How do you request recoverable depreciation from your insurance company?
Short answer. Send your adjuster or the claims department a short written request with your claim number, the date the work was finished, the final invoice and completion photos, and ask them to release the recoverable depreciation. Keep a copy, follow up if you hear nothing within about two weeks, and ask for a written explanation of any amount withheld.
What to put in the request
- Policy number, claim number and date of loss
- The date the repair or replacement was completed
- The total actually paid or owed to the contractor
- One sentence asking for release of recoverable depreciation and any approved supplements
- Attachments: final invoice, photos and any permit sign off
Where to send it
Use the channel the insurer named in its estimate letter: the adjuster's email, the claim portal or the claims mailbox. A portal upload is fine, but also send an email so you hold a dated record of what was sent and when.
If it stalls or comes back short
- Silence. Call, give the date you submitted, and ask what else is needed. Georgia rules call for payment within 10 days once the amount is agreed and not disputed.
- Less than expected. Ask for the revised estimate. Shortfalls usually trace to an item not completed, a lower invoice, or an item treated as non-recoverable.
- Refusal. Ask for the specific policy language in writing. If you still disagree, request a reinspection or file with the Georgia Insurance Commissioner.
Your contractor can often send the package for you, but the request belongs to you as the policyholder. If a mortgage company is on the policy, expect its name on this check too.