Written by Andy Gurczak

October 15, 2021

Should I Hire a Public Insurance Adjuster?

Family Support | FAQ | Hot Tips | Insurance Coverage | Public Adjuster

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Should I Hire a Public Insurance Adjuster?

If a fire, hurricane or other storm has damaged your business or home, you will be filing an insurance claim with your business or homeowner’s insurance company. After, you file, the insurance company will be sending insurance claim adjusters to inspect the damage to your property. But should you hire a public insurance adjuster to help you with your insurance claim?
 
For instance, for small property damage claims (under $10,000), it may not make sense to hire a public insurance adjuster.
However, for large claims, property owners may want to hire their own public insurance adjuster to help with preparing and filing a claim.

Should I Hire A Public Adjuster? Adjuster

Should I Hire a Public Insurance Adjuster?: What Type of Adjusters Are there?

There are three types of adjusters that will typically be handling your claims:

Insurance Company Adjusters

Generally, insurance companies use two types of adjusters. The first is insurance company adjusters. They work directly for the carrier.
Moreover, they are also known as company adjusters or staff adjusters. In addition, they are paid a salary by the carrier as an employee.
 
The insurance company sends them to inspect the insured’s property damage. They will then prepare a report for their bosses detailing the damages, cost of repair or replacement, etc.

Independent Adjusters

On the other hand, insurance companies also use “independent” insurance adjusters. These adjusters, also called independent adjusters, are not employees of the insurance carrier. Rather, they either work for themselves or work for an independent insurance adjuster firm.
The insurance company may use independent adjusters for large or complicated damage claims. Or they may use them to help the company adjusters in case of a natural disaster spread over a large area.
 
However, make no mistake about it-they work for the insurance company. In fact, they may work for several insurance companies. And they are paid a fee based on the amount of the settlement by the insurance company.
 
Independent adjusters only work for insurance carriers. In other words, They never work for the owners of damaged property.

Public Insurance Adjusters

Conversely, public insurance adjusters only work for the owners of the damaged property. They are also called public adjusters. If you file a property damage claim with your carrier, the carrier and the company’s adjuster will try to settle your claim for as low as they can.
It does not mean that they are trying to cheat you; it just means they will try to save the insurance company as much money as they can. hiring a public adjuster levels the playing field for the insured. A public adjuster works for the insured only.

Should I Hire A Public Adjuster? Hiring an Adjuster

Should I Hire a Public Insurance Adjuster?: What Will a Public Adjuster Do for You?

A public adjuster will know the details of your insurance policy. He will also know what is covered by the policy and what is not. Moreover, he will know what the policy limits are.
 
For instance, there will be limits involving claims for additional living expenses. He will know what you can claim for and how much.
In addition, there are limits regarding personal property losses such as jewelry, artwork, antiques, etc. Therefore, he can also let you know how much the carrier will pay for the loss of or damage to those items.
 
Furthermore, a public adjuster will complete a complete inspection of your damaged property. He knows how buildings are built. And he knows the damage that smoke, fire and water can do to a home or building. He will look for damage in places you did not think of.
 
A public insurance adjuster is your advocate. They can expedite the claims process. In addition, they are not afraid to make a phone call to the company’s adjuster to speed the process up.
 
An insurance adjuster knows the type of information the insurance company wants during the claims process. Therefore, he will help you collect that information.
 
The information, such as photos of damaged property, receipts for the purchase of damaged items, etc., will support your claim and make the claims process go smoother and faster.
 
Insurance companies use estimator software to evaluate claims. Public insurance adjusters have access to the same software. However, your public adjuster goes beyond a software “one size fits all” program. He will show the insurance company why your claim is worth the value that you and the adjuster put on it.

Should I Hire a Public Insurance Adjuster?: Your Adjuster Can Negotiate Your Property Damage Claim Settlement for You

You can bring a public adjuster into the claims process at any point. You can get an adjuster immediately after the loss. He can be at your property when the insurance company adjuster visits. He can help you prepare and file the damage claim with your insurance company.
You can also hire a public insurance adjuster after the insurance company makes a settlement offer. You may feel the offer is too low. Perhaps the insurance company denied coverage for parts of your claim.
 
In any event, a public adjuster can jump in to help. Once the public adjuster has submitted his report to the insurance carrier, he can negotiate a settlement on your behalf.
 
Most people have little experience negotiating with professional people over home insurance claim items, such as repairing a roof, replacing expensive carpeting and woodwork or rebuilding a house with a large tree resting on it.
 
But public adjusters do. In fact, they do it often. Probably several times a week.
 
In short, the public adjuster will know what is in your insurance policy. He will have a complete understanding of the damage to your property.
 
He will also know what it will cost to repair or replace your property.
In addition, he will be your advocate in discussions with your insurance company.
Finally, he will make sure you get the insurance settlement you are due.

Should I Hire A Public Adjuster? Public Adjusters

Should I Hire a Public Insurance Adjuster?: Where Can I Find a Public Insurance Adjuster?

Go to the website for the National Association of Public Adjusters (NAPIA). First, interview the adjuster. Then get several references.
A good public adjuster will have a list of references handy. Contact those references.

Should I Hire a Public Insurance Adjuster?: Get Help from a Public Insurance Adjuster

We are a family-owned claims company with five decades of combined adjusting experience. As a result, if there’s one thing we understand, it’s that you need 100% of your claim value.

Insurance companies undervalue your claim 8 out of 10 times. Moreover, they hire expensive adjusters to ensure they maintain a strong profit margin. Additionally, they have experienced actuaries that create insurance agency guidelines that help their team of agents to challenge your insurance claim’s validity.

We understand that you have already gone through a tumultuous event. For this reason, get an agency that gets you more.
At AllCity Adjusting we work to ensure you get 100% of your claim value. Equally important, with over 50 years of combined adjusting experience, we know insurance companies.

Furthermore, we understand where they cut corners. Moreover, we help you build a larger claim and maximize your claim value.
In short, we get you back to normal fast. Don’t get fooled, get the company that gets you more.

Should I Hire A Public Adjuster?

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Best way to beat the insurance company is to hire AllCity Adjusting

At AllCity Adjusting we help residential and commercial clients alike get the claims support they need. Moreover, we have over 50 years of combined experience helping get our clients the max settlement time and time again. If your claim has been low balled or denied entirely we can help increase your maximum settlement. Call us today for a FREE consultation. Experience the AllCity difference.

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