When and Why to Hire a Public Adjuster for Property Loss

December 28, 2018
Home / / When and Why to Hire a Public Adjuster for Property Loss
A man shaking hands with a public adjuster to help with property loss

Public insurance adjusters are responsible for evaluating the value of property loss on behalf of the policyholder to help them file an insurance claim. In exchange for their services, public adjusters receive a fee from the policyholder. In short, public insurance adjusters are licensed professionals who work for businesses and individuals to help these entities get the most value out of their insurance coverage. Here is some information about when and why you should hire a public adjuster.

What Is A Public Insurance Adjuster?

A common misconception is that public insurance adjusters work on the behalf of insurance companies. The truth is that public adjusters are property loss professionals who represent policyholders first and foremost. If you need assistance when it comes to initially filing a claim, you should hire a public insurance adjuster. Another reason you should hire this professional is if you believe the claim amount you received from your insurance company is not sufficient.

Public adjusters are able to file and negotiate claims for a hurricane, flood, fire, wind, and smoke damage. Property losses can also lead to other forms of loss, such as business income. Public adjusters have to ability to evaluate and file claims for these indirect forms of loss as well.

What A Public Adjuster Does For You

The reason you should hire a public adjuster is that they are experts when it comes to the language and in-and-outs of insurance policies. They also have plenty of expertise in terms of filing and adjusting claims. Most public adjusters use sophisticated software to perform an independent evaluation of the property loss suffered by the client. In general, public adjusters tend to be better equipped to estimate the costs related to property loss than the average policyholder. Public adjusters also know how to submit and log supplemental and initial claims and will do this on your behalf.

The process of submitting a claim on the behalf of a policyholder is a difficult and extensive process. Very few policyholders have the knowledge and expertise necessary to evaluate, complete, and submit a claim to the level of detail required. Even if a policyholder were to look up examples on the Internet, it is important to keep in mind that every claim and property are different.

How Much Does A Public Adjuster Cost?

Most public adjusters don’t charge policyholders a fee to visit the loss site and determine whether they want to work with the policyholder. However, if the policyholder decides to file a claim for the loss, the public adjuster will charge a fee.

In general, public insurance adjusters charge their clients a percentage of how much the insurance carrier pays the policyholder for the claim. For example, if the adjuster has a 10 percent fee and the insurance company pays $50,000 for the claim, the policyholder can expect to owe their public adjuster $5,000.

Hiring a public adjuster is one of the best moves that you can make if you need to file a claim with your insurance company for a loss. If you have suffered a loss to your home or business due to fire, flood, or other catastrophes please contact SunPoint Public Adjusters, Inc to help you with your claims process.