First and foremost, finding a public insurance adjuster for handling claims isn’t always easy. Indeed, dedication, experience, and craftsmanship are in short supply these days. Moreover, finding someone with extensive fire restoration experience is even more difficult. Many times you are rebuilding the entire home from scratch. In fact, the only way to prepare you is to get you to think like a public adjuster. In short, that is what we intend to do in this article.

Fire & Smoke Public Insurance Adjusters

Fire losses are one the most devastating incidents that can happen to a family or business. Most frustratingly, damage by fire requires victims to make important short-term decisions while under a tremendous amount of stress and confusion. As a result, public insurance adjuster see countless mistakes being made regarding fire claim filings, restoration handling and contract signing. These mistakes can have lasting consequences on fire insurance claim compensation. In short, they can result in lower insurance payouts.

For this reason, it’s a pretty good idea to hire a public adjuster to handle your fire insurance claim. The fire adjusters at AllCity Public Adjusting will apply all their years of practical and professional experience to your fire loss insurance claim. In fact, they have the knowledge and expertise to help you file and negotiate your claim with your insurance company. If you are looking for expertises that can maximize your claim settlement, then you are reading the right article.

What is a Public Insurance Adjuster & Why Hire One?

A public adjuster is an insurance claims professional who advocates for policyholders. Policyholder is you (the person who pays for the home insurance). As a public adjuster we document, value and negotiate your residential and commercial insurance claims for you.

An insurance company’s claims adjuster is duty-bound to defend only the interests of the insurance company. They strive to minimize the amount the company will pay you for your claim, while keeping you somewhat happy. Needless to say, It’s a delicate balancing act; and boy, do they get it wrong in the right ways to help the insurance company further their financial objectives. Meanwhile, a public insurance adjuster looks out for you and your fire claim. In like manner, a public adjuster makes sure you receive every penny you’re entitled to under the provisions stated in your homeowners insurance policy.

Here are some things a public adjuster can do for you:

• Assess damages and confirm coverage
• Fill out and prepare claim documents
• Prepare a thorough Scope of Loss and Estimate
• Inventory and value personal property
• Maximize the benefits in your policy and the claim’s payout
• Negotiate a full and fair settlement with your insurance company

Furthermore, your public insurance adjuster can also help with a denied fire claim. First, an independent investigator is assigned to look into your damages. After the investigator proves your claim is legitimate, your public adjuster files an appeal. Indeed, your public adjuster will continue to negotiate with the insurance company until the settlement of your fire damage claim. A public adjuster works exclusively for, the policyholder; never for the insurance company.

Attorney or Public Insurance Adjuster

Confusion often arise in policyholders about whether they should hire an attorney or public adjuster to handle their fire claim. Both have a valuable advocacy role in the claims process. However, starting out with a public adjuster is the ideal way to proceed. Only after a claim denial or a legal issue that the public adjuster cannot handle, should you hire an attorney.

A fire loss includes damages from smoke, soot, heat, water from the extinguishing process and the flame itself. All of these components combined can potentially make your residence or business uninhabitable and unusable. The first objective in preparing your claim for submission is to evaluate the scope of loss and damage. Equally important is to analyze how your insurance policy applies to the specific situations of your loss. A public adjuster can take care of that.

How else does a public insurance adjuster help my claim?

A public adjuster can determine to what degree of damage to the structure and how bad is the state of your personal or business property. Additionally, they can establish if these items and components are repairable or if they are a total loss. This is one area where disputes commonly arise between the insured and the policyholder. One of the most common and potentially costly mistakes policyholders make is to sign authorization forms from “disaster restoration” firms. These give firms the authorization to remove or attempt to repair items that are actually a total loss. This repair cost will be subtracted from the claim’s payout, which may be necessary to pay for items that are clearly a total loss.

Be sure to take some time to consult with your public before signing any authorization forms. Let AllCity Public Adjusting determine what experts you should hire to repair and restore your property and it’s contents.

Smoke and soot almost always accompanies a fire. The hydrochloric acid contained in a typical structure fire is very corrosive. Further, the heat of a fire pressurizes smoke and soot. As a result, they drive into other areas of the building and can affect contents surprisingly remote from the source of the fire. In this case, the smoke can lessen the life of electronic and mechanical equipment that was nowhere near the flame. These are all things a public insurance adjuster considers while helping you estimate repair costs, file a claim and negotiate settlements.

More Ways a Public Insurance Adjuster Maximize and Settle Fire Insurance Claims.

Insurance companies dealing with a fire insurance claim frequently use tactics to delay settlements or deny a fire insurance claim altogether.

Follow these steps to ensure that your claim progresses in the most effective way possible:

• They request a certified copy of your insurance policy and copy of the fire report immediately
• A public adjuster compiles a detailed inventory of your personal property
• Public insurance adjusters will not allow a restoration company to remove your property for either restoration or disposal until you know and agree with all of your rights and options
• They also provide you with an independent damage estimate to determine the true cost of rebuilding your property
• A fire public adjuster will keep record of any and every contact with your insurance company.
• Moreover, public adjusters are careful when submitting information to the insurance adjuster, including any documentation that could waive your rights or jeopardize your claim
• They also make sure your claim’s settlement takes place within approximately 60 days of filing
• Additionally, seek to uncover any and all benefits afforded by your insurance policy. An experienced public adjuster can help immensely in this process, potentially uncovering up to an extra 35 percent above your policy limit.

After a public adjuster has made a preliminary evaluation of your loss, they can guide and advise you as to what is the best way to proceed with your fire insurance claim. It’s a challenge to do everything you need to do on your own when dealing with the aftermath of a fire. You have to deal with the complexity of the fire insurance claim process and repair. As well as the emotional toll of coping with a huge loss and trying to care for your family. Indeed, a fire loss can be overwhelming. Working with a public adjuster can ease your stress caused by the trauma of fire damage.

Fire Insurance Claim Help from Proven Public Insurance Adjusters

Take Charge of the Fire Insurance Claim Process

In nearly all fire claims, there is a substantial difference between the insurance payout offer and what the actual payout is supposed to be, given the policy’s provisions and comprehensive estimation of damages. Decisions about your home, possessions and the fire insurance claim process should be made by you, not your insurance company. A public adjuster ensures that you remain in control.

Working with a public adjuster frees up your time to focus on what really matters, which is restoring your life. They are experts in understanding and analyzing insurance policies, compiling detailed damage estimates and negotiating the largest possible fire claim settlements. They’ll take care of everything, so you don’t have to worry. With decades of experience navigating fire and smoke damage claims, AllCity Public Adjusting can help you avoid common mistakes. Errors that can result in major complications, delays, disputes or even misappropriation of insurance coverage.

When to Seek Help with Your Fire Claim

Every claimant can benefit from the help of a public adjuster during the fire insurance claim process. However, you absolutely need to consult a trusted and experienced public adjuster if you’ve received any of the following:

• Reservation of Rights letter
• Demand to participate in an Examination Under Oath (EUO)
• Proof of Loss form to fill out or sign
• Letter stating that your fire claim has been ruled suspicious or is under investigation