Where fire claims are disputed
- Clean versus replace. Whether smoke-damaged drywall, cabinetry, insulation, ductwork and soft goods can be cleaned and sealed or must be removed.
- Heat damage. Warped vinyl, crazed glass, delaminated finishes and compromised framing outside the fire room.
- Odor. The sealing, encapsulation and HVAC cleaning needed to actually eliminate smoke odor.
- Contents. Room-by-room inventories, cleaning versus replacement, and depreciation applied to items the carrier never saw.
- Additional living expense. Duration of displacement and reasonable costs during the rebuild.
- Code and permit requirements triggered by the rebuild.
Texas Insurance Code ยง862.053 makes a fire policy a liquidated demand for the full policy amount when real property is a total loss by fire. The 2027 residential appraisal rules therefore exclude total fire losses that fall under that statute. Appraisal remains the tool for partial fire losses, which are the large majority.
Our approach on fire files
We inspect with the fire's path in mind, documenting heat, smoke and soot migration room by room and testing surfaces where cleaning is proposed. We work from your contents inventory and help you complete it where it is incomplete. The estimate we bring to the appraiser conference covers structure, cleaning, contents and the documented additional living expenses the policy allows, so nothing is left to argue about later.
Fire claims frequently involve a restoration contractor already on site. We coordinate with your contractor and compare their proposal against the carrier's scope, but our estimate is our own, and that independence is what gives it weight with the umpire.
Joseph DittmanAppraiser and licensed Texas public adjuster (Texas public adjuster license #3356839). Joseph serves as policyholder-appointed appraiser and as umpire on property losses across Texas. About