Rhode Island crash-claim bill sets 4-day insurer deadline

For Rhode Island drivers stuck in a dispute over a repair estimate, the change is about speed and leverage. Rhode Island’s motor vehicle appraisal provision would still let each side choose a disinterested, licensed appraiser, but the insurer would have to pay the insured’s appraiser, and any neutral umpire appraiser if one is needed, after receiving a signed direction to pay.

The rewrite keeps the process tied to a damaged vehicle at the repair shop, not a drawn-out argument about paperwork. It is meant to push the appraisal fight forward before the car sits too long in limbo.

The four-day inspection window

The insurer’s appraiser would have four business days to inspect the damaged vehicle after written demand, so long as the car is on the repair shop’s premises when the request is made. If that deadline is missed, the insurer loses the right to inspect before repairs begin.

After that, negotiations would be narrowed to labor and parts pricing, unless the insurer can produce objective evidence to dispute the damage or the chosen repair method. The deadline can also be extended if the repair shop and insurer agree to more time.

Recorded votes show the bill cleared a floor vote on June 11.