In general, there are three types of licensed insurance adjusters. A company adjuster is employed by the insurance company to represent the company in dealing with your loss and damages. The company adjuster’s main responsibility is to protect the interests of the insurance company. An independent adjuster is hired by the insurance company to represent the company in dealing with your loss and damages. The main responsibility of an independent adjuster is to protect the interests of the insurance company as well. A public adjuster is the only adjuster specifically licensed by the State of California to represent you, the insured. The main responsibility of a public adjuster is to protect you and your interests in claims against a loss with the insurance company. In addition to California, currently more than 43 other states and the District of Columbia require an adjuster to hold the license in order to represent the insured.
Reduce The Stress
It can be very stressful after a major loss is incurred by an individual or small business. A Public Adjuster can take those major headaches away and let you get back to putting your personal life or business back in order. Insurance policies can be very complex and difficult to understand. Often coverage is excluded in one section of the policy and then granted back to you in another section. It is important for the insured to meet all of the policy conditions in order to be paid on their claim. If you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of suffering a loss and going through the claims process, you will understand what a daunting ordeal it can become. A typical flood or fire policy contains hundreds of provisions and stipulations, constantly changing forms and endorsements, and many complex details such as inventory appraisals and real estate evaluations that are required in the case of a loss. The burden of proof is on the policyholder who sometimes don’t even realize it.
Know Your Rights
After a disaster, insurance companies often discourage claimants from hiring a public adjuster. According to the United Policy Holders, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to educating the public on insurance issues and consumer rights, “This happens all the time. Insurance companies don’t want the insured to be on an even playing field. They want to control the situation and not deal with someone as or more knowledgeable than they are. Insurers are predisposed to minimize claim payments. Public adjusters are predisposed to maximize claim payments.” Public Adjusters know the insurance business and are familiar with all the procedures so they can work quickly to expedite settlement payments to the client. If you are overwhelmed by the process of determining what coverage you have and then calculating the amount of your loss, a public adjuster could be the solution. They help you get your life back on track saving you from spending all your waking hours battling with the insurance company when they could do that for you. They negotiate with the insurance company to get your home and possessions as close as possible to the state they were in before the disaster by securing the proper repair and replacement costs you need.
The National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) suggests these five tips
for getting the most from your insurance claim:
1. Understand the Basics
2. Assess Wind Versus Water Damage, etc.
3. Sort and Document
4. Consider a Public Adjuster
5. Don’t Give Up
Experience Counts
Experienced public adjusters are familiar with the local insurance companies, their representatives and their regional adjusters. They may even have good working relationships with some of them and be able to effectively come up with a plan that will maximize the insured’s claim payment without requiring a lot of heated discussions and argument. It makes sense to let two professionals amicably settle your claim while you go ahead and live your life or run your business. The insurance company adjuster knows that the public adjuster is an expert with the intricacies of insurance policies and negotiation and is therefore much more likely to come up with a larger, more accurate and acceptable offer. Like with most business negotiations, the easier and more professional the discussion, leaving out any emotion, the more likely the settlement is to go in the favor of the policyholder.
Dealing With Emotion After A Loss
In most cases, experiencing a major loss causes a lot of emotional upset ranging from sadness to anger. If you have children they may be devastated, lost or confused. You may have even lost a family pet. Everything they know may be gone. This emotional roller coaster can tear families apart. When you add to that the stress of having to account for everything and rebuild your life along with the strain of negotiating with the insurance company, it may be too much to bear. It is common to feel desperate or even helpless after a fire destroys all of your possessions. Then having to negotiate with an insurance adjuster that has no understanding of what it’s like to be in your shoes can really cause frustration. Most insurance policyholders that have been through the process say the biggest benefit of using a public adjuster is to relieve you of the emotional turmoil allowing them to focus on their family. Being able to live their lives while a professional handles the adjustment and negotiation process proves to be a big relief and the most valuable part of the process. Public adjusters will keep you from signing documents that you shouldn’t and make sure you keep the right documentation of your expenses. They will also ensure you don’t make any mistakes that will delay or damage your claim. A good public adjuster will take the time to listen and ease your grief throughout the process. They will show you how to create an inventory list of your possessions and assign the correct placement values to those items. They know how to ask the right questions to help you recall your lost items and show you the best ways to calculate replacement costs. Many will even do this work for you, researching the value of particular items lost and how much it will be to replace them. This kind of research can consume hours of your time. For many survivors, it is helpful to have a public adjuster do this for them, saving them emotional stress and heartbreak.
"There is no one better at maximizing your insurance claim settlement than Pride Public Adjusters"
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