What is a public adjuster? When should you hire one? How is a public adjuster any different from an insurance adjuster? This article will address these questions and give you insight to the benefits of hiring a public adjuster.
What is a public adjuster?
No one likes to pay for the monthly insurance bills. As a policyholder, it is a necessity as it provides needed protection when something unexpected or you have a catastrophic loss to your property.
If something does happen, for example, a flood inside your property, storm damage, pipes bursting, a tree falls on your house, or many other circumstances where you will need to call insurance to file a claim, your insurance will cover you as dictated by your policy. You have insurance to cover those types of disasters, but how do you, as the policy holder, make a claim and negotiate with insurance?
This is where claim adjusters come into help you handle your claim. These are also known as public adjusters or public claim consultants or claim consultants. Regardless of their title, they should be certified by the state and member of NAPIA, otherwise known as the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters.
What is the difference between a public adjuster and an insurance adjuster?
The insurance adjuster works on behalf of the insurance company. He or she collects all of the information about your claim and comes up with a proposed set of repairs and the estimated cost for those repairs. The insurance company relies on the insurance adjusters to make a fair assessment and take care of the policyholder. Since the insurance company employs them there might be some instances where the insurance company will want to save money, especially in a large loss such as a catastrophic fire or storm damage. Don’t forget, insurance companies are for-profit organizations looking to increase their bottom line.
On the other hand, a public adjuster is hired and paid for by the policyholder—payment for public adjusters usually structured as a percentage of the total claim (usually 10%). Public adjusters are the policyholders’ advocate and work on their behalf to negotiate with insurance and prove the homeowner’s loss. They reduce all of the work that the homeowner would have to undergo, working back and forth with the insurance company and help the policyholder get back or better than the previous condition.
When to hire a public adjuster?
Many policyholders use public adjusters for big large-loss claims. If you have a large loss or catastrophic claim, you should contact a public adjuster sooner in the claims process. Most policyholders don’t know what a public adjuster is; they just assume that the work done by their insurance adjuster is done on their behalf, which is not the case.
Think about it: would you want to represent yourself in a legal matter? No. Just like if you were to hire a lawyer to handle a legal problem or a CPA to handle your tax matters, you would also hire a public adjuster to handle your insurance claims. They are the experts and do this daily. AND they work on YOUR behalf.
If you need a reputable public adjuster, look no further than Strategic Claim Consultants, led by CEO Brandon Lewis, located in Atlanta, GA. You can check out all of their results as well as request a free policy review to ensure that you are covered for the next disaster.