The Role of Engineers in Insurance Claims

Increasingly, insurance companies are denying claims for loss and damage to homes and commercial structures on the basis of reports obtained from engineers during the course of adjusting the claim. In a typical scenario, a homeowner discovers that their roof has been damaged by a storm and reports a claim to their insurance company. The insurance company may send one of its own adjusters to inspect the property, or, in cases of widespread damage from storms, they may use the services of outside adjusters, often called “independent” adjusters to conduct the inspection. We have seen many cases where this “independent” adjuster inspects a loss and determines there is little or no damage, or that the damage they claim to see is less than the policyholder’s deductible, such that no payment is made to the homeowner.