Public adjuster

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A public adjuster is an insurance claims adjuster who is an advocate for and paid by the policyholder in appraising and negotiating an insurance claim. Public Adjusters exist because of the inherent conflict of interest that exists when one person or entity attempts to represent two sides of a financial transaction. Public Adjusters are the only type of claims adjuster that can legally represent the rights of an insured during an insurance claim process.

In the United States, a Public Adjuster can only work with insurance claims related to personal or business property damage. Car accidents, life insurance and other types of insurances claims cannot be handled by a Public Adjuster. Also, most states require every Public Adjuster to be licensed and bonded in order to represent any policyholder in the respective State. Public Adjuster are required to have taken classes and be tested on the many aspects of handling claims, insurance companies and policyholders.

There are three classes of insurance adjusters: staff adjusters (employed by an insurance company or self-insured entity), independent adjusters (independent contractors hired by the insurance company) and Public adjusters (employed by the policyholder). "Company" or "Independent" adjusters can only legally represent the rights of an insurance company.

Among other things, it is the Public Adjuster's responsibility to:

  1. Evaluates your existing policy to determine what coverage that may be applicable to an insurance claim;
  2. Makes recommendations to improve on your existing policy to insure you have the best coverage for your situation. Any changes to the policy are made by the policyholder's insurance agent.
  3. Determines the appropriate values for settling all covered damages;
  4. Negotiates the best possible settlement with the insurance company on behalf of an insured.
  5. Conducts a policy consultation and inspection of the policyholder’s property to identify and damage the policyholder may not be aware of at the time.
    • This inspection and policy review is usually done by most Public Adjusters at no cost to the policyholder.
    • It is recommended policyholders have this policy consultation and inspection prior to any claims in order to insure they have the best coverage in the event of a claim.
    • This relationship is also important to establish prior to any claim, so in the unfortunate event that damage is incurred to the policyholder’s property, they are just a phone call away from having the Public Adjuster’s knowledge, skills and strength on your side right from the beginning of the claim negotiation process.

Typically, most Public Adjusters are paid based on a percentage of the total settlement they negotiate. The Public Adjuster's fee may be justified by success in these negotiations. It is not uncommon to see a significant increase in the settlement amount once a Public Adjuster is hired by the policyholder.

Equally important is a Public Adjuster is educated in the same fashion as insurance company adjusters and independent adjusters. Why is this important? Many homeowners are not familiar with what damage to look for after a property damage incident or what their policy covers. Thus the policyholder can come up short when paying to have the damages taken care of and/or have hidden damage go unnoticed and cause the policyholder problems in the future

In short, a Public Adjuster has the knowledge and skills to work with the insurance companies to ensure the policyholder gets the maximum amount of reimbursement for not only the easy-to-see damage but the hidden damages. Do you want to deal with the negotiation hassles with the insurance companies while at the same time knowing they have decades of experience dealing with policyholders and the knowledge to insure the best interests of the insurance company that pays them, are taken care of with each case?. A Public Adjuster insures that the policyholder's best interests are taken care of with each claim. So the PA levels the playing field in the policyholder’s best interests

Many policyholders are unaware that Public Adjusters exist as an option to dealing directly with the insurance company representatives. A professional, conscientious Public Adjuster can make a tremendous difference in the amount of a policyholder's settlement as well as reduce or eliminate the stress and hassle of dealing with property insurance claims.

Typically, most Public Adjusters are compensated based on a percentage of the total settlement they negotiate. Through such negotiation, the Public Adjuster's fee is justified in many cases. It is not uncommon to see a 60 to 80% increase in the settlement amount after a policyholder hires a Public Adjuster is hired. In other cases, the Public Adjuster's fee can be less than any increase in settlement, leaving the homeowner worse off than if he or she had dealt directly with the insurance company.

In some cases, a Public Adjuster can re-open a claim and negotiate for more money if a discrepancy is found after the claim has been settled. The fees for a re-opened claim are higher due to all the extra work involved but in the end the Policyholder may end up with more money to take care of their claim then if they did not have a Public Adjuster working on their behalf.

References