What an insurance estimate review finds
Carrier estimates are long, abbreviated and easy to misread. A careful insurance estimate review compares every line with the actual damage, the property’s measurements and current pricing for your area. Most of what we find falls into a few groups:
- Missing items: drip edge, starter, ridge, permits, detach-and-reset, content manipulation, final cleaning.
- Quantity errors: roof squares, wall square footage, flooring that stops at the doorway.
- Wrong materials: builder-grade replacements for custom finishes.
- Depreciation: excessive or applied to items that shouldn’t depreciate the way they were.
- Overhead and profit: left out on jobs that need a general contractor to coordinate trades.
What you receive
A short written report that lists each difference, why it matters and its approximate dollar effect, followed by a recommendation: send a documented supplement, invoke appraisal, or accept the estimate because it’s fair. We tell you plainly when the carrier got it right.
Who uses estimate audits
Homeowners deciding whether to push back, HOA boards planning a vote, contractors who want an independent check of their supplement, and attorneys who need a valuation baseline before advising a client.
Try the numbers yourself
Our settlement gap estimator gives a rough idea of whether the gap justifies appraisal fees. The audit tells you whether that gap is real.
Questions about carrier estimate audit
Do I need my own estimate before you review the carrier’s?
No. A contractor’s bid helps, but we can audit the carrier’s estimate against your photos and an inspection even if you don’t have one.
Can the audit be used as a supplement request?
Yes. Many clients send our findings to the carrier as a documented supplement, and some disputes close at that point.
Is the review a binding appraisal?
No. It’s an independent opinion of where the estimate falls short. Only a signed appraisal award under the policy is binding on the amount of loss.