Suffering catastrophic damage to your home is a terrible experience. It sometimes requires rebuilding your life from scratch. The most annoying tasks associated with property damage is the insurance claims process. It is tedious and confusing. It is confusing because most don’t have knowledge of how the insurance industry works. They don’t know what goes into assessing damage and how much it is worth.
This is why insurance adjusters exist. Adjusters are individuals who come to a damage site and assess the value of the damage. There are three different kinds of adjusters. The most common is the company adjuster. There are also independent adjusters. Insurance companies hire independents as private contractors to work their claims. For the best results, any claimant should employ a public adjuster. Here are three reasons why.
1. Licensed – Public adjusters are the only type required by the state to be licensed. They must complete coursework and pass a test to work. When you hire a public adjuster, you get a professional with extensive industry knowledge. Many of them are also former employees of insurance companies. So, they know the ins and outs of the claims process that insurers try.
2. Highest Settlement – Public adjusters work directly for their client. They have the victim’s best interests in mind during a claim. All other adjusters work for the insurance company. Many people assume that their insurance provider has their best interests at heart. Insurance companies are not evil corporations set out to take advantage of their customers. They are a business, though. Their primary concern is to protect their bottom line. One way to do that is to give out the smallest settlements possible.
3. Second Opinion – Insurance companies still send out their company adjuster to investigate your claim. The public adjuster acts as a second opinion. In most cases, the public adjuster will decide upon a higher amount. If you disagree with the insurer’s initial settlement offer, you can go to arbitration. This will be paid for by the insurance company if you use a public adjuster.
These are the three most important reasons to hire a public adjuster. It is good to know you have someone on your side during a claim. At United States Adjusters, they have a long list of available national public adjusters available for hire. Each of them is licensed and bonded to ensure they will provide clients with the best service.
