Many people describe their experience with an insurance claim after a large loss as a full-time job. The claim process involves legwork, paperwork, math, insurance rules, and negotiation. Listing, describing, and valuing everything that was damaged or destroyed, meeting with adjusters, inspectors, and contractors, and reviewing reports and estimates is time-consuming and labor-intensive. On top of that, negotiating a fair claim settlement can be very challenging – especially after an emotionally devastating catastrophe. After all, the insurance protection you paid for includes good claim service, but insurance is big business, and you are not on a level playing field with a big insurance company.
You may find that learning the lingo, doing the math, and making sure your claim is being fully investigated and fairly paid is too much for you to handle on your own. Depending on your situation; work commitments, health, carpool duty, an uncooperative insurer, etc., it may just not be practical to try. Each person’s experience and situation is a little different, so when it comes to making the decision whether or not to hire a professional.
What is a public adjuster and what do they do?
For many Americans, a home is one of the most significant financial investments they will make in life. Because a home is such a significant asset, suffering a financial loss due to it being damaged or destroyed can be an especially stressful event. When filing a homeowners insurance claim, hiring a public adjuster can help take some guesswork out of the process.
Understanding this third-party professional, what they do, and how they operate could help you decide if hiring one would be a good choice for you. What is a public adjuster? When you file a claim, your homeowner’s 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.
