When Should I Hire A Public Adjuster
How A Florida Public Adjuster In Miami Can Help
Like in any situation, it’s always best to get professionals involved as early in the process as possible. Public adjusters are trained to review and understand property homeowners insurance policies. Without proper representation, your insurance carrier might try to deny or underpay your claim and there may be additional funds you are entitled to that you may not be aware of. There are many homeowners that think they can handle the claim process. Some are successful, but many become bogged down in the process and are never really sure they received the full and proper settlement amount. With insurance claims, a policyholder should beware they do not agree to or sign any kind of release before speaking with a expert public adjuster or attorney.
A public insurance adjuster is a licensed insurance professional that who represents the policyholders and who has their best interests in a property insurance claim situation. Public insurance adjusters were created by their respective states to help level the playing field with the insurance carrier and provide the policyholder an expert to advocate on their behalf.
The public adjuster helps manage the claim, make sure claim filing requirements are met and helps recover the amount a policyholder deserves under their insurance contract. Unlike the insurance adjuster sent out by the insurance company, the public adjuster works for you. Many policyholders will also hire a public adjuster before hiring an attorney to avoid time consuming litigation as well as retaining more of their settlement especially by a large water damage claim or a hurricane damage claim.
But when should you hire a public adjuster and what criteria should you use when deciding if you need a public adjuster to represent you in a property claim?
- You don’t have the time to deal with the demands of the insurance company. People already have full lives. They work and have family commitments and may not want to deal with the stress of trying to get a claim processed and paid.
- You don’t understand your policy. the legal jargon of Insurance contracts can sometimes be confusing leaving homeowners unsure of their coverage. If you cannot understand your policy, one of our expert public adjusters in Miami can look it over for you.
- You have extensive damage . Severe property damage could create a variety of complicated claims issues. Identifying hidden structural damage, valuing your loss properly and accounting for possessions and valuables can impact the value of your claim.
- The insurance carrier is offering a quick payoff. your insurance Insurance company knows that the quicker a policyholder gets paid-off the happier they are. Unfortunately, what appears to be great customer service can be sometimes be an attempt to get rid of a claim and get you to settle for less money then what you are owed.
Our only advice here is to take your time and get a second opinion. You should not be rushed or forced to sign anything until you understand the true impact a claim can have.
- The insurance carrier appears to be delaying your claim. In many cases we have seen insurance companies fly in adjusters from out of state who do not understand state law. Insurance carriers are required to respond to you and process your claim in a specified time period. If you are you think you are getting the run-around, don’t be afraid to get help.
- The insurance carriers settlement offer appears to be inadequate based on your coverage. Unfortunately, insurance company adjusters and carriers do not always act in the best interest of their policyholders. At the end of the day they are in business to turn a profit and may under value damages to your property. Or they may determine that you are not covered for some of the damage. This is where a Public Adjuster can help.
- Your insurance claims adjuster is discouraging you from hiring a public insurance adjuster. Insurance claims representatives that are afraid to deal with a licensed professional may be a red flag. It’s your home and you should be the only one determining if hiring your own public adjuster makes sense and is worth the cost.
Attorney or Public Adjuster?
We often get asked by some policyholders about whether they should hire an attorney or public adjuster to handle their claim. Both have a valuable advocacy role in the claims process. To get value from both we would suggest hiring a public adjuster on the front end to manage your claim. Only if you are denied or legal issues arise that the public adjuster cannot handle then turn to an attorney for help.
Most people that use an experienced public insurance adjusting firm such as Lincoln Public Adjusting will tell you the time saved, stress removed and peace of mind provided when working with an experienced public adjuster is well worth it.
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