Hiring a public adjuster to settle your property damage insurance claim is a wise move. If your property gets damaged due to fire outbreaks, windstorms, or other accidents, property damage insurance can save you a lot of trouble. However, at times insurance companies want to pay less to their clients by finding loopholes to the claim, and this is where a public adjuster can chip in. The duty of public adjusters is to make sure their clients get a fair deal out of their insurance claims.
Anyways, you will only get the best out of your insurance claim settlement by hiring a good public adjuster. There are lots of agencies and practitioners out there, but not all of them will be able to serve your best interest. That’s why you need to know how to hire a good public adjuster. Here we are going to tell you what to look for while hiring a public adjuster.
Experience
Hiring an adjuster with experience in settling insurance claims like yours significantly increases your chances of getting the settlement in your favor. Adjusters who have dealt with similar cases before, understand what might go wrong and where to give more importance. In addition, the overall experience of your adjuster should be good enough for you to rely on them. Adjusters who are members of groups like Windstorm Insurance Network, United Policyholders of America, and National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, are usually more experienced than the ones who are not.
Realistic Promises
If an adjuster promises you to get a settlement amount which is way more than the actual value of your damaged property, there must be something wrong with it. No good adjuster will promise you anything before they carefully go through your insurance policy and examine your losses. Just like how a good doctor can only provide you with medication only after understanding your health compilations, a professional adjuster can only promise you settlement amounts once they are done with examining your insurance package and property condition. Don’t be too greedy and hire someone who makes outrageous promises, you might end up losing more than you gain by doing so.
Licensed By Your State
You should only work with adjusters who are licensed by the state where your damaged property is located. At times contractors or restoration companies come forward and claim that they are able to adjust your claim by negotiating with your insurance company. Beware, this is a third degree felony. Licensed adjusters are not eligible to have financial interests based on your losses, other than the approved public adjusting contract fee. Politely ask your potential adjuster about their license. Otherwise you might get conned.
Call References
Good adjusters tend to have good references as well. Ask for references to clients who had similar cases to yours and call them to know about their experience with property claims. Another important thing to consider is whether your public adjuster has a previous working history with your insurance company or not. The relationship between your insurance company and your public adjuster can affect your settlement a lot. Calling references can help you know this information. Make sure the references the adjuster is giving you are legit. You can do that by looking up phone directories, and property records in state websites.
Settlement Percentage
Examine what the adjuster is willing to charge you. Usually, for smaller losses adjusters tend to charge higher percentages, and bigger percentages for large scale damages. This is logical, because at times settling small claims takes as much time as settling bigger ones. The adjuster is committing the same amount of effort and time, and they would like to be fairly compensated for that. Most adjusters ask for 5-20% of the settlement amount. If someone promises to work for significantly less than that, you have enough reasons to be skeptical.
Signing Documents
If you eventually decide to work with a particular adjuster, you will have to sign a contract with them. However, you should take your time before giving your signature and read the contract carefully. Take a day or two to understand all the terms and conditions. If you are convinced with the contract after examining it properly, only then sign it. If an adjuster demands you to sign the contract on spot, it is better to avoid working with them. Good adjusters are confident that their contracts are properly written, and won’t mind you asking for a day or two to let them know your final decision.
Try to work with public adjusters who have worked with someone in your known circle in the past and delivered great results. However, property damage is not a regular occurrence, and you might not find someone in your known circle who can refer you to an adjuster. That’s why following the mentioned suggestions here is very crucial.
