When You Should Contact a Florida Public Adjuster

Written by admin on April 24, 2019 at 3:03 PM.

Navigating the insurance claims process can be a challenge, even for an experienced homeowner. If you’ve ever experienced a fire, flood, or hurricane damage in your Florida home, you’ll know that the recovery process can be complicated. Not only are you trying to pick up the pieces of your life, but you’re going through a stressful, emotional time.

The problems multiply if you’re dealing with losses to a condominium association or commercial property. You may have put years of hard work into your business, and now your livelihood is at risk.

If you’re dealing with the loss following a property emergency, here’s some encouragement: you don’t have to do it alone. A Florida public adjuster can help.

What is a Public Insurance Adjuster, Anyway?

A public insurance adjuster is a professional who specializes in making sure you get every dollar you’re entitled to receive from your insurance policy. Instead of working for the insurance company, they work to represent the best interest of policyholders like yourself.

A public adjuster handles your claim for you from beginning to end. They estimate losses and damages and negotiate with the insurance company to ensure you get a fair settlement. Florida public adjusters can also help you claim additional damages for a previously underpaid claim or even reopen a claim that was previously denied.

When Should I Hire a Public Adjuster?

When you file an insurance claim, you’ll be asked to estimate your damages. Unless you happen to be an experienced home builder or handyman, odds are you’ll have trouble doing this.

For example, how would you estimate the cost of rebuilding an interior wall? You’d have to estimate the cost of sheetrock, screws, primer, paint, and labor. For an exterior wall, you’d also need to replace insulation. Depending on the extent of the damage, you may need to pay for mold remediation, structural damage, and other repairs that aren’t necessarily obvious at first glance.

A beginner can easily lowball these costs. They can also overestimate them, causing the insurance company’s adjuster to step in and approve only barebones repairs. A public insurance adjuster can create an itemized list of repairs and replacements, with the industry experience and professional expertise to back up their claims.

A Florida public adjuster can also provide support after you’ve already started a claims process on your own, Another time when it makes sense to hire a public adjuster is if you’re having problems down the line that your insurance company is refusing to pay for.

Did you know that Florida law gives you five years to reopen an insurance claim? If you feel like you weren’t paid what you were owed, or if you’ve discovered new damage that was never covered by your claim, a public insurance adjuster can help you get your money’s worth.

What Makes a Public Adjuster Better Than The Insurance Company’s?

If you’ve filed an insurance claim in the past, you’re probably familiar with insurance adjusters hired by the insurance company. Their job is to determine how much you’re owed in your insurance claim.

Now, we’re not going to suggest that these people are dishonest. They have to adhere to strict professional standards and a code of ethics. While there are some real horror stories out there, the vast majority of insurance company adjusters will do their best to give you a fair shake.

But at the end of the day, they work for the insurance company, not for you. This means that while they should approve legitimate claims, they’re not going to go out of their way to find extra money for you. For example, they may estimate the costs of a repair using the cheapest possible building materials, when in fact your home was built with higher-grade materials.

A Florida public adjuster works for you, not the insurance company. Florida public adjusters don’t earn a cent until your insurance claim is settled, instead, they earn a percentage of whatever you get for your claim. This gives them a personal incentive to get the full value for all the possible damages covered by your insurance policy. They can even help you navigate the nightmare of managed repair programs.

How Can I Find a Good Public Adjuster?

The first step to finding a good public adjuster is making sure they’re licensed to practice in your state. A real estate attorney, experienced relative, or your friend who has an insurance license may have the best of intentions, but they don’t have the training to do this specialized job. Moreover, they could actually face legal penalties for working without an insurance adjuster’s license.

The next thing you’ll want to do is ask for references. Most professionals will be happy to provide you with references who have been happy with their work in the past. Alternatively, you could ask your friends. Many Floridians have needed to file home insurance claims for floods and hurricane damage; one of your friends may have already worked with a public adjuster.

When you’re evaluating a prospective adjustor, make sure you’re comfortable with their style of communication. Do they answer emails promptly? How about returning phone calls? Are they listening when you tell them about your concerns, or are they just waiting for an opportunity to continue their sales pitch? These things will all give you a clue as to whether or not you want to do business with them.

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If you think you may need a Florida public adjuster, Stellar Public Adjusting Services is here to help. We specialize in property damage, and our team of experts are all employed in-house, so you have the confidence of knowing you’ll be working with a dedicated claim representative, not an independent contractor.

Please contact our team of expert adjusters for more information. If you have an urgent claims issue, feel free to give us a call at 305-570-3519, we’re available 24/7. We’ve helped thousands of homeowners just like you. Why deal with the stress of handling your own claim, and potentially leave money on the table? We’ll do the work for you, so you can focus on rebuilding your life.