The manipulation points
Price list selection
- Quarterly updates; outdated lists reduce pricing
- Loss zip code vs. default zip
- Commercial vs. residential price list
Quantity entry
- Rooms measured short
- Square footage under-reported
- Rounded down rather than up
Line-item selection
- Basic item instead of specialty item
- Wrong grade of finish selected
- Omitted items that are standard in proper scope
Price overrides
- Manual override below list price
- "Shop around" justifications
- Custom items created at artificial rates
Overhead and profit
- "10-and-10" omitted when warranted
- Applied to only some line items
- Threshold argument (claim too small for O&P)
Depreciation application
- Aggressive age estimates
- Depreciation applied to labor (disputed)
- No holdback released post-repair
Sketch errors
- Wrong room dimensions
- Missing fixtures
- Ceiling heights minimized (affects paint, drywall)
How to audit
Request the Xactimate file. Compare:
- Price list version and date
- Zip code used
- Room measurements against as-built
- Line item selection against contractor quote
- Any manual overrides (should be noted)
- O&P application logic
What to submit
- Your own Xactimate with accurate scope
- Current price list for loss zip
- Room measurements with proof
- Contractor quotes supporting Florida-current pricing
- Code-compliance documentation