Dealing with your insurance company for a claim?
Before you speak with the adjuster understand that his
job is to deny your claim.
Flood, fire, leaks,
When you file a claim, your homeowners insurance company will assign a claims adjuster to you. The adjuster’s job is to evaluate your property damage and determine a fair payout amount based on the levels of coverage you carry on your policy.
Rather than using the insurance company’s adjuster, some policyholders choose to hire a public adjuster instead. Like a claims adjuster, a public adjuster will assess the damage to your property, help determine the scope of repairs and estimate the replacement value for those repairs. The big difference is that instead of working on behalf of the insurance company like an insurance claims adjuster does, a public claims adjuster works for you.
After your homeowners insurance company issues the settlement, the adjuster receives a percentage of the payout amount as payment for their services. It is important to note that insurers do not consider the payment amount owed to the adjuster when determining the claims payout amount. This payment would come from the homeowner who hired the adjuster instead.
When should you hire a public adjuster?
A public adjuster will handle your claim and communicate with your insurance company on your behalf. Some people feel that the extra expense of hiring a public adjuster is worth it, if only for the peace of mind that they won’t have to handle the claims process themselves. Additionally, the public adjuster will look closely at your claim and help ensure that no damage is overlooked. Depending on what they find, you might get a larger insurance settlement to repair the identified damage.
A public adjuster might be right for you if:
- Your claim is large or damage is severe
- If you find working with insurance companies to be stressful
- If you’ve had a poor claims experience in the past
- You are too busy to correspond with your insurance company
- If you feel that claim settlement is too low