First-Party Property Damage Demand Letter - Universal

FIRST-PARTY PROPERTY CLAIM DEMAND PREPARATION PACKET

DO NOT SEND THIS PACKET. Complete the policy, jurisdiction, deadline, evidence, valuation, payment, and remedy gates; then generate a claim-specific letter from Section 12.

1. Claim identification

2. Complete policy record

Do not rely on a declarations page, generic form label, renewal summary, adjuster quotation, or prior-year policy alone.

Missing or disputed policy documents and request plan: [________________________________]

3. Current-law and deadline gate

3.1 Jurisdictions

Potentially relevant locations include property, insured residence or organization, policy issuance or delivery, insurer, claim handling, suit forum, appraisal seat, and any contractually selected law.

[________________________________]

3.2 Official authority register

3.3 Deadline calendar

A private response date in a settlement proposal does not alter or satisfy any policy or legal deadline. Filing, appraisal, proof, notice, and preservation steps shall proceed independently of negotiations.

4. Loss and causation evidence

4.1 Event chronology

4.2 Cause analysis

Do not state that a peril is covered, an exclusion does not apply, causation is established, or the insurer's position is unreasonable unless the complete policy, current law, and cited evidence support that exact assertion.

4.3 Emergency and mitigation activity

Classify mitigation costs as claimed, not automatically recoverable, until the policy and facts are analyzed.

5. Claim-handling record

5.1 Insurer position matrix

Quote or attach the actual correspondence. Do not replace a qualified or incomplete position with a stronger accusation.

6. Coverage-position worksheet

For each claimed category, show the reasoning chain and contrary terms.

Coverage counsel conclusion, reservations, and issues not yet ripe: [________________________________]

7. Scope and valuation

7.1 Building and other structures

7.2 Personal or business property

7.3 Time-element, loss-of-use, rental, or extra expense

7.4 Additional coverage

8. Valuation-method gate

This packet supplies no universal percentage, trade-count rule, depreciation rule, replacement deadline, or formula.

9. Payment and interest reconciliation

Statutory or contractual interest calculation, if verified: [________________________________]

Mortgagee, lender, loss-payee, lien, assignment, trust, or check-endorsement instructions: [________________________________]

Do not direct payment to counsel, demand co-payee treatment, or state that one claimant controls all proceeds unless the policy, client authority, and governing law support it.

10. Appraisal and other processes

10.1 Appraisal gate

☐ Do not invoke appraisal in this letter.

☐ A separately reviewed appraisal demand is attached.

☐ Counsel approved including this exact invocation: [________________________________].

10.2 Other required or available processes

Proof of loss, examination, mediation, regulator complaint, appraisal, arbitration, suit, pre-suit notice, cure, neutral evaluation, or other route: [________________________________]

11. Settlement proposal profile

The response date is a negotiation term only unless counsel identifies a separate policy or legal deadline. Do not promise litigation, regulator action, discovery, punitive damages, fees, penalties, or appraisal as an automatic consequence.

12. Claim-specific letter builder

Use only after Sections 1-11 are complete.

12.1 Header

Date: [__/__/____]

Delivery method approved for this purpose: [________________________________]

Recipient and address: [________________________________]

Insured / policy / claim / loss: [________________________________]

12.2 Limited opening

[Sender] represents [Client] regarding the identified first-party property claim. This letter presents the insured's coverage and valuation positions, the supporting evidence identified below, and a settlement proposal. It does not replace any proof, filing, notice, appraisal, examination, or other procedure required by the policy or current law.

12.3 Policy and positions

Relevant policy language and forms: [quote accurately or attach]

Insured's position: [________________________________]

Insurer's stated position: [________________________________]

Open or disputed issues: [________________________________]

12.4 Facts and evidence

Loss chronology, cause evidence, damage documentation, mitigation, and claim history:

[________________________________]

12.5 Claimed amount

12.6 Requested information or action

The insured requests the following response, explanation, document, inspection, payment, conference, or other action under the policy or authority identified here:

[________________________________]

12.7 Settlement proposal

[Insert the terms approved in Section 11. Distinguish a compromise offer from an amount asserted presently payable under the policy.]

12.8 Deadlines and reservations

Independent policy and legal deadlines: [________________________________]

Private offer response date: [________________________________]

The Parties' negotiations do not change an independent deadline unless a valid written agreement or governing authority expressly does so.

12.9 Signature

13. Evidence and disclosure checklist

Attach only relevant, accurate, authorized, and appropriately redacted materials:

☐ complete cited policy forms and endorsements

☐ claim correspondence and payment explanations

☐ proof, inventory, estimate, scope, pricing, and reconciliation

☐ photographs, video, inspection, expert, weather, fire, police, or other official record

☐ invoice, receipt, lease, payroll, revenue, expense, or saved-cost record

☐ ownership, mortgagee, lender, loss-payee, lien, assignment, or authority record

☐ repair / replacement progress and holdback evidence

☐ confidentiality, privilege, privacy, licensing, and authorization review

14. Preservation and claim-file request gate

A litigation hold, spoliation consequence, claim-file entitlement, reserve request, similar-claims demand, training-material request, or metadata demand is not included by default.

Use a separately reviewed notice or discovery request where appropriate. Do not state that this settlement letter alone creates a particular preservation duty or disclosure entitlement.

15. Final review

☐ The complete operative policy and every cited form were reviewed.

☐ Current official law and recent amendments were checked for every legal claim.

☐ All policy, suit, proof, appraisal, pre-suit, and offer deadlines are separately calendared.

☐ Coverage and causation statements are positions supported by cited policy language and evidence, not declared facts where disputed.

☐ Scope, quantity, price, depreciation, holdback, overhead / profit, additional coverage, deductibles, limits, and prior payments reconcile.

☐ No universal prompt-payment, bad-faith, unfair-practice, penalty, fee, interest, appraisal, preservation, replacement-cost, or depreciation rule was added.

☐ Mortgagee, lender, loss-payee, lien, assignment, public-adjuster, contractor, and payment authority were reviewed.

☐ Sensitive records are authorized, relevant, and securely transmitted.

☐ The operative letter—not this packet—received qualified coverage-counsel approval.