The insurance appraisal process in South Carolina is a private, policy-based way to settle one narrow question: how much a covered loss is worth. Nearly every homeowners, condo, commercial and wind-only policy sold here contains an appraisal paragraph. It lets either you or the insurer hand a pricing dispute to a small panel — one appraiser for each side and a neutral umpire — instead of trading estimates indefinitely or heading straight to court.
The steps below follow the order most South Carolina policies use, from the first sign of a gap between estimates to the day the check arrives. Your own policy’s wording controls the details, so keep a copy of the full policy and declarations page next to you as you read. Deadlines, notice rules and who pays the umpire can all differ from one carrier to the next.
Spot the gap and try a supplement
Appraisal starts after the insurer has accepted at least part of the claim and issued an estimate you believe is too low. Before anyone demands anything, compare that estimate line by line with your contractor’s number. Look for missing rooms, roof squares counted short, absent code items, no overhead and profit, or tree removal left out entirely.
Send the adjuster a written supplement request that lists each missing or underpriced item and attaches photos, invoices and measurements. Many South Carolina claims close at this stage once the carrier sees the documentation. If the response is a flat no, or a revised number that still leaves a real gap, you have a genuine disagreement over the amount of loss.
Send a written appraisal demand
Either side may invoke appraisal, and the demand should always be in writing. A clear demand identifies the policy and claim numbers, states that the parties disagree on the amount of loss, cites the appraisal provision, and names your appraiser or says you will do so within the policy’s time frame.
- Send it by a method you can prove, such as certified mail plus email to the adjuster.
- Check whether the policy asks for a sworn proof of loss or other conditions first.
- Keep a dated copy; many policy clocks start on the day the demand is received.
Each side appoints an appraiser
You and the insurer each choose a competent and disinterested appraiser, commonly within 20 days of the demand. “Disinterested” means your appraiser should have no financial stake in the outcome beyond a fair fee and should not be the contractor hoping to do the repair.
Your appraiser reviews the file, the policy, both estimates and the photo record. The insurer’s appraiser does the same for its side. From this point, the two appraisers talk directly with each other rather than through the adjuster.
Agree on an umpire
The two appraisers then pick a neutral umpire, often within 15 days. Good practice is to settle on the umpire early, before positions harden, so that person is ready if the appraisers stall on a few items.
If the appraisers can’t agree on an umpire, most policies let either party ask a court of record in the county where the property sits to appoint one. In South Carolina, that request goes to the circuit court for that county, such as Charleston, Horry or Greenville County.
Inspect the property, exchange estimates
Both appraisers inspect the damage, ideally together so they can agree on measurements and conditions on the spot. Expect roof slopes, pitches and squares to be measured, interiors to be checked with moisture meters, and attics to be examined for hidden framing damage after a wind or tree loss.
Each appraiser then prepares or adopts a detailed estimate, usually built in Xactimate or a similar pricing program using local South Carolina price data. The estimates are exchanged so each side can see exactly where the numbers diverge.
Negotiate line by line
The appraisers work through the estimates item by item. Most lines settle quickly once both sides see the same photos and measurements. The remaining disputes tend to cluster around a familiar list:
- Matching of shingles, siding or flooring that can’t be blended.
- Ordinance or law items required by the local building department.
- Overhead and profit for a general contractor on a multi-trade job.
- Steep and high-roof charges, waste factors and labor minimums.
When the two appraisers agree on every line, they can sign an award together and the umpire never needs to rule.
The umpire decides open items
Any items the appraisers can’t resolve go to the umpire. Each appraiser submits a short position on each disputed line with supporting photos, pricing and code references. Some umpires inspect the property themselves; others decide from the record.
The umpire picks a value for each open item, which may fall anywhere between the two positions. An agreement in writing by any two of the three panel members sets the amount of loss.
Award, payment and depreciation
The signed award states the amount of loss, often split into replacement cost and actual cash value. The insurer then applies your deductible and prior payments, and issues payment within the time the policy allows.
If your policy pays replacement cost, the carrier may hold back recoverable depreciation until repairs are done; keep invoices and completion photos so you can claim it. If you have a mortgage, expect the lender to be named on the check under the mortgagee clause, which means coordinating endorsement and any draw schedule with your loan servicer.
Where appraisal stops short
Appraisal is a pricing tool. It settles the amount of a covered loss, and in many South Carolina disputes that is the whole problem. It is not built to answer every question a claim can raise, and pushing the wrong question into appraisal wastes time.
- Coverage denials. If the insurer says the loss isn’t covered at all, the panel generally can’t override that decision.
- Bad-faith or unfair claims practice concerns. Appraisal does not decide whether an insurer acted unreasonably. Those questions belong with a South Carolina attorney.
- Policy interpretation. Disputes about what a clause means — which deductible applies, or how an exclusion reads — are legal questions.
- Your suit-limitation clock. Appraisal may not pause the deadline to file suit. Confirm your dates with a South Carolina attorney before the process drags on.
Causation sits in a gray zone. Some appraisal panels value damage by cause, such as wind versus flood, and courts have taken different views on how far they may go. If causation is the core of your dispute, get legal advice before you demand appraisal.
