What Does a Public Adjuster Do?

Post date: Feb 27, 2014 8:39:35 PM

When damage, such as mold infestation or flooding, occurs in a home, the owner must call their insurance company to report the claim. Then the insurance company will create a claim, and an adjuster representing the company will go to the home to investigate the loss and, if deemed necessary, offer a settlement.

Keep in mind that a company adjuster or 'Staff adjuster' works directly for your insurance company. The company insurance adjuster does everything they can to try and pay out as little as possible for your claim, preserving the company's bottom line.

Even an 'Independent adjuster' is that in name only. Independent adjusters are contractors who work for and are paid for by any number of insurance companies. The bottom line is that they represent their employers, and in the end, they have only the insurance company's interests at stake.

When you suffer a property loss, you don't want to have an adjuster who only works for the insurance company. You need an adjuster who works for you. As a policyholder, you should have equal representation. Bringing in a public adjuster early in the process to handle the matter can provide you a better opportunity at a fair settlement for their losses.

A public adjuster works directly for you, the policy owner. Many homeowners hire a public adjuster to document, expedite a claim, and engage the insurance company directly on behalf of the policy owner. Through a public insurance adjuster, the insured can often recover a higher settlement than they would otherwise have been awarded, allowing for a faster and more complete restoration of the damage.

Public insurance adjuster services include:

* Evaluating existing insurance policies to determine what claim coverage is applicable.

* Researching and reporting the overall damage.

* Determining the values of covered losses.

* Negotiating settlements with the insurance company on behalf of the insured.

* Recommending future improvements on the insured's policy.

* Re-opening claims and renegotiating damages if discrepancies are discovered after the claim is settled.

Public adjusters can usually recover more than a homeowner than they would normally be able to secure on their own. The fees for our service are percentage of your recovery - and we only collect if we are able to get your insurance company to pay you for your damages.

It just makes sense to use a public adjuster. You won't need to handle the claim, and because the recoveries are generally more than you would recover yourself, having an adjuster on your side can more than pay for itself.

By Harold Kevin