Umpire Services
What An Umpire Does
The Umpire is held responsible to not only the parties involved, but also to the process of appraisal. This means that the Umpire is held to extremely high standards of conduct in order to maintain the fairness and integrity of the process. On top of this, an Umpire needs to recognize their responsibility to the parties whose rights are being decided, the public, and to anybody else involved in the proceeding. The Umpire ultimately holds sway over all problems submitted to him or her. The decision is binding on both parties involved. Therefore, an Umpire needs to exercise independent judgement, decide all matters justly, and should not allow any outside pressure to impact their decision.
Here’s an example of a typical appraisal clause
“If we and you disagree on the amount of loss, either may make written demand for an appraisal of the loss. In this event each party will select a competent and impartial appraiser and notify the other of the appraiser selected within 20 days of such demand. The two appraisers will select an umpire. If they cannot agree within 15 days upon such an umpire, either may request that selection be made by a judge of a court having jurisdiction. Each appraiser will state the amount of loss. If they fail to agree, they will submit their differences to the umpire. A decision agreed to by any two will be binding as the amount of loss.”
The clause we’ve described above is fairly standard across the industry. It is specifically written to be a cost-effective way to resolve disputed amounts by parties who are disinterested. Each party involved then chooses their own appraiser, and the appraisers do their own evaluation independently of the insured and the insurer. From this point forward, the principal parties are officially separated from the dispute because each appraiser is required to independently assess the loss. The goal is to ultimately reach an agreement regarding the total cost of the damage.
If an agreement is not able to be made on how much the property is valued, or how much the loss amounts to, the two parties need to take their differences to an umpire who is neutral and disinterested. The two appraisers will choose an umpire before the evaluation occurs. Essentially, the umpire functions as an arbitrator. Hiring an umpire for the appraisal process is much more cost-effective and efficient than directly going to litigation. Think about all of the costs, both financially and time-wise, involved in going to court. The appraisal process is much cheaper and easier than going that route.
Contact Us Today
In addition to our appraisal and public adjusting services, Adjuster Pro Services also offers umpiring services. Adjuster Pro Services is often called by property owners and appraisers to function as impartial umpires throughout an insurance appraisal process. We bring extensive insurance and loss adjusting experience to the table, making us a top choice. Call Adjuster Pro Services for umpiring services today!