How a Public Adjuster Can Increase Payout for a Home Insurance Claim

Public adjusters increase insurance claim compensation using proven strategies – from organizing documentation to presenting evidence in the best possible way to negotiating with the insurer on your behalf.

Today, we’re highlighting some of the specific ways in which a public adjuster can increase compensation for a homeowners insurance claim.

Identifying Hidden Damage

A house fire can spread significant damage throughout your home. Your insurance company’s adjuster may have identified surface-level damage while ignoring soot and smoke damage throughout the rest of your home.

Soot and smoke damage can increase a house fire insurance claim by tens of thousands of dollars. Many homeowners fail to spot this damage until after the insurer has closed the claim.

A good public adjuster can search your home for hidden damage that may have been missed – like smoke and soot damage, water damage, and other damage your insurer is obligated to cover.

Negotiating with Your Insurer

Many insurers offer a low initial payout because they anticipate a negotiation with the policyholder.

Unfortunately, most homeowners don’t know enough about insurance to negotiate. It’s difficult to know the difference between a fair payout and a low payout.

Public adjusters help by negotiating with insurers on your behalf. They analyze your claim, review every facet of your policy, and approach the insurer with a fair value. They use their expertise to negotiate the highest possible claim settlement.

Building a Better Case for Your Claim

Public adjusters know the evidence insurers need to approve a claim. They know how to organize your documentation to reduce the chance of denial and increase potential payout.

Many public adjusters used to work for insurance companies. That’s why they know exactly what evidence insurers need to see to approve or increase a claim.

Some of the ways in which a public adjuster organizes your claim include:

• Using accurate estimating software
• Organizing persuasive documentation
• Presenting the exact evidence insurers need to maximize payout and approve your claim
• Creating a more robust case while boosting your credibility, ensuring you receive a fair payout

Insurers lose billions to fraud every year. Even if you have a legitimate claim, insurers may be suspicious, demanding excessive evidence to approve your case. A public adjuster can help build the best possible case to increase your payout.

Speeding Up Payout

It’s not just about achieving a higher payout: it’s about achieving a faster payout to move on with your life more quickly.

The sooner you can move back into your restored home after a house fire, for example, the better your life will be. You can avoid wasting money on hotels, meals, and other expenses. Even though insurance covers additional living expenses (ALE), it’s in everyone’s best interest to move home ASAP.

Public adjusters tend to speed up insurance claim settlements, helping you receive the payout you deserve as soon as possible.

Representing Your Best Interests – Not Shareholders’ Best Interests

Your insurance company’s goal is typically to pay as little for claims as legally possible. It’s good for business.

Today, many of America’s largest insurers are publicly traded. As publicly traded companies, these insurers are obligated to deliver profit to shareholders.

This puts the company’s mission at direct odds with your mission: as a policyholder, you want to receive as much money for your claim as possible to help you repair and rebuild your life.

One of the over-arching goals of a public adjuster is to represent your best interests – not shareholders’ best interests.

Showing Your Insurer You Won’t Be Bullied

Some insurers take advantage of naive homeowners. They know they can push unsuspecting homeowners around with their lack of expertise, allowing them to offer a lower settlement.

When you hire a public adjuster, you prove you won’t be pushed around so easily. A public adjuster proves you mean business.

Charging Fair & Transparent Fees

Public adjusters, like all professionals, don’t work for free. Instead, they charge fees based on the final settlement.

Many public adjusters work on contingency: they don’t charge anything until you accept the final settlement, at which point they charge a pre-disclosed fee of the payout (typically 5% to 15% of the payout). Others charge an hourly rate or flat rate for their services.

Ultimately, many public adjusters are motivated to help you achieve the highest possible settlement because it means a higher payout for them. You and your public adjuster both get more money.

Final Word: A Good Public Adjuster Can Increase Payout 300 to 500%

A good public adjuster can change your financial future.

Instead of receiving just $100,000 for your house fire insurance claim, for example, you could receive $300,000 to $500,000. It could be the difference between downsizing or getting the home you deserve.

According to the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA), homeowners who hired a public adjuster received an average settlement of $22,266 compared to $18,659 for those without a public adjuster – a roughly 20% increase.

In many cases, public adjusters even overturn denied claims. Instead of receiving $0 for a claim, for example, you receive a fair payout.

For a no-cost consultation with an expert public adjuster, contact ClaimsMate today.

ClaimsMate’s Public adjusters are available to manage your claim from start to finish, potentially increasing your payout by a significant amount.

Stephanie Corona

Stephanie is a property insurance claim expert with over 20 years of experience working as an insurance adjuster, expert witness, appraiser and umpire. She is passionate about sharing her expertise, knowledge, tips and training to help both property owners and Public Adjusters in their pursuit of effectively managing claims and recovering the claim settlement they deserve after a loss.