The Appraiser

The Appraiser is the person the insurance company assigns to inspect the damages and write and estimate for your vehicle. They are assigned by your Claims Adjuster and will submit their report of damages (estimate) to the assigned Claims Adjuster and your repair shop. This estimate is what will be considered as the authorized repairs. Shopping for 3 estimates is not required or necessary.

The Appraiser is usually from an independent company however; sometimes the insurance company will utilize and assign their own staff Appraisers.

The Appraiser is very well trained in all areas related to the body shop and repair process and does understand what it will take to get your vehicle repaired correctly.

The Appraiser should contact you and inspect your vehicle within 24-72 hours. This will depend greatly on your schedules working out.

The Appraiser is the liaison between the repair shop and your insurance company regarding the authorized repairs to your vehicle and it is stated in the Texas Auto Policy that the insurance company does have the right to inspect the damages to your vehicle prior to repairs being done.

There may be selected instances when the insurance company will authorize you to submit several estimates if the damage is minor but this is rare on on a selected basis.

The Appraiser should submit the estimate of damages to your repair shop, your insurance company and you. This is the estimate your repair shop will work from. If there are additional damages that are discovered once the vehicle is at the shop, the Appraiser is called back out for a re-inspection. This is referred to as a supplement. The shop and the appraiser will discuss what additional repairs are required and a supplemental estimate will be completed. This is very common because it is difficult to see any and all hidden damages if the vehicle was not tore down at the time of inspection.

The Appraiser is usually not authorized to discuss any information regarding your claim and will not be able to answer any specific questions regarding your claim.