The firm's journal The Policyholder's Edge
Original analysis by Joshua Friedman, licensed public adjuster. Why the first offer is a starting point. How appraisal actually works. The depreciation fallacy. The games carriers play, named in writing — with the statutes attached.
01 Why Your Insurer's First Offer is a Starting Point, Not a Final Destination After weeks of waiting, the email from your insurance adjuster finally arrives. You open the attachment, and your heart sinks. Read the column → 02 The Depreciation Fallacy: Why the "Actual Cash Value" of Your Roof is a Legal Fiction When a storm, fire, or other disaster damages your home or commercial building, your insurance policy is supposed to make you whole. Yet, for countless property owners, the first check that arrives from the insurer—the Actual Cash Value (ACV) payment—is shockingly insufficient to begin, let alone complete, the necessary repairs. Read the column → 03 How To: Invoke The Appraisal Clause in Georgia In Georgia, the insurance appraisal clause has a reputation for being particularly nuanced, largely due to a decade of legal battles over a single court case that insurance companies frequently use to their advantage. They would like you to believe the process is a legal minefield, hoping you’ll give up or hire an expensive property damage lawyer out of confusion. Read the column → 04 How To: Invoke The Appraisal Clause in South Carolina When you're at an impasse with your insurance carrier in South Carolina, the path forward can seem unclear. Unlike other states, there is not a large body of complex case law governing the appraisal process. Read the column → 05 The Appraisal Clause Is Invoked: Why Silence Is Not Golden When a dispute over the value of a property damage claim reaches an impasse, the insurance policy’s appraisal clause is often invoked. This contractual provision is designed as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism to determine the "amount of loss" more efficiently and cost-effectively than formal litigation. Read the column → 06 The Insurer's Shell Game: Why "You Can't Appraise Scope" Is a Myth Designed to Underpay Your Claim You have suffered a significant property loss. You have navigated the initial shock, documented the damage, and filed your claim in good faith. Read the column → 07 How To: Write a Shingle Roof Claim Dispute Letter Receiving a lowball offer or an outright denial for your shingle roof claim can be infuriating. Your insurance adjuster may offer to pay for a small patch, claiming the rest of the roof is undamaged, even when you know a full replacement is required. Read the column → 08 Like Kind and Quality, Functional Equivalence, and "Matching": The Three-State Map for Discontinued Materials Most homeowners arrive at the discontinued-materials fight using a word that is not in their policy, and it costs them the first exchange. The three terms, the case law, and where Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina actually stand. Read the column → 09 The Complexity Paradox: Why Your High-Value Home Insurance Claim Demands a Specialist, Not a Generalist When a catastrophic event—a fire, a hurricane, a major water loss—strikes a high-value home, the owner’s first instinct is often one of reassurance. They have diligently paid premiums for a top-tier insurance policy from a reputable carrier, precisely for this moment. Read the column → 10 The First 48 Hours: A Step-by-Step Guide for Businesses After a Fire A fire at your commercial property is a chaotic and disorienting event. But the actions you take in the first 48 hours are absolutely critical to ensuring the safety of your team, mitigating further damage, and laying the groundwork for a successful insurance claim. Read the column → 11 DisgRACEd: How Hidden Bias in Insurance Can Affect Your Claim At Friedman & Associates, we fight for fair settlements on individual claims. But we are also committed to fighting for a fairer insurance system for everyone. Read the column →
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