Public Adjusters and Insurance claims

Public Adjusters are licensed and they handle all types of property loss insurance claims against your insurance company, as well as any contingent expenses, like loss of use, business loss of income, and other expenses. Good Public Adjusters are an expert in all types of loss, including water damage, hurricane damage, fire damage, mold damage, pipe burst damage, sinkhole damage.



When hiring a Public Adjuster immediately after a loss, they can advise and assist you each step of the way, avoiding all the possible pitfalls. All policies require that you report the loss as soon as possible to the insurance company and take steps to preserve property from further damage, including theft. Failure to comply with these obligations may limit or completely void your coverage. A Public Adjuster will help you do that and much more, helping you recover the maximum amount you are entitled to.

Public Adjusters and Fire Damage

If you have fire damage you’re probably at the end of your rope – both mentally and physically. Just dealing with everyday tasks while living in temporary housing – without most of your personal belongings – would be difficult for anyone. That’s why many victims of fire hire public adjusters to help in the claim process. But who are they, when should you use them and more importantly, can they really help you?

Public adjusters are nothing more than people the insured can hire to interface with the insurance company to get all of the benefits that the insured is entitled to get.

What I have found is that they’re not as up to date on coverages as the insurance industry and there are pros and cons from using public adjusters. It’s hard for me to answer whether it’s good or bad because there are good ones and there are bad ones, but I think that when you have a significant loss, there’s nothing wrong with hiring a public adjuster. Although if you think about it logically, it may not be in your best interest because they take a percentage of what you would normally get from the insurance company as contract benefits and you end up losing that amount in the end.

How Public Adjusters Can Help

An insurance policy can be a difficult legal document to decipher. A public adjuster knows how to sort through the countless lines of confusing jargon and industry terminology to maximize your settlement.

Public adjusters work for you. The role of a public adjuster is to represent you in your property damage claim. Public adjusters offer policyholders the same resources that an insurance company has at their disposal.

Public adjusters can be hired independently and are paid a percentage of the amount recovered.

Insurance companies have adjusters and attorneys working on their side why shouldn't you.

If you feel like you are getting the short end of the stick concerning your insurance claim, the use of a public adjuster can ensure that you are not being taken advantage of and can get you the money you are entitled to.

You have the right to hire a public adjuster to come in, assess the damage and sort through the paperwork and red tape to help you file your hurricane damage claim.

Public Insurance Adjusters Florida

Public adjusters can be hired independently and are paid a percentage of the amount recovered.Insurance companies have adjusters and attorneys working on their side why shouldn't you.

You have the right to hire a public adjuster to come in, assess the damage and sort through the paperwork and red tape to help you file your hurricane damage claim.

Public adjusters are specialized in all types of property losses:

•Fire damage 

•Windstorm, Hurricane or Tornado damage

•Flood damage

•Water damage 

•Multi Level, Multi Unit condominium insurance claims

•Business insurance claims 

•Theft insurance claims

•Mold insurance claims

•Re-open or denied claims

Public adjusters work for you. The role of a public adjuster is to represent you in your property damage claim. Public adjusters offer policyholders the same resources that an insurance company has at their disposal.

Public claims adjuster helpful in disaster

According to the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, most states require public adjusters to be tested and licensed. In addition, public adjusters must follow state guidelines that outline their job and the claims process. Adjusters aren't allowed to handle bodily injury claims, car insurance claims or third-party claims 

If you did spend time reading your policy from front to back, you may find it chock full of legalese. However, in cases of home or property damage, you can turn to public claims adjuster to decipher your policy and get a fair settlement with your insurance company. Public adjusters work for both individuals and businesses, but most cater to the individual policyholder.

An adjuster can arrange for a survey of the damage and help you file a complex claim. He may also help you find new living arrangements if your home is uninhabitable.

Public Adjusters and insurance claims

A Public Adjusters works for the property owner, not the insurance company. The highly stressful period following a loss is a difficult time for individuals and businesses. A Public insurance adjusters can take those major headaches away and let you get back to your home or business. A typical fire or flood 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 case of a loss. Most policyholders do not know that the burden of proof is theirs. Public Adjusters know the insurance business and are familiar with all procedures so they can work quickly to expedite payments.

Public insurance adjusters are insurance pros who serve YOU rather than your insurance company. In many cases, a public adjuster may have formerly worked in the insurance industry as an adjuster for an insurance company before switching alliances and deciding to serve the general public and individual policyholders.

The independent public adjusters assesses your home or business in painstaking detail to locate every covered insurance loss as well as all related damage to your property. In contrast, insurance carrier adjusters are compensated by the insurance company and may not be as invested in the investigation. Public adjusters are dedicated, committed, and concerned. You can expect a All State Public Adjusters to carefully evaluate your entire policy, claim, and property with your needs put first.

Five Steps to Becoming an Insurance Claims Adjuster

1.The Claims Adjuster interviews the customer and any witnesses, inspects the damage done to the property and consults any official records (for example, police or medical reports). Sometimes Claims Adjusters consult with other professionals (for example, architects and construction workers) who can offer expert advice about a claim.

2.Insurance Claims Adjuster must have at least a high school diploma. Many insurance Claims Adjuster have a bachelor's degree. The degree can be in any discipline. Employers may lean towards a candidate who has a background in their industry or sector, such as law (liability or worker's compensation cases), medicine (life and medical claims) or business (financial loss claims).

3.Insurance Claims Adjusters work mainly for casualty and property insurance companies, but can work for commercial insurance, disability insurance, medical insurance or health insurance companies. Some work in the area of worker's compensation.

4.Some states have special educational requirements or require the successful completion of an examination. An adjuster may be able to work under their employer's (insurance company) license. The University of Central Florida offers an ACA (Accredited Claims Adjuster) pre-licensing course. Students who successfully complete the course get a Florida all-lines license and do not have to take the state exam. They may work in all insurance claim areas: worker's compensation, catastrophe and hurricane, automobile claims and liability and property.

5.Claims Adjusters must keep up-to-date on state and Federal laws, court decisions and new drugs and medical procedures. Any changes, amendments or advances may affect the handling of claims and or a policy's coverage.

How to Work with an insurance claims adjuster

The insurance company adjuster's job is to adjust a claim using his company's guidelines. That adjuster decides the coverage, scope, and ultimately the value of the insurance claim. By leaving that discretion to the company's adjuster, the policy holder is doing their family, and their business a great disservice.



Insurance claim adjuster are kind of like police detectives for insurance companies that insure homes and vehicles--also called property and casualty. When a claim is filed, the adjuster takes pictures of the damaged vehicle or home, interviews any witnesses if there are any and speaks with law enforcement or any other professionals that may be able to provide information for the claim. Adjusters also investigate claims relating to business and worker's compensation but are primarily involved with home and auto claims.

Public insurance adjusters Helping Hurricane Victims

Public insurance adjusters are licensed by the state of Texas to represent your interests through every stage of the claims process: preparation, filing, adjustment, negotiation, and settlement. They can even help you re-open a claim that’s been closed for up to two years, recovering additional money for repairs, replacements and upgrades. And if you’re ever notified that your claim is denied, a public adjuster should be the first call you make.



Having this kind of advocate on your side is especially important right now, because estimates of hurricane damage can vary widely. The insurance company’s adjuster is likely to estimate on the low end; that’s why your public adjusters can routinely achieve settlements of 50, 100, even 200 percent higher than the insurer’s offer.

The insurance company will often want to pay for cleaning and painting a damaged area, or replacing only part of the affected area,” explains Alex Step, of United States Public Adjuster (“USPA”). “But cleaning and painting might not be enough — there could be structural damage you don’t see, like mold or wood rot. And because building codes are stricter now, you could be entitled to a whole new, upgraded roof — not just repairs to the damaged area.

Most adjusters at USPA are former insurance company adjusters with extensive experience in estimating damage caused by hurricanes, fires, floods, fallen trees, lightning, you name it. That’s important, says Step, “because you need people who know the process in and out — who know all the tricks of the trade.
Unsettled and/or underpaid Hurricane Ike property claims are a specialty for the Houston and Galveston area Public Adjusters. If you are dissatisfied with your insurance settlement, unsure if it was properly paid or not, and even if you feel that it was paid fully and completely,DO NOT STOP THERE.

Insurance claims adjuster - Public adjusters

A Public Adjuster works for the property owner, not the insurance company. The highly stressful period following a loss is a difficult time for individuals and businesses. A Public Adjuster can take those major headaches away and let you get back to your home or business. A typical fire or flood 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 case of a loss. Most policyholders do not know that the burden of proof is theirs. Public Adjusters know the insurance business and are familiar with all procedures so they can work quickly to expedite payments.



Public Adjusters are professionals who are employed exclusively by a policyholder who has sustained an insured loss. They handle every detail of the claim, working closely with the insured to provide the most equitable and prompt settlement possible.

A Public Adjuster can assist with:

* Flood
* Collapse
* Fire
* Explosion
* Hurricane and wind damage
* Riot or civil commotion
* Smoke damage

Home Insurance Claims Adjuster

Having once worked as an Insurance Claims Adjuster specializing in large construction property losses, I would humbly suggest all may not be as it seems.

Certainly, the large insurance company vs the individual homeowner does not seem like a fair match but the individual that comes to your home and makes recommendations is not the sum total of that large company's experience. He may have seen a lot of damage before or he may be just out of property damage estimating school.

Primarily, he is the eyes and ears of the company. If he is a little better he will be a capable manager that can handle the claim. (Gathering evidence and opinions to support recommendations, I frequently hired or consulted a large group of experts including photographers, contractors, engineers, lawyers, and other investigators.) A step above that is someone who may be particularly perceptive at sorting out misrepresentation and understanding policies and legal requirements. His ultimate quality is the ability to marshal all of the above in particularly difficult settlement negotiations. Property adjusters are sometimes more trained and therefore stay as adjusters longer than associates handling workman's compensation or auto claims.

The Insurance Claims Adjuster makes recommendations and has limited settlement authorization. If the claim is above the smallest of losses he will have to be making a report and his recommendations will have to be approved. He does not usually get points for the number of minimum settlements. (Those bean counters are further up the ladder.) He will "get points" for the number of settlements based upon sound recommendations. Settling claims at a minimal but satisfactory amount is a factor that is balanced by needing to process and dispose of the number of claims outstanding. More recently, I have had occasion to be on the other side of a claims issue, one of my first questions to the adjuster was how many claims is he currently handling. And so my negotiations began along with the discussion of the scope of the damage.