What Is A Public Insurance Adjuster

A public adjuster is an advocate for 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. It is always wise to let Public Adjuster review your claim even after you have settled with your insurer.

It is important to note 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. A licensed and bonded Public Adjuster is the best to have on your side as they have had to take 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.
* 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 compensated based on a small percentage of the total settlement they negotiate. Through such negotiation, the Public Adjuster's fee is justified. It is not uncommon to see a 60 to 80% increase in the settlement amount after United States Adjusters is hired by you.

Equally important is a Public Adjuster is educated in the same fashion as insurance company adjusters and independent adjusters. Why is this important? The average homeowner does not have the slightest idea of all what to look for with damage to their home 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, our Public Adjusters have all the knowledge and skills to work with the insurance companies to insure you get 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?. United States Adjusters insure that the POLICYHOLDER's best interests are taken care of with each claim. So the public adjuster levels the playing field in the policyholder's best interests

A large majority of policyholders are unaware that Public Adjusters even 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 small percentage of the total settlement they negotiate. Through such negotiation, the Public Adjuster's fee is more then justified. It is not uncommon to see a 60 to 80% increase in the settlement amount after United States Adjusters are hired by you.

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

Florida Public Adjusters

United States Adjusters