Step 1: Pin down the disagreement
Before appraisal, make the dispute specific. Put in writing what you believe the insurer’s estimate is missing, attach your contractor’s itemized estimate and photos, and ask for a revised estimate. A clear supplement request resolves many Nevada claims without a panel, and it creates the record a panel will use if it doesn’t.
Step 2: Check the policy before you demand
Find the appraisal paragraph in your policy conditions. Note whether it sets a time limit for naming appraisers, whether the insurer must agree to appraisal or either side can demand it, and whether a sworn proof of loss or other step comes first. Find the suit-limitation clause too, and calendar it.
Step 3: Send a written demand
The demand identifies the claim, states that you and the insurer disagree on the amount of loss, invokes the appraisal provision and names your appraiser or commits to doing so within the policy’s time frame. Send it in a way you can prove, such as email plus certified mail.
Step 4: Both sides name appraisers
Each side selects a competent and impartial appraiser. Your appraiser inspects the property, builds a line-item valuation and exchanges it with the insurer’s appraiser. The two appraisers usually agree on an umpire early, so one is ready if needed. If they can’t agree, either side can ask a Nevada district court to appoint one.
Step 5: The appraisers work the differences
Most of the work happens here. The appraisers walk the property, compare measurements, methods and prices and agree on as many items as they can. Many Nevada appraisals end at this stage with an award signed by both appraisers.
Step 6: The umpire decides what’s left
Items the appraisers can’t settle go to the umpire. Each appraiser submits a position with photos, measurements and pricing. The umpire may inspect or ask questions, then decides each disputed item.
Step 7: The award and payment
An award signed by any two of the three panel members sets the amount of loss. A clear award separates replacement cost, depreciation and actual cash value by coverage. The insurer then pays under the policy, less the deductible and prior payments, with recoverable depreciation paid once repairs are done.
What appraisal does not do
- It doesn’t decide whether a loss is covered or whether an exclusion applies.
- It doesn’t award interest, damages for claim handling or attorney’s fees.
- It doesn’t necessarily pause your policy’s suit-limitation deadline.
- It can’t produce a payment above your policy limits.
Nevada law recognizes claims against insurers that unreasonably deny or delay payment, and the state’s unfair claims practices statute sets standards for claim handling. Those are legal questions for a Nevada attorney. Complaints about claim handling can also be filed with the Nevada Division of Insurance. Our role is the valuation.