Filing a residential or commercial claim can be a stressful ordeal. You have lost your personal belongings, and now you have to deal with your insurance company and go through the claims process.
Filing a claim is a tedious affair, but it’s the only way to determine the value of your personal belongings and be compensated by your insurance company.
One good thing is, if you don’t want to work with an insurance adjuster, you don’t have to. You can hire a Florida public adjuster instead.
What are the benefits of hiring a public adjuster?
In this article, we’ll take a close look at the insurance claims process and whether you should hire a public adjuster or use the insurance adjuster assigned to you.
What Does a Public Adjuster Do?
Public adjusters are hired by you, the policyholder.
In other words, they work for you, not the insurance company.
You can find a public adjuster to help start a claims process, or when you believe the insurance company gave you a small payout. You can also hire a public adjuster to open a denied case. However, even with the best public adjusters, it’s difficult to reopen a denied case, which is why you should work with a public adjuster from the start.
The insurance claim process is nuanced and challenging.
It requires lots of paperwork and parsing through complex terminology. Oftentimes, inexperienced policyholders may incorrectly complete a form, which can result in a smaller payout or a denied claim.
As you can see, a Florida public adjuster is a sort of safety net when filing residential or commercial claims.
Your public adjuster will help you with every aspect of the claims process: from filing the claim correctly, to negotiating with contractors and the insurance company.
Public Adjuster or Insurance Company Adjuster?
An insurance company adjuster will visit your property to see the damage, make an evaluation and provide a cost for the necessary repairs. The difference between an insurance company adjuster and a public adjuster is the insurance adjuster does not work for you.
They’re employed by your insurer. It’s a strong possibility that they will minimize the damages so your insurance company can offer a smaller payout. Although this scenario isn’t a given, it does happen frequently.
When you find a public adjuster, you gain peace of mind knowing that you’ve hired someone who works on your behalf. Additionally, a public adjuster:
- Updates his/her training to maintain their Florida public adjuster license.
- Is highly knowledgeable in the fields of construction and contracting.
- Can accurately prepare estimates as to the value of the damaged property and personal belongings.
How to Choose a Public Adjuster
You may assume that a public adjuster is better than an insurance adjuster, so any PA will do. That’s not exactly true. Not every public adjuster is created equal. It’s important to do your research and hire a reputable public adjuster who has a strong reputation and years of industry experience.
A good way to gauge whether the PA is right for you is to have a consultation. Before the consultation, make sure you go in prepared with a list of questions.
Don’t know where to start? Some good questions to ask are:
- Are you licensed to practice public adjusting in the state of Florida?
- Will you be handling my claim? If not, who will?
- What are your construction estimating skills and level of experience?
- Can you provide three references of local clients who were satisfied with your work?
During the consultation, you should also find out about their fee structure.
Contact Alpha Public Adjusters
If you’re filing residential or commercial insurance claims in Florida, contact our team. Our Florida public adjuster will help you with all your insurance claims needs. It can be challenging to get the results you want because insurers don’t like giving large payouts.
Don’t rely on your insurer to honestly take care of your claims. Sadly, they don’t always do the ring thing. That’s why Alpha Public Adjusters exists.
We understand that everybody has unique needs, which is why we have a compassionate team of PAs to handle each claim differently. See for yourself – call us today at (866) 636-1217.
