Public insurance adjusters and earthquake damage

When earthquakes hit, the damage is devastating. For the qualified and prepared adjuster, this means long-term, lucrative work.



Public insurance adjusters can help with the recovery process, finding earthquake damage that your insurance company may have overlooked. Insurance adjusters can also navigate the fine print of the insurance contract to make sure that your insurer isn’t short-changing you.


Public adjusters assist you in understanding your rights and guide you through the claims handling process. Expert adjusters will document your earthquake loss, determine the value of your damages, and streamline your claim with your insurance carrier.

Hire your own Public Insurance Adjuster

Insurance company hires professional insurance adjusters to assess the damage from the insurance company’s point of view – with an eye for minimizing the insurance company’s losses. To counter this, consider hiring your own professional insurance adjuster to assess the damage from your point of view – with an eye for getting you a fair insurance claim settlement.



While you expect your insurance company to hold up their end of the bargain, hiring a public adjuster can help to make sure that this happens and that nothing is overlooked. The burden of proof is not the insurance adjuster’s job; it is yours but the job of your public insurance adjusters . If you don’t document and support your losses, your busy insurance company adjuster may come in, quickly assess the damage, and move on to the next claim. He’s not necessarily going to look for damages that you failed to discover.

How to Handle Your Wind Damage Insurance Claim

Standard homeowner’s policies cover damage from wind or wind-driven rain but insurance adjusters are using a disclaimer about flooding to get out of paying claims on homes that were only damaged by wind.



How to do the best for yourself -----

 Immediate question,What must I do to protect my home, keeping in mind that I have insurance coverage for wind damage?
 Strong winds can blow off 2-3 shingles. Flying debris can puncture the roof covering, & then comes the water stains on the interior ceiling. That water can continue downward & stain the bedspreed, carpet, drapes, & walls.
 Can you get on the roof, or must you wait for a roofer to find & cover any wind damage. Often openings are hard to find due to wind blown rain entering in to a small opening at a chimney, or vent. Then what do you do, you can't repair the plaster of drywall, or repaint? Do you call your insurance agent or company & make a report
 If you call your insurance claims adjuster agent or company they may simply tell you to call a roofer. They may or may not send out a claims adjuster until they hear back from you. What have you done, you have just reported damage to your home which maybe put in your underwriting file, & it is less than your deductible.
In the HO policies A, B, & C, wind is covered. Interior water damage is covered only in the B & C policies. If no opeining is found on the roof no payment will be made toward any roof work, but the interior damage is covered & the payment made depending on its cost & the deductible.

Benefits of hiring a Public insurance adjuster

Public insurance adjusters know the insurance process inside and out, so they can minimize the hassle that comes with collecting documents and evidence, and then negotiating with the insurance company. The Public insurance adjuster will file all your pertinent paperwork with the insurance company, arrange for the inspections of your damaged property if needed, and then haggle with the insurance company if it refuses to pay your claim.



A good public adjuster will also help control what you say to your insurance company. The adjuster will be forthright with your insurer, but won't divulge any information that might damage your case. Remember, the adjuster is your employee and will pursue your interests only.

Public insurance adjusters have to follow the guidelines written in their state that say what they can and can't do. Adjusters aren't allowed to handle bodily injury claims, auto claims, or third-party. They also are obligated to give you timely service, make sure you're given a reasonable offer from the insurance company, and disclose every part of the claims process to you.

Top 4 way to find a reputable public insurance adjuster

1.Contact the people you trust - Call your accountant, your lawyer and your neighbor. Ask if they've ever used a public claims adjuster or know anyone who has.

2.Contact the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters – NAPIA is a trade organization which represents 110 of the industry's largest firms, maintains a searchable database of members who have at least two years of experience and uphold a professional code of conduct. In addition, the organization also offers a certification program. A Certified Professional Public Adjuster must have five years of experience and pass an exam, while a Senior Professional Public Adjuster must have at least 10 years of experience and pass a more rigorous test.

3.Interview the candidates – when you have searched few names that look promising. Ask about rates, references and credentials. Contact their references and discuss former clients on the adjuster's performance.

4.Ask your insurance agent- Sound like a conflict of interest? Not really. You're hiring an adjuster to represent you to the insurance company. So what is this person's reputation within the industry?

When you need a public insurance adjuster?

If insurance company is not moving as fast with that claim check as you'd like? Or maybe the adjuster's offer is less than you need to cover your losses? Unfortunately, some are still waiting, still trusting, and their insurer to tender a fair settlement of their claim or readjust previous mistakes themselves. How long will you wait?

You should consider hiring a public insurance adjuster when:

Your insurance company is unduly delaying payment of your claim.
You did not get money you believe you deserve.
Your have been over promised and under delivered by your insurer.
You are tired dealing with your insurance problem.

Public insurance adjusters assume all of the duties necessary to have your claim processed, including making an inventory of the loss and presenting your case to the insurance company.

Public Insurance Adjusters works strictly for policy owners.

Public Insurance Adjusters gathers data on various insurance claims, processing and analyzing the information. He or she attempts to decide the authority of a claim, deciding whether or not an incident should be covered under a specific insurance policy. An insurance claim adjuster then negotiates compensation terms with the claimant. A claim which is not settled is usually brought to court, where an insurance claims adjuster may be required to provide expert indication and present reports to a judge for insurance settlements.

An insurance claims adjuster at a public firm provides services to the claimant rather than the insurance provider. Though their job responsibilities are the same, public adjusters attempt to bargain claims in favor of the individual and help in claim processing. Freelance claims adjusters are typically hired by insurance carriers that do not staff permanent adjusters.

More people are now turning directly to a Claims Adjuster when they have damage, but this is not the only time that they may be needed. In most States, a policyholder has up to five years to reopen a public insurance claim. In this case, a Claims Adjuster will reconsider the damage from a past claim and make a decision whether or not enough funds were given in insurance claim settlements. A large sum of policy holders are finding out that, in fact, they were not paid adequately for past damage and it is in their best interest, financially, to reopen the claim to try and recover those additional funds.

It is therefore important to find a good insurance claims adjuster who is ethical, up-to-date with insurance laws and has good negotiating skills. All States Public Adjusters have a vast network of public insurance adjusters all over the U.S.A. and have effectively brought about insurance settlements for their customers.