Why a Public Adjuster May or May Not Be Your Best Option After a Loss

When your home is damaged due to a fire or other insured peril, you have a lot of tasks to accomplish to get your home back to normal. You must restore or replace your personal property, find a contractor to repair your home and work with the insurance company adjuster to settle your claim and resolve any coverage issues. A public adjuster helps you through the claim process, but is that your best option?

It takes a lot of effort to rebuild your home when it’s damaged. Add in a pile of insurance claim paperwork, and the overall burden can be overwhelming. Insurance companies want you to provide estimates, receipts, property inventories, and most importantly, they want your Proof of Loss. If you don't know what a Proof of Loss is, definitely keep reading.

You’ve suffered property damage and it’s time to deal with your insurance company. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy process at times. You’ve paid your premiums on time, in full and you’ve filed a claim. Then, the side of your insurance company no one wants to see is revealed. Be aware of these habits of bad faith insurance claim handling so you can advocate for yourself, or hire professional help to get your claim paid.

When your home or business is damaged, your life gets complicated. You don't need the added drama of pushing the insurance company to speed up your property insurance claim settlement, but it often works out that way. It sounds unfair, but when it’s your home or your business that’s damaged, you will be the one most motivated to move your case forward.

When you must present a property damage claim to your insurance carrier, you begin the claim process with optimism. The adjuster meets you at the site, hands over a business card and offers consolation. The adjuster inspects your damage, gets your statement, and explains what is needed from you to handle your claim.

When a disaster strikes, damaging your home or business, your insurance claim settlement becomes the solution to getting your life back to normal. You need the insurance money to repair your property. You need it to replace your furnishings and pay your extra expenses. You want your settlement check as quickly as possible, because you feel like everything is on hold until your claim is resolved and the damage is repaired.

When you’re rebuilding your home after major property damage, insurance claim problems are often unavoidable. Getting your family to safety can be traumatic enough. Then you must report your claim, sort through your damaged personal property and find a contractor to make repairs. You must also deal with an insurance company property adjuster who might empathize with you but doesn’t have the same emotional and financial investment.

When your insurance company won't settle your property damage claim fairly, should you hire an insurance claim attorney? You might believe that it's the easiest way to get the money you deserve, but it’s not that simple. Before you hire an insurance claim attorney to represent your interests, you should ask yourself these questions.

It’s not easy to identify insurance company bad behavior during the property claim process. The sense of unfair treatment takes a while to settle in. Of course, no claim process runs flawlessly, especially when you are rebuilding after a major disaster. It’s reasonable to expect a few inconveniences and delays; but how do you know for certain that your insurance company has moved beyond minor glitches to treating you unfairly? Here are 5 clear signs.

Late in the evening of Monday, Jan. 26, winter storm Juno -- the so-called "snowpocalypse" -- roared through some of the most populated areas of the northeastern U.S., crippling cities like Boston and Philadelphia.