A public adjuster is a licensed and trained specialist that adjusts and recovers your insurance claims for damage. This can include damage done to commercial property, businesses, or a home that you own. The specific type of damage can include water, fire, wildfire, earthquake, theft, vandalism, and marijuana.
One of the biggest advantages of hiring a public adjuster is they work solely for you, the policyholder, and do not work for the insurance company. In this article, you’ll learn all the reasons you should hire a public adjuster for your damage claim.
Public Adjuster vs. Insurance Claims Adjuster vs. Independent Claims Adjuster
It’s important to understand the differences between public adjusters, insurance claims adjusters, and independent claims adjusters, as they are often confused. However, they are very different from each other.
Insurance claims adjusters are staffed by your insurance company and are also known as insurance adjusters. As a result of being hired by your insurance company, they are not independent and therefore, they represent the insurance company (rather than you, the policyholder). It’s likely they will try to find every reason not to reimburse you for damages while they are investigating your claim (denying your claim), or at the very least, attempt to lowball your claim.
An independent claims adjuster is similar to an insurance claims adjuster in that they also represent the interests of your insurance provider. Despite having the word independent in their title, they are still connected to your insurance provider - rather than being hired in-house by the insurance company, they are technically a third party. Independent claims adjusters are often hired by insurance companies when the company is overwhelmed with cases or they do not have in-house adjusters.
Public adjusters are completely independent of insurance companies and solely represent you, the policyholder.
Why You Should Hire a Public Adjuster for Your Insurance Claim
The benefits of hiring a public adjuster to help with your insurance claim include:
1. Public Adjusters Work For You
Public adjusters solely represent you, the policyholder. They do not work for the insurance company. The purpose of a public adjuster is to assist in filing your claim in a timely manner and to get you the highest settlement amount you are owed.
2. Public Adjusters Know State Insurance Laws
The laws for negotiating claims can be very complicated, especially since there are different laws for each state. Public adjusters are local to where you live and therefore are familiar with your state laws and can help you get the most money out of your insurance claim. Independent insurance claims adjusters are often located outside of your state and therefore not familiar with the laws.
3. Public Adjusters Handle All Communication with the Insurance Company
Public adjusters have Power of Attorney in your claim, so they can handle all communication on your behalf with your insurance provider. This means there is less stress for you to deal with since your insurance company is legally required to speak with us. It enables you to focus on moving forward with your life while we handle all the paperwork and heavy lifting for you.
4. You’re Protected
Public adjusters uphold the insurance company’s obligation to make payments to you when your claim is approved. They also ensure you are not being taken advantage of throughout the claims process, due to your lack of experience and knowledge in the field.
5. Public Adjusters Ensure There Is No Hidden Damage
It’s common that damage to your home or commercial building might not be visible to the untrained eye. This could mean you have even more damage than anticipated. By hiring a public adjuster, we know exactly which inspectors to bring in to examine all potential damage and help maximize your insurance claim.
How Hiring a Public Adjuster Works
Once you contact a public adjuster, they will:
- Negotiate a Fair, Final, and Reasonable Settlement for the Policyholder
- Assess Building Damage
- Provide Licensed and unbiased vendors for work that is needed
- Review Insurance Policy Coverages & Water Damage Rebuild Process
- Evaluate Clients' Compliance Responsibilities
- Investigate and Measure the Extent of the Loss
- Evaluate Replacement Costs and/or Depreciation
- Assemble Business Equipment Claims
- 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
At Excel Adjusters, we work for you. We specialize in residential and commercial property loss for water, fire, wildfire, earthquake, flood, and theft. To this day, we have handled over 2,000 damaged property claims. Our highly trained team of professionals identifies, quantifies, and establishes the full extent of your loss with your insurance company. Our experts relieve you of the intricacies and complex procedures that come with handling claims in English, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese throughout the entire process.
