A public adjuster is also known as a claim help professional. When it comes to negotiating for a fair settlement, these guys do all the work. After all, the negotiating process with a big insurance company can get pretty taxing. It involves meetings, assessing, listing, reviewing reports and negotiating itself. These can all get pretty draining, especially if it needs to be done after a potentially traumatizing catastrophe.
If your circumstances, whether it be work schedule, health or something else, prevents you from being fully present in your role to claim your insurance, hiring a public adjuster from Miami, Florida or wherever else you are situated may be your best bet.
Here are the top things to ask before hiring one.
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Are you a licensed public adjuster in my state?
You want to make sure that the person you are hiring to do the job for you holds a license. Some public adjusters are working under the license of another firm or somebody else entirely. You want your hired professional to be credentialed, qualified and experienced. Additional things you may also want to find out is the reputability of the company he is working for and whether he has a good record with the local authorities.
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Will you be the one personally handling my claim?
You may be talking or interviewing a sales rep who will take your case to someone else. It is best to find out early in the game if that is so. You want to be talking to the person who will be personally handling your claim, and clear communication from the beginning is important.
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How many other claims are you working with at the moment?
This is a very important and often overlooked question to ask. If you want focused and professional help, you probably won’t get it if this person is working on multiple other claims. There is no way he will be able to give your case the attention and time that it needs. Time is always a factor, so keep that in mind.
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Can I get three or more references who can attest to your work?
You need to see at least three references from satisfied clients from his work as a public adjuster. This will give you peace of mind about his abilities and character as you let him handle your case.
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Can we discuss the fee contract concerns?
Some important things you need to talk about include whether the public adjuster will be handling only portions of your claim (but not entirely), how much percentage he will be taking as contingency fees from the money that the insurer will pay. Percentages range from five to 15 percent and are capped in some states but always negotiable. Take into consideration the type and size of your loss as well as your claim status. Also, agree on whether or not your public adjuster will take a percentage from the money that has been agreed to be paid by the insurer but has not paid yet.
The right questions will ensure that you will find the right man (or woman) for the job. Hiring someone to take care of your insurance claim settlement is not a walk in the park but if you want to get all that is owed to you with the least amount of stress as possible, it’s work that needs to be done.
