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When I was younger and just a little bit cockier (or should I say confident?) I used to make a joke when people were considering hiring us. Potential clients would sometimes worry that that we could or would somehow get the insurance company to increase an insurance settlement unfairly. My joke was, “I’m not good looking enough to get the insurance company to pay for something they don’t owe.” The sentiment is true. If we do not prove an insured’s loss, they are not getting paid more. Our job is to measure, document, and present the loss to the insurer. This response is why most insureds are not able to add to their recovery. They may know that the insurance company under-measured their loss but it’s hard to prove that and document it properly.

As public insurance adjusters, we measure your loss by doing our own estimate or in reviewing reviewing the insurance company’s estimate. We prove what the damage by presenting documentation that the loss occurred and what it would cost to repair or replace that item. An example of this on a structure claim insured on the building provision of the policy could be a disagreement on cabinets. For example, the Jones Family had a large fire. The insurance company might think that the kitchen cabinets can be cleaned, sealed and painted by a restoration company for $2,000. On our investigation, we find that the cabinets are custom cabinets and attached directly to the drywall of an exterior wall. The drywall and insulation behind the cabinets suffered smoke damage and, without removing the cabinets, a contractor cannot remove the drywall and insulation. Removing the custom cabinets will destroy the cabinets.

We can prove and document this by photographing and obtaining a letter from a contractor, restoration company and/or cabinet restorer. We will present the evidence in the pursuit of your claim. The insurance company can do one of two things: accept our proposition or present evidence to the contrary. However, if we’re right we’re right and the insurance company cannot present evidence to the contrary, that issue might be easily resolved. If the insurance company attempts to contact a contractor or cabinet restorer for a contrary opinion that contractor will need to be able to back up his or her position by being able to prove they can actually do the work that the insurer has suggested. Hence, if a contractor can not do the work in the way described it’s rare that the contractor will assert otherwise.

Now, considering the claim for personal property, lets use an example of a theft claim. In theft claims an insured must somehow prove that they originally possessed the items. Gathering so much evidence can be difficult on an insured. As Public Insurance Adjusters, will help comb through receipts, pictures, and accounts to get important evidencef. A stolen watch? We might find you wearing it at a party a few years ago that you had posted on your Facebook. Thieves stole your kid’s XBOX 360? Your Best Buy account will probably have the original purchase date and price. Proving you had these items is half the battle and there is no magic in that, just hard investigative work.

Measuring and documenting a loss is every bit as tedious as processing your own taxes. Sure, you might do yourself but when you hire an expert you save both the time and the money in the long run.