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Claim Your Insurance Lottery Ticket

What A Public Adjuster Does For You
Public insurance adjusters are experts in the details and
language of insurance policies, as well as filing and adjusting claims.
They commonly have prior experience in construction (and other
related fields) and use sophisticated software to undergo an
independent evaluation of a client's property loss. Public adjusters
aren't just better equipped than the average policyholder to estimate
the costs incurred from a property loss -- they know exactly how to log
and submit initial and supplemental claims and do this for a
policyholder.
Public vs Company And Independent Adjusters
Insurance companies, businesses and individuals all use
insurance adjusters to evaluate property loss and determine the dollar
amount a claim should pay out. To better cater to the different parties,
there are three distinct types of insurance adjusters: company
adjusters, independent adjusters and public adjusters.
Company insurance adjusters are employed by carriers and
sent to evaluate claims filed by their company’s policyholders.
Independent adjusters also work for insurance companies, but act
more as consultants. Independent insurance adjusters are usually
hired on an as-needed basis because of a surge in demand or for
specific expertise.
As a policyholder, you have little to lose: Many public adjustment
firms offer to visit a property loss free of charge to help a policyholder
determine the severity of damage and whether they should file an
insurance claim.

Hiring a lawyer
An insurance attorney can help you protect and settle your claim
dispute. They will help you understand your rights under your insurance
contract.
A tricky provision that might be lurking in your policy is something
called a "Right to Repair" clause. This is where the insurance company can
choose to repair the home, instead of cutting you a check for the estimated
amount to do the work. In some cases, the policy actually calls for you to use
the company’s contractor, so you have no say in who repairs your home.
Insurance companies might give you a small discount in exchange for this but
it's not worth it.
A lawyer may recommend you shop around for new coverage if your
policy has a provision like this that can force you to use the insurance
company’s contractor. The best advice for all homeowners, now that
hurricane season is here, is to take out your hurricane policy and read it over.
Make sure you understand exactly what your coverage is.

Frequently Asked Questions

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