When your home is damaged due to an insured peril, you have several options for handling your claim. Before you attempt to adjust your claim yourself, understand the most common mistakes that might end up costing you more money in the end.

Below are some options for after filing an insurance claim.

• Handle your own claim and negotiate your own settlement.
• Trust the insurance company property adjuster and go along with the insurance company's assessment.
• Decide to hire a public adjuster to handle the claim on your behalf.

The choice is up to you, but it’s important to understand that the wrong decision could cost you money.

Handling Your own Claim

If you have experience with prior property claims, you might be tempted to deal with the insurance company on your own. Unfortunately, this approach will leave you responsible for knowing what your policy covers, working with contractors, documenting your contents losses, and negotiating your claim to conclusion. If you don’t know all of the details that go into a claim, you might get shortchanged on your settlement, especially if you are dealing with a catastrophic loss.

Insurance Company Adjusters

Insurance company property adjusters have a lot of power over the disposition of your claim. Unfortunately, how they wield that power may vary depending on their experience and expertise. Even without the authority to settle your claim, the adjuster's knowledge and experience will be the primary influence over your insurance company’s ultimate settlement decision.

Adjusters help decide what you get paid and when you get paid. If your insurance company relies on a computer program to calculate your damages, the software analyzes your claim based on the adjuster’s input.

The experienced adjuster

When a property adjuster has a thorough knowledge of insurance policies, property damage, and claim handling procedures, he may have the confidence to quickly resolve even the complicated elements of your claim:

• Decide coverage issues fairly
• Assess and evaluate your damage
• Work out differences with you and your contractor
• Provide definitive answers about your settlement

The inexperienced adjuster

Insurance companies might assign an inexperienced employee to handle your claim as part of his on-the-job training. When an adjuster’s experience is limited, he may over-investigate your claim, ask for unnecessary documentation and underpay your claim because he lacks basic claims experience.

• Inability to give you a straight answer or make a decision
• Limited knowledge of insurance coverage
• Inaccurate damage documentation, evaluation, and analysis
• No or low authority to commit to a settlement
• Lowball or delayed settlement due to lack of experience

The outsourced contract adjuster

If your insurance company has no employees in your area, they might outsource your claim to a local independent adjuster. While independents usually have claim experience, they are “middle men” who rarely have the authority to pay your claim.

Contract adjusters investigate your claim and turn the information over to the insurance company for final disposition. The delay, lack of personal involvement and lack of local authority could cost you time and money.

Public Adjusters

If you prefer not to deal directly with claim insurance companies and adjuster complications, you have the right to hire a public adjuster to do it for you. Public adjusters are insurance professionals with the experience and expertise to handle all aspects of your claim from beginning to end.

• Review insurance policy details for coverage issues
• Inspect and analyze damages
• Document repair specifications
• Work with contractors and company adjusters to finalize property and contents damage totals
• Negotiate a final settlement that includes all the damages to which you are entitled

The Choice is Yours

When you hire a public adjuster, it may be the best claim decision you can make. A public adjuster will work hard to get the full settlement you deserve and charge only a marginal percentage of your claim. The choice is yours.

Miller Public Adjusters currently serves the states of
Wisconsin - Florida - Illinois - Indiana - Michigan - Minnesota - Texas

Call us 24 hours a day at  (866)443-5167  to schedule an appointment or
please fill out a Free Claim Review to see if we can help.