The most a public adjuster may take from what the insurer pays on a home claim.
215 ILCS 5/1570Appraisal clause help for Illinois property claims
Your insurer accepts the loss but not the amount. I read your appraisal wording, rebuild the scope line by line, and prepare the file the appraisers and the umpire will decide from.
Free inspection and policy review. No upfront cost.
- IL Public Adjuster #19461872
- IN Public Adjuster #3556317
- HAAG Certified Inspector
- Licensed IL Roofing Contractor
- 10+ years in property restoration
Three people decide the amount
Either side can demand appraisal in writing. Then the panel forms.
Named by you
Your appraiser
Presents your evidence. Named within the policy's window, often 20 days.
Chosen by both appraisers
The umpire
Decides only the items the appraisers could not settle. No agreement on an umpire? A court can appoint one.
Named by the insurer
The carrier's appraiser
Works from the insurer's own estimate.
2 of 3
An award signed by any two of the three sets the amount of loss. It decides how much, not whether the loss is covered.
Send me the estimate and the appraisal paragraph
I'll tell you whether appraisal is the right move.
+1 224-481-2095 volodymyr@staterestoration.us- Free consultation and inspection
- Mon–Fri 9–6, Sat 9–5, Sun 10–5
What to send me
- The carrier's estimateThe full line-item version, every page.
- Your appraisal paragraphFrom the Conditions section of the policy, with endorsements.
- The letter accepting coverageOr any letter that denies part of the claim.
- Photos and any contractor bidWhatever you already have. I inspect the rest.
Is your dispute one appraisal can settle?
Appraisal values a covered loss. A denial for cause needs a different route.
Appraisal fits
- The price of an agreed repair
- Quantities: squares of roofing, square feet of drywall
- Matching undamaged material, where the policy covers it
- A gap that is still wide after a documented supplement
Use another route
- Wear and tear or excluded causeA coverage rebuttal, or an attorney
- Late notice or a policy conditionThe reporting record and the policy wording
- No response, slow handlingA complaint to the Illinois Department of Insurance
- A small gapA supplement costs nothing to file
What I put in the file the panel reads
Line against line
Your scope set beside the carrier's estimate, item by item, in the same estimating terms it used.
Measured and photographed
Every item you want valued, with measurements and photos.
Cause and cost, one visit
I inspect as a HAAG certified inspector and a licensed roofer, so damage and repair price come from the same inspection.
An itemised award
I ask for the award written line by line, so any coverage argument left afterwards is tied to named items.
Three Illinois rules to know before you sign with anyone
Your window to cancel an adjuster's contract after your insurer receives it.
215 ILCS 5/1575If your policy limits the time to sue, that time stops from the day you file proof of loss until the claim is denied.
215 ILCS 5/143.1Appraisal questions I get
Can the insurance company demand appraisal?
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Yes. On the standard forms either side can demand it. If you receive a demand, first check that the dispute is about the amount and that your scope is complete.
Who pays for the appraisers and the umpire?
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Under the common wording each side pays its own appraiser and the umpire is split equally. Your own policy governs, so read that paragraph before you agree to anything.
Can my public adjuster be my appraiser?
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It depends on the impartiality wording in your policy. I check it before anyone is named, so no appraiser is disqualified later.
Is an appraisal award final?
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On the amount, it is generally binding once two of the three sign it. It does not settle coverage, which is why I ask for an itemised award rather than one total.
Public adjusters in Illinois are licensed under 215 ILCS 5, Article XLV. A public adjuster represents policyholders and is not an attorney. Your own policy governs; nothing here promises a claim outcome.