If they tell you they can't change the pricing then give your estimate and say I just saved you some work. If there estimate is low tell them to increase it using the Xactimate custom pricing feature.
Then the complete assessment needs to be discussed with the adjuster/insurance company.
Don't forget to check if the project triggers code upgrades and ask the homeowner if they have that coverage. The home site must be completely scrutinized by this licensed professional (you) and a subsequent scope of work and pricing that itemizes all the steps that must take place to put the homeowner back to their pre-loss condition. The adjusters from out of state are not familiar with Mass Code requirements and need to be watched carefully. Let the homeowner know the insurance adjuster is usually not licensed and therefore may not be qualified to assess code related matters. Anyone else and they may be in for rude awakening. Tell your homeowner client to not trust the estimate until it has been thoroughly vetted by a professional, licensed, and insured contractor who is familiar with the insurance claim process. Now that you know the insurance industry is behind Xactimate here is what you do. Thousands of insureds in Massachusetts and contractors are dealing with low ball claim offers coming from adjusters using Xactimate. While currently a publicly held company, Verisk’s main shareholders remain insurance carriers." Verisk was a privately held company owned by insurance companies up until a 2009 initial public offering.
If not, ISO is the company that has unified the insurance policy forms for the insurance industry and has slowly changed the forms to narrow coverages and increase exclusions. Verisk was formed to be the parent company of the Insurance Services Office (ISO) which is an organization of which the readers of this blog should be well aware. Xactware is a subsidiary of Verisk Analytics. Xactware is owned by the insurance industry. However, the truth is much worse than simply that. " In my last post, I discussed how Xactimate’s pricing is going down while national building material prices are going up. One theory I advanced was that insurance companies are the largest customers of Xactimate and therefore Xactware is simply giving its customers what they want. Here is an article from the Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog posted by Robert Trautman. Here is some information on the relationship between Xactimate and the Insurance Industry.Ĭlick the article link below and see the video on the site. Is it any surprise that the insurance industry solution provider giant Verisk Analytics owns them? Well I thought you may be interested to know about who really calls the shots here. As I wrote in my last blog estimates are coming in 2 to 3 times the amount carried in Xactimate.
Material and labor prices have escalated and the software program is not accounting for these increases. There is numerous evidence that the rates carried in Xactimate are way off in most areas of the country. Most of you know know that insurance companies are requiring their adjusters to use Xactimate to figure claims.