The words on a property claim, defined by people who work them.

Verisk's line-item estimating platform, the pricing standard most carriers write to. Public adjusters read and rebut Xactimate scopes constantly, so a claim file has to reconcile the carrier's Xactimate export against the contractor's numbers.

CoreLogic's cloud estimating platform, the main alternative to Xactimate on the carrier side. Estimates arrive in Symbility format as often as ESX, so the workflow has to normalize both.

A carrier claims-evaluation system historically used to bracket bodily-injury and some property valuations. It is shorthand for algorithmic settlement pressure the recovery side has to document against.

Actual cash value: replacement cost minus depreciation. The first-check number on a replacement-cost policy, before recoverable depreciation is released.

Replacement cost value: what it costs to repair or replace the damage with like kind and quality, without a depreciation deduction. The full-recovery number the file is built toward.

Additional living expenses: the coverage that reimburses an insured for the extra cost of living elsewhere while a home is uninhabitable. Documented with receipts and a normal-baseline comparison.

Proof of loss: the sworn statement of the amount claimed, submitted on the carrier's form within a policy deadline. The document the whole file has to support.

Personal property inventory: the itemized list of damaged contents with age, cost, and replacement price used to claim unscheduled personal property (UPP).

A cap inside a coverage that is lower than the policy limit — mold, water backup, or ordinance-and-law coverage often carry one. Missing a sublimit is how a file leaves money on the table.

The insured's retained portion of a loss, subtracted before the carrier pays. Hurricane and wind/hail deductibles are often a percentage of dwelling limit, not a flat dollar figure.

An amendment attached to the base policy that adds, removes, or modifies coverage. Reading the endorsements is where actual coverage is won or lost, not the declarations page alone.

State law setting hard deadlines for a carrier to acknowledge, decide, and pay a claim, with interest penalties for missing them. Tracking these clocks is the backbone of a compliant claim calendar.

A carrier's unreasonable handling of a claim it owes — lowballing, unjustified delay, or denial without investigation. Bad-faith exposure is documented through the claim's own timeline.

The category of prohibited carrier conduct defined by each state's Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act — the statutory standard a bad-faith argument is measured against.

The reduction in value applied to damaged property for age and wear when computing ACV. On a replacement-cost policy it is often recoverable once repairs are complete.

The recoverable-depreciation amount the carrier withholds from the first payment and releases after repairs are done and documented. The second check most files have to chase.

Depreciation the insured can get back after completing repairs and submitting receipts — the difference between the ACV first payment and the full RCV owed.

First notice of loss: the first report of a claim to the carrier, which starts the statutory response clocks. The event a claim calendar is anchored to.

Examination under oath: a formal, recorded questioning of the insured under the policy's cooperation clause. Preparation and consistent documentation are what protect the claim.

The written demand that states the amount owed, cites the policy and facts, and sets a response deadline. Built from the claim's own evidence, estimate, and coverage analysis.

Letter of representation: the notice that a public adjuster now represents the insured and that all claim communication should route through them. Usually the first document sent after signing a client.