By The Restoration HQ desk · · filed under Coverage Law
Carriers are using "wear and tear" to dodge appraisal entirely
A cluster of pieces this week exposes the mechanism: appraisal only decides the amount of a covered loss, not whether coverage exists. So carriers reframe a scope disagreement as a causation dispute, "that's wear and tear, not a covered event", and use it to refuse appraisal, forcing the policyholder to litigate coverage first. Companion pieces question whether the carrier's expert is truly independent and warn that a favorable expert can still be excluded by the judge.
Sources Merlin Law Group, www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/blog/we… (); expert independence, www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/blog/in… (); expert admissibility, www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/blog/ex… (); context: Cozen, www.propertyinsurancelawobserver.com/2026/07…