The cost of accepting the first offer

The gap a report exists to close

The expense an owner overlooks is not the inspection fee. It is the distance between the insurer's first valuation and the true repair cost once the hidden damage surfaces. Bars are illustrative of the relationship, not a quote.

Insurer's first offerValued on visible damage by the insurer's perito

Low

VISIBLE DAMAGE ONLY

True repair costIncludes soaked insulation, failed ceilings, structural follow-on

Full

VISIBLE + HIDDEN DAMAGE

The independent engineer's report closes the gap. A dated, evidenced valuation from an Ordem dos Engenheiros engineer gives the owner the basis to test the insurer's figure, before the repairs remove the proof (Código Civil, Arts. 913 and 342).

Sources: Código Civil, Arts. 342 (burden of proof), 913 (hidden defect), 1225 (10-year structural liability); InspectOS. Bars illustrative. · InspectOS