Filing A Homeowner's Insurance Claim? Why You Should Hire A Public Adjuster

Posted on: 12 April 2021

Part of the beauty of purchasing homeowner's insurance is having the ability to file a claim after a residential accident or emergency happens. Coming up with large sums of money at a moment's notice isn't always the easiest thing to do, especially if every penny in your budget is already accounted for. If a covered peril has occurred at your home and you're thinking about filing an insurance claim, it would seem that there isn't much to it. The problem is that you just don't know how much pushback you're going to get from the insurance company. If you're serious about making sure that you receive the appropriate amount of compensation, here's why you need a public claim adjuster.

The Public Adjuster Works For You

It's important to understand that although you are a policyholder, the insurance company's adjuster works for the insurance company. That is where they earn their living and receive their paycheck. This gives them a very powerful incentive to work on behalf of the interests of their employer so that they don't lose their job.

If a person has a family to take care of, that is usually going to be their top priority. The insurance company may subtly encourage adjusters to downplay the seriousness of claims so that the insurer won't have to pay out so much money. When this happens, the adjuster just might not give you enough money to cover the full extent of the damage. Once you sign the settlement check, the balance of the repair bill falls to you. This is why you want a public adjuster to give you a second opinion.

Thoroughness Is The Key

A public adjuster will conduct a thorough investigation to cover all aspects of the damage. For example, if you've had water damage in your home, it's not enough to merely cover up the issue with a paint job. You might need a contractor to come and rip out parts of the wall that have also been damaged. You wouldn't want to risk accumulating mold because there wasn't enough money to truly dry out the moisture that seeped into your walls and flooring. The public adjuster is there to get you the kind of settlement that can truly compensate you for your loss.

Public adjusters usually work on a contingency basis and are paid a small percentage of the settlement that you receive. This is good to know because it means you won't have to pay out of your own pocket until you're sure that your damage will be taken care of.

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