Insurance Loss & Theft Claim Valuations
USPAP-Compliant · Personal Property · U.S. & Canada
After a burglary, a theft, or a loss such as fire or flood, the claim turns on a question the items can no longer answer for themselves: what was there, and what was it worth? The valuation must be reconstructed from documentation — and documentation-driven valuation is this practice's standard methodology in every engagement, not an accommodation.
The practice values stolen, destroyed, and damaged personal property — jewelry, watches, handbags, fine art, collections — for insurance claims and the disputes that follow, retained by policyholders' counsel and by carriers. Common engagements include valuing a jewelry or handbag collection lost in a burglary from photographs, receipts, and records. Items scheduled before a loss are documented through insurance scheduling appraisals.
Services
When the Policy's Appraisal Provision Is Invoked
Most property policies contain an appraisal provision for disputes about the amount of a loss. When it is invoked, each party appoints an appraiser, and the two appraisers select an umpire to resolve any difference between them. It is a valuation procedure, not a coverage determination.
The practice accepts appointment as a party-appointed appraiser for contents and personal-property losses — jewelry, watches, handbags, art, and collections — on the same documentation-driven methodology used in every other engagement. Fees are never contingent on the amount awarded. Whether the provision applies to a particular claim, the timing for invoking it, and any state or provincial requirements for appraisers are questions for counsel or your broker.
High-Value Contents After Wildfire and Catastrophe Losses
In a total loss, the items that carry a contents claim over its sub-limits — jewelry, watches, handbags, fine art, and collections — are also the items that can no longer be examined. Their value is reconstructed from what the loss left behind: photographs, receipts and card statements, insurance schedules, prior appraisals, and correspondence. Each value is developed as of the date of loss from market evidence for that date, and every assumption about identification, condition, or ownership is disclosed in the report.
Engagements come from policyholders' counsel and from carriers, and the analysis is identical either way. The practice values personal property and contents only; building and dwelling valuation is performed by other professionals.
How the Valuation Is Built
- Inventory — the items claimed, from the policyholder's list, schedules, and records.
- Identification — each item identified from photographs and documentation to the level the records allow; gaps stated as assumptions.
- Standard of value — replacement cost or actual cash value as the policy requires, or fair market value where a court or arbitration requires it, stated in the report.
- Market evidence — comparable sales as of the date of loss from primary auction records and licensed databases.
- Report — a USPAP Standards 7 and 8 report stating scope, effective date, assumptions, and the basis of each value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can items that no longer exist be appraised?
Yes. Value is developed as of the date of loss from the documentation the items left behind — photographs, receipts, schedules, prior appraisals — with the scope of work and assumptions disclosed in the report. Retrospective effective dates are standard appraisal practice.
What documentation helps after a theft or burglary?
Photographs of the items in use or at home, purchase receipts and card statements, prior appraisals, insurance schedules, repair and service records, and provenance documents. More documentation narrows the assumptions; engagements routinely proceed on partial records.
Do you work for insurers or for policyholders?
Both. Engagements come from policyholders' counsel and from carriers, and the analysis is identical either way. Fees are never contingent on findings or on the amount of any claim.
Is this claim advocacy or public adjusting?
No. The practice provides independent valuation and expert analysis; it does not negotiate claims or act as a public adjuster. Counsel and licensed professionals handle advocacy, and the reports serve whichever forum the claim reaches.
How much does a loss claim valuation cost?
Engagements are quoted by engagement letter based on scope of work, time, and complexity — the number of items, the state of documentation, and the intended use of the report. Fees are never contingent on appraised value.
Do you serve as a party-appointed appraiser under a policy's appraisal provision?
Where a property policy's appraisal provision is invoked, each party appoints an appraiser and the two appraisers select an umpire to resolve the amount of loss. The practice accepts appointment as a party-appointed appraiser for contents and personal property losses; the appointment and its scope are set out in the engagement letter. Whether the provision applies to a given claim, and any state or provincial requirements for appraisers, are questions for counsel.
Everything burned. Can the items still be valued?
Yes. Value is developed as of the date of loss from photographs, receipts, card statements, insurance schedules, and prior appraisals, with every assumption disclosed in the report.
Do you value the dwelling?
No. The practice is limited to personal property and contents.
Can you review the values claimed by the other side?
Yes. Engagements from carriers and defense counsel include review of claimed contents values against market evidence and documentation, applying the same methodology and fee schedule as in policyholder engagements. See appraisal review and rebuttal reports.