Your home is likely one of the most significant investments you will make in your lifetime, so it can be nerve-wracking to experience a loss and have to file a claim with your homeowners insurance company. A public adjuster can take some guesswork out of the process, but this convenience comes with an out-of-pocket cost. We will break down what a public insurance adjuster is so that you can determine if it would be beneficial to hire Brian Singer as your public adjuster professional.
What is a public adjuster?
When you file a claim, your homeowners insurance company will assign a claims adjuster to you. The adjuster’s job is to evaluate your property damage and determine a fair payout amount based on the levels of coverage you carry on your policy.
Rather than using the insurance company’s adjuster, some policyholders choose to hire a public adjuster instead. Like a claims adjuster, a public adjuster will assess the damage to your property, help determine the scope of repairs and estimate the replacement value for those repairs. The big difference is that instead of working on behalf of the insurance company like an insurance claims adjuster does, a public claims adjuster works for you.
When should you hire a public adjuster?
A public adjuster will handle your claim and communicate with your insurance company on your behalf. Some people feel that the extra expense of hiring a public adjuster is worth it, if only for the peace of mind that they won’t have to handle the claims process themselves. Additionally, the public adjuster will look closely at your claim and help ensure that no damage is overlooked. Depending on what they find, you might get a larger insurance settlement to repair the identified damage.
A public adjuster might be right for you if:
- Your claim is large or damage is severe
- If you find working with insurance companies to be stressful
- If you’ve had a poor claims experience in the past
- You are too busy to correspond with your insurance company
- If you feel that claim settlement is too low
What should you expect from hiring a public adjuster?
When you hire a public adjuster, they will handle the entire claim process on your behalf. They will visit your home to survey the damage, do a comprehensive review of your claim, calculate their recommended payout and coordinate with your insurance company to process your payout.
Before settling the claim, you have the opportunity to negotiate with the insurance company to get a higher payout. If you choose to do this, your public adjuster will act as the liaison so you never have to speak with a representative or negotiate yourself.
