A public adjuster is a highly trained professional that will work with you and your insurance company to decide how you should be paid after an accident to your home, land, business, or other forms of property.
When a natural disaster, flood, or other accident happens and there is damage to your property, your insurance company will send in one of their employees to assess the damage. Sometimes you might feel that you deserve a higher payout than the insurance company comes up with.
If this is the case, you can hire a public adjuster to come in and re-assess the damage. They will work with you and your insurance company as your advocate and do everything they can to help you get the money you actually deserve.
Attempting to prove what you lost in the accident is a lot harder than you might think. Some victims elect to do it themselves by providing the insurance company with as many photos and receipts as they possibly can. It can be a very frustrating battle working with insurance companies, because they are obviously looking to pay you as little as possible. You need to hire a public adjuster to create a plan of action on how they’re going to go about your claim. Companies like Excel adjusters will do the following as listed on their website:
- Assess Building Damage
- Provide Damage Restoration Services
- Review Insurance Policy Coverage & the Water Damage Restoration Process
- Evaluate Clients Compliance Responsibilities
- Investigate and measure the Extent of the Loss
- Evaluate Replacement Cost and/or Depreciation
- Assemble Business Equipment Claim
- Assemble Support Data for Loss of Income Claim
- Prepare Documentation for Advance Payment Request
- Evaluate microbial Contamination (mold)
- Assess Total Loss Claims and Review Insurance Estimates
- Expedite the Claim Process
- Negotiate Final Recovery to the Insured’s Satisfaction
It’s a good idea to find a public adjuster that specializes in the accident your property or equipment underwent. Excel adjusters for examples, specialize in water, fire, earthquake, flood, and theft damage for both residential and commercial properties. Public adjusters will usually charge you with a small percentage based on the final settlements. Companies like Excel won’t charge any expenses or fees if there is no recovery amount on the claim.
Public adjusters know more about the language of insurance companies than you would be able to learn even with a considerable amount of research. They’re familiar with insurance policies, what insurance companies are looking for, and the software to undergo an evaluation of the property loss. Public adjusters have undergone hours of training and experience that allows them to easily submit logs and claims on the policyholder’s behalf. For someone who doesn’t know the first thing about logging the information and submitting a claim, it becomes much easier to hire a public adjuster. The process can be long an tiring and can take time away from your work and home life. It ends up being expensive to you due to the amount of time and attention you need to spend with the insurance companies.
According to Value Penguin “, anyone considering filing a property insurance claim should also think about hiring a public adjuster, especially if the claim is for a high amount. As a policyholder, you have little to lose: Many public adjustment firms offer to visit a property loss free of charge to help a policyholder determine the severity of damage and whether they should file an insurance claim.” Make sure if you’re going to continue with the public adjusting process you know that’s the service that you need and you shouldn’t be looking for an attorney instead. Make sure that your adjuster has considerable experience with the type of damage or loss you’re experiencing. In the end, it’s better that you get as much money as you can!