides aren’t seeing eye-to-eye, it’s beneficial to have an unconnected third party step in to assess the situation.
That’s where the insurance umpire can become the most vital step in the process.
Think of a baseball umpire… they call the strike zone as a neutral party, so that there isn’t a biased on whether the pitch is called a “strike” or a “ball”, the pitch is called solely on whether or not the umpire believes it hit the strike zone.
Same principal here with an insurance umpire: they’re stepping in to evaluate the amount of damage/loss and what it might cost to recondition such situations as a neutral third-party.
They Act in a Timely Manner
A property insurance umpire’s sole focus is to fairly lay out an appraisal and to do so in a timely and efficient manner.
These umpires keep close to the book on the amount lost, resulting in a quick turnaround on the decision they come to.
When you and your insurer can’t come to an agreement, the last thing you want is for that frustration to boil over time. The umpire quickly assesses what they deem as the amount lost and relay their findings within a short window of time.
They Don’t Have the Final Say
It might seem scary to give one person, even if they’re an unbiased third party, the controls to assess the value or loss amount on a claim.
Just because the Umpire is brought in to reach a decision, doesn’t mean that whatever they decide is absolute. In fact, at least 2 of the 3 parties must agree to the decision they reach.
That means that typically the Umpire and one other party will have agreed on the appraisal before it can be solidified.
So even if neither of the other two parties disagrees with the Umpire’s decision, it can be a great starting point to get both parties moving in the right direction.
Get the Reinforcements That You Need
“What is an Umpire?” someone that can help pave the way back to normalcy for your business endeavors.
Filing through the losses after a natural disaster can be a devastating time for you and your business. Let Case Strategies Group get you back on track through claim resolution.
Be sure to request a free consultation today, and for more inquiries feel free to reach out to us by phone at (888)-534-3941.
