A Public Adjuster works hard to help you take full advantage of your insurance policy and receive the appropriate amount of money you are legally owed. Unfortunately, as with any profession, not all public adjusters give an equal amount of quality and care to their clients. That is why we have put together ways you can easily choose the best adjuster for your particular situation.
Where to Start
When you need help settling your insurance claim, finding the right public adjusting company is important. However, you may not even know where to begin looking. Here are some tips that will help you get started.
Check For Licensing
Don’t get scammed by fake public adjusters. In order to practice their profession in any state, public adjusters are legally required to be licensed. This means they will need to meet the state’s certain experience and education requirements. For this reason, the first and most important thing to look for in a public adjuster is their state licensing. Some will try to get away with claiming they work under the license of their company or another person. This means they are not individually licensed. To confirm an adjuster’s license, you can call your Department of Financial Services (DFS) or visit your state’s online directory. To find your state’s Department of Insurance, visit naic.org.
Look for a NAPIA Member
Make sure the firm you choose is a member of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters. This means that the public adjusters from these companies are licensed in the states that require it and follow the organization’s code of ethics.
Try State and Regional Associations
Many states also have local public adjusting associations. They have online directories you can use to confirm membership.
Ask for References
Before working with any public adjuster, request references from former clients. By talking with previous customers, you will gain a better idea of what working with this public adjuster is like. You can also find out how successful they are at handling claims.
Visit the Company’s Website
Almost every legitimate public adjusting company has a website or other marketing resource. If the firm you are looking into does not have anything like that, they may not be a valid company.
Contact the Better Business Bureau
Calling the local Better Business Bureau will allow you to see if the company is an accredited business, and view any complaints made against them.
Don’t Let Yourself Get Pressured
Hiring a public adjuster as soon as possible is very important so that they can be involved in the claims process early. However, don’t allow anyone to try and rush you into making a decision.
Important Questions to Ask
It is not often that you need to hire a public adjuster. Because of this, many people don’t know what questions to ask when researching public adjusters. Here are some questions to help you out:
- Am I speaking with the actual adjuster who will be managing my claim? Or are you a sales rep who will be passing off my claim to another adjuster or company?
- Will you show me your state public adjuster license?
- What is your professional training and education?
- Can you give me references for claims you have personally handled in the last three years? Call these past clients and ask them about the public adjuster. Are they confident they gave them the best possible result? Did the public adjuster answer all their questions throughout the adjustment process?
- How much is your contingency fee? Most insurance adjusters have fees ranging from 10%-20% of the money paid to you from your insurance claim. In some states, these fees are capped, but they are always negotiable. If you have a large settlement that could give the adjuster a big payout, do not be afraid to negotiate a lower contingency fee.
Filing an insurance claim after a disaster can be aggravating and tedious. Many homeowners want to avoid the hassle, and so they don’t even try negotiating with their insurance company.
Hiring a public adjuster means you will have someone fight for you. They will work to increase your insurance claim on your behalf. You will have to do barely any work, and you can earn a much higher percentage on your claim. Give Aftermath Adjusters & Consulting LLC a call today.