Insights
Commercial claims consulting insights
How commercial contents inventories are actually run: what gets recorded, how valuation research is done, when salvage is worth evaluating, and what a cargo exception has to prove. Written by the consultants who do the work.
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How does competitive bidding change salvage recovery?
A single buyer sets the price. Several qualified buyers discover it. Reaching the right market for each property class is what creates the competition.
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When should salvage be evaluated on a commercial loss?
At the loss site, during the inventory. Property discarded before evaluation cannot be recovered, and equipment with a real secondary market gets scrapped.
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Can a fixed asset register be used as a claim inventory?
A fixed asset register is a useful starting point and a poor substitute. It is built for depreciation accounting, not for measuring a property loss.
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How does a contents inventory coordinate with mitigation and restoration?
Mitigation moves fast and contents documentation is slower. Sequencing them prevents property being cleaned, packed or discarded before it is recorded.
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How do you inventory contents across multiple buildings at once?
One capture standard, one numbering scheme and one reporting format, applied by every consultant on every building from the first day of the assignment.
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What makes a commercial loss a large loss?
Not the dollar figure alone. Buildings, item counts, specialised property and the number of stakeholders decide whether a loss can be handled routinely.
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What does an adjuster need from a contents inventory?
A usable contents inventory is traceable item by item: identification, condition basis, supporting photography, valuation source, and salvage disposition.
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Why do serial numbers and nameplates decide a contents claim?
Identification governs valuation. Without manufacturer, model, serial number and capacity, an item can only be priced by category, which satisfies nobody.
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How are RCV and ACV established on business personal property?
Replacement cost value prices a current equivalent of the damaged item. Actual cash value deducts depreciation for age, wear and obsolescence from that figure.
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What are out-of-sight contents, and why do they shrink commercial claims?
Out-of-sight contents are items no walkthrough captures: stored stock, tools in drawers, spare parts, and property held off-site when the loss occurred.