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At some point in a busy agency, nearly every agent encounters a client whose claim has stalled, whether over the scope of a roof repair, the value of damaged siding, or a disagreement about the cause of a loss. Knowing what to do, and what not to do, at that moment protects the client relationship and keeps the agent’s own role clearly defined.
Once a claim moves from routine processing into genuine disagreement, the agent’s most useful function is usually explanation rather than advocacy. Clients in this position often do not understand who is actually handling their dispute, confusing the adjuster, any public adjuster the policyholder may have retained, and the concept of appraisal. An agent can clarify these roles in neutral terms: the carrier’s adjuster represents the insurer’s evaluation of the claim, a public adjuster if retained represents the policyholder’s interests and is paid by the policyholder, and appraisal, if invoked, involves a separate panel tasked narrowly with determining the amount of a covered loss.
Agents should generally direct clients toward the carrier’s claims department or dispute resolution process for the substantive disagreement itself, rather than attempting to mediate the technical dispute personally. This is not a matter of indifference to the client’s situation; it reflects the licensing boundaries discussed elsewhere, and it also reflects a practical reality, since an agent typically does not have the loss-adjusting expertise, or the neutral position, to evaluate competing repair estimates.
There is a structural reason for caution here as well. An agent’s compensation is generally tied to policy sales and renewals, not to the outcome of any particular claim, but a client in the middle of a dispute may not always draw that distinction clearly, and an agent who appears to take a side, even informally, risks being perceived as something other than neutral regardless of intent. Sticking to procedural guidance, such as explaining what appraisal is and how it works if the policy has that clause, keeps the agent’s role clean.
None of this means agents should be unhelpful or distant when a client is frustrated. Confirming that the client has the claim number, the adjuster’s contact information, and a clear understanding of the appraisal clause if the dispute reaches that point is genuinely useful support. It simply belongs in a different category than adjusting the claim or opining on the merits of either side’s position, both of which fall outside the agent’s licensed role and, often, outside the agent’s actual expertise.
A brief written note of who said what, and when, tends to matter more than most agents expect. If a client later disputes what an agent explained about a coverage feature, or when a document was delivered to the carrier, a short contemporaneous record, even something as simple as a dated email summarizing a phone conversation, can resolve the question quickly. This habit costs little time to maintain and has the added benefit of giving the agent a clear reference point if the same client calls back months later asking what was discussed the first time the topic came up.
This article is general education about how the appraisal process commonly works. It is not legal advice, and specific procedures can vary by state and policy.
Russ Lis is a working property insurance appraiser and umpire based in Minnesota, serving clients nationwide. Contact Appraisal Resolution.