The Process - Why You need your own Public Adjuster
How the Claims Process Works
When you have a loss, through your homeowners insurance, your 1st thought is to call your insurance company or agent to get immediate help.
What will happen when you call them is you will initially be given a “Claim Number”. Your claim will then be assigned to an insurance company adjuster who will call you and set up an appointment to inspect your damage. When he gets there, and depending on the severity of your loss, he may issue an advance payment to cover some immediate expenses for clothing. He may also try to get you placed in temporary living quarters until your property can be restored to its “Pre-Loss” condition.
Ideally, contacting a Public Adjuster from the start may get things moving faster, and also make certain that you receive all the benefits your policy has to offer. For example, although the insurance company adjuster may find you a place to live temporarily, it may not be an ideal situation. What you may not know is that Your policy covers the cost of allowing you to live somewhere similar to what you already have. This is particularly important of you have a large family. As your Public Adjuster, I have a network of realtors who will find you a home, close to yours, that is similar in size and amenities.
“It is the responsibility of the insured to submit an estimate of damages”.
The next step is assessing your damage. The insurance company’s adjuster will come to your home and eagerly compile an estimate to repair your damage. His responsibility is to keep repair costs to a minimum, as it would be in the best interests of the insurance company. As a public adjuster, I work for YOU. My job is to protect your best interest. I’ll assess your damage, and having over 40 years of experience in the construction industry, I’ll compile an estimate that reflects the repairs that I feel are necessary to bring your property back to its “Pre-Loss” condition. Together, we will review the estimate and then submit it to the insurance carrier. The company’s adjuster will most likely request a meeting to discuss differences between his estimate and ours. We will ultimately arrive at an amicable settlement we feel is sufficient to make quality repairs to your damaged property.
If you’ve also incurred damage to your personal belongings (contents), you are required under the terms of your policy to make a list of all your damaged belongings. This can be a very tedious, time-consuming and mentally straining undertaking for the average homeowner or business owner. My team will handle this process for you. We will make a detailed list of all your damaged belongings, including the cost and age of each item, and then upon your review and approval, will present it to your insurance company in the required format.
My job is to relieve you of the time, stress and complications of an already stressful event.