When to Hire a Public Adjuster?
The time to use a public adjuster for your home restoration in Atlanta, GA, is when your insurance claim has been denied. Using a public adjuster should be a last resort.
Defining when to hire a public adjuster for your home restoration or business restoration claim in Metro Atlanta, GA can sometimes be tricky. To answer the question simply, if you need to file an insurance claim for residential and commercial or reconstruction, then you should consider hiring a public adjuster, especially if your home or business sustained significant damage and the claim would be for a large amount.
If something catastrophic happens to your home or business such as storm damage, water damage, fire damage or mold, that’s when you definitely need to hire a public adjuster to handle your claim. When unexpected events happen, for example, water damage from an overflowing toilet or storm damage rips away your roof, you need to call your insurance agent. You have homeowners or business insurance to help cover any damages associated with those types of disasters. But how do you make an insurance claim for home damage or business damage restoration in Atlanta, GA and come to an agreement on the amount you should be paid for the damages?
This is when a claim adjuster comes into play to help you handle your home or business damage restoration claim. Public insurance adjusters are property loss professionals who work on your behalf. In fact, they are the only insurance professionals that work for the insured and not for the insurance company.
Public insurance adjusters can file and negotiate claims for flood damage, fire damage, smoke damage, wind damage and storm damage in Atlanta, GA. Moreover, property damage might also result in other types of losses, such as business income. Public adjusters can also evaluate these types of losses and help you get compensated.
Public insurance adjusters are experts in insurance policy language, policyholder rights, claim filing and claim adjusting. They usually also have experience in residential and commercial construction and other related fields. As well as possess sophisticated software to perform independent evaluations and estimates of a client’s property damage. In addition, they know exactly how to log and submit initial and supplemental claims for a policyholder.
Like any type of situation, it’s generally best to get professionals involved as early in the process as possible. Public adjusters are trained to understand insurance policies and they are your best bet at getting the most out of your property damage insurance claim. For example, there may be coverage you are entitled to that you may not be aware of and they will know what these are.
When not to Hire a Public Adjuster?
If your claim is approved, you probably do not need a public adjuster. Public Adjuster fees can be up to 10, 15 and even 20% of the total claim. That’s $20,000 you may owe on a $100,000 claim. Homeowners need to ask themselves how they are going to pay for these services. Beware of adjuster who claim that they are going to pad your claim amount to cover these expenses. Insurance Carriers are smarter than that.
If you are on a tight timeline, you may not wish to use a public adjuster. Using a public adjuster can increase the settlement time. In some instances, claims that should settle in weeks can take up to a year. A homeowner will also want to consider relinquishing total control of their project to a Public Adjuster. When one contracts a public adjuster, the Public Adjuster owns the project, the relationship with your carrier, and they control the flow of your monies that are dedicated to rebuilding your home. This can be a precarious and risky position for a home owner to put themselves in.
Finally, you may want to be weary of contracting with a public adjuster on the spot. There are stories of public adjusters attempting to sign homeowners to a commitment before the fire department has even stopped the fire in their home.
If you’re unsure about whether or not a public adjuster is right for you, reach out to us for guidance around your particular situation.
If you have experienced catastrophic home or business damage in Metro Atlanta, GA, TSMG can assist you with the entire process. As a licensed General Contractor in Atlanta, GA, TSMG can reconstruct and restore your home or business. We provide our residential and commercial restoration and reconstruction services to Blue Ridge, Helen, Dahlonega, Jasper, Ellijay, Gainesville, Buford, Cumming, Lawrenceville, Roswell, Alpharetta, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Riverdale, Douglasville, Villa Rica, Carrolton, Peachtree City, Griffin, Stone Mountain, Northwest GA and Metro Atlanta Areas. Contact us today if you are ready to restore your property!
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