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“Why did they hire a Public Adjuster?”

If I had a dollar for every time that an adjuster has asked me why one of my clients has hired a public adjuster, let’s just say that I would have a few dollars in my pocket. While there are many reasons why someone might opt to hire a public adjuster to assist them with their claim, there are three main reasons that I come across the most frequently.

Service

Handling a claim of any size can be a full time job. From documenting damages to preparing an inventory, going through a claim is tedious at best. After adding in the letters, emails, and phone calls that are exchanged between the insured and the insurer, it’s flat out overwhelming. Many of my clients reach out for help simply because they don’t have the time or the resources to be able to manage such a daunting task on their own.

Perhaps one of the most time consuming portions of the claim is the personal property inventory. In order to effectively compile a thorough valuation of the loss, each and every non-salvageable item should be documented. Most people, property owners and adjusters alike, will only document the large or high dollar items that were damaged as a result of a loss, but will miss out on all of the small items that add value to the claim. Office supplies, home décor, housewares, and craft supplies all cost money and should be accounted for if they are considered non salvageable. Brown O’Haver is known nationally for their thorough and accurate personal property inventories, which has proven to be an essential service that we provide to our clients.

Knowledge

Statistics show that most people will experience a large loss to their property only one time within their lifetime. Because of this, the average person doesn’t have the knowledge or expertise in how the claim process works. A good public adjuster has in-depth knowledge of the common practices for claim handling and can read and interpret the insurance policy. They should also have an understanding of the construction process and the function of building materials.

Claim Challenges

We regularly have clients contact us because they feel that they have exhausted every option that they have and are still unsuccessful in resolving their claim on their own. Many times, we find that these claims can be handled to conclusion by communicating with the insurance company about the issues at hand and documenting the loss appropriately.

While there is a cost associated with hiring a public adjuster, the benefit far outweighs the cost most of the time. A reputable adjuster will provide their clients with the service, knowledge, and conflict resolution skills to navigate the claim, resulting in a significantly better result than most can achieve themselves.