Second loss assessment
An assessment run by a technician appointed and paid by the policyholder, to set a contradictory valuation against the insurer's adjuster.
After storm Alex of October 2 and 3, 2020, which devastated the Roya and Vesubie valleys, many claimants appointed their own expert. In mountain terrain the real cost of rebuilding drifted away from the first valuations, and the scope of reinstatement was argued far more than the cause. That is the ordinary use of a second loss assessment. The policyholder appoints a technician who revisits causation, the extent of the damage and the costing, and challenges the insurer's adjuster point by point. The two then work on a contradictory basis and nearly always settle, because the gap comes down to method: the depreciation applied, the scope of reinstatement, the value adopted. The carrier's adjuster is competent and bound by professional ethics, yet remains appointed by only one of the two parties to the contract. Cost is the brake, which is why second assessments are rare on household claims and close to systematic on industrial ones. Many policies carry a claimant's expert fees clause that picks up part of the bill, up to a percentage of the indemnity.
Storm Alex of October 2 and 3, 2020 devastated the Roya and Vesubie valleys and produced about 210 million euros of insured damage, on the industry federation's figures. In mountain terrain, initial valuations drifted from the real cost of rebuilding. Many claimants therefore appointed their own expert, and the scope of reinstatement was more contested than the cause.
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