WE REPRESENT THE INSURED ONLY!
HIRE AN EXPERT ON YOUR SIDE EARLY! DON'T BE REACTIVE TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY. BE PROACTIVE!
What is a Public Insurance Adjuster?
Public Insurance Adjusters, sometimes referred to as Private Insurance Adjusters, are licensed professionals that are experts in insurance that represent YOU, the policyholder. Public Adjusters do not work for the insurance carrier, they only work for you.
Public Insurance Adjusters are trained to understand the insurance policy down to the finest of details. This helps to ensure that the policy purchased dictates how the loss is handled and not the insurance company's “guidelines” for handling the claim. The policy is the contract that ensures you get everything that you are owed for on your insurance claim. A public insurance adjuster will effectively negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf since their interests are aligned with yours.
What is the difference between an insurance adjuster and a public insurance adjuster?
An insurance adjuster works for the insurance company. Insurance adjusters are sent out by the insurance company typically at the beginning of the claims process once the insurance claim has been filed by the insured. Their job is to adjust the insurance claim on behalf of the insurance company. The insurance adjuster is assigned to inspect the damages reported by the insured and determine the total cost that the insurance company is going to owe for the loss.
There are 2 main types of insurance adjusters: staff adjusters and independent adjusters. Both staff adjusters and independent adjusters can be referred to as field adjusters or desk adjusters depending on which part of the claim process they are working.
Staff adjusters sometimes referred to as company adjusters are directly employed as employees of the insurance company.
Independent adjusters also called IAs are contracted by the insurance company typically through third-party adjusting firms. Independent adjusters are typically seen the most after major events like major storms, hurricanes, or floods and when there aren't enough staff adjusters to handle the volume of claims.
Public insurance adjusters are licensed to negotiate with the carrier's insurance adjuster on your behalf so that you do not have to handle your entire claim personally. A key difference between the two is who is responsible for hiring each party. The policyholder is responsible for hiring the public adjusting firm or public adjuster directly and they are not sent out by the insurance carrier.
A public adjuster is proficient in reading and understanding insurance policies with insight to find coverage that might otherwise be overlooked on your insurance claim. Public adjusters are trained to thoroughly inspect for all of the damages caused by the loss and help to determine the total claim amount that needs to be presented to the insurance company. Public adjusters can also help you fulfill all of your duties after a loss so that you are in compliance with the terms of your policy.
My insurance company said that my claim is denied!
What can I do?
If your claim has been denied or you received a settlement that simply doesn't cover the cost of your repairs then we encourage you to call us immediately to get a second opinion. Our team of licensed public adjusters can review your unique situation and help determine what options are available to you.
3 Reasons Why You Should Hire A Public Insurance Adjuster
Save Time
Dealing with insurance companies can be a very time-consuming task. Most people do not have the extra time in their busy schedule to deal with the back and forth process of dealing with insurance companies, let alone properly documenting their loss. It is wise to hire a professional public adjusting firm to take this burden off of your plate.
Optimize Your Settlement
Hiring a professional on your side who understands the policy language and the ins and outs of the insurance company is the best way to ensure that you get the money you are entitled to.
Less Stress
Whether it is for your business or home insurance claim, dealing with the insurance company and their insurance claims adjusters can be a stressful process. Hiring the public adjusters at ProActive Claims to deal with your insurance company for you can greatly reduce your stress!
Types of claims we handle
The licensed public insurance adjusters at ProActive Claims have experience handling all types of commercial, industrial, residential, and personal property damage claims. Some of the types of claims we handle include:
- Wind / Hail
- Hurricane / Tornado
- Water Damage
- Fire / Smoke Damage
- Flood
- Collapse
- Theft / Vandalism
- Business Interruption Losses / Lost Business Income
Get Help on Your Claim Now!
Frequently Asked Questions
It is best to hire a public adjuster as soon as possible after a loss and prior to filing your claim with the insurance company. Typically it takes more time to play catch up on an existing claim than if the public adjuster/public adjusting firm was engaged prior to filing the claim. We understand that this is not always possible. If you have already filed an insurance claim, don't worry we can still help you. Contact us today so that we can review your claim situation and determine if you are receiving a fair settlement. If you have not received your insurance claims adjuster's estimate we can still review your policy and assess your situation.
Absolutely! We have helped with many homeowners insurance claims. Even on smaller claims, it is best to seek advice from an experienced public adjuster to make sure you are not leaving money on the table. If there isn't anything that we can do to help or it doesn't benefit your situation we will be upfront and let you know.
Most insurance policies require that the insured give the insurer "prompt notice" after a loss. It is also in the insureds best interest to get the process moving forward as soon as possible. That said each claim is different, contact the public adjusters at ProActive Claims today so we can review your situation.
Our team of licensed public adjusters has worked on behalf of the insured with all of the major insurance carriers as well as many of the smaller insurance companies. We would be happy to discuss your claim situation with you. Call today for an appointment.
You need to get a copy of your insurance policy. To determine the basic totals you can review your declarations page. In order to determine all of the additional limits, you would need to read through the entire policy. This is something that one of our licensed public adjusters can assist you with.
Most public adjusters charge a fee percentage of the settlement amount adjusted from the carrier. This is beneficial for the insured since it is performance-based and keeps the insured from getting charged if the public adjuster is unable to perform. This amount is typically capped by state law at 10% of the total replacement cost value of the claim. When hiring a public adjuster the signed contract will detail all the fees and any additional expenses associated with your claim. Contact our office today and we would be happy to review your claim situation with you to see if there is anything we can do to help you out.
Yes. One of the public adjuster's main responsibilities is to deal directly with your insurance company and help save you time, hassle, and frustration dealing with the claim process. When you hire a public adjuster you will sign a document that lists the details of your claim and policy. This document will also have a list of items that the public adjuster will be requesting from your insurance company's adjuster, notifying them that the public adjuster is working on your behalf. The public adjuster will typically send the signed document to the claims adjuster once the claims process starts.
Yes! Public adjusters work to get you everything that you are owed under the policy so that you can hire whichever contractor(s) you feel will complete the repairs best. Public adjusters are able to prepare the cost estimates for the repairs but are not able to complete the repairs for you or hire the contractor to start the repairs. We can always make recommendations if needed but the decision on whom to hire is up to you.
There are certainly times when it does not make sense to hire a public adjuster. For example, if all of your policy limits have been paid and you are just underinsured then likely there isn't anything that hiring a public adjusting firm would be able to do to help your situation. We are happy to discuss your individual claim situation with you and see if there is anything that we can do to help. If we are unable to help we will let you know and give you any advice that we can to help you out.
Insurance agents are trained in selling you insurance products that fit your needs. There is only so much that they can do to help you once you have any issues with your claim. If your agent works for one of the major carriers then typically their interests are aligned with the company and not yours. When you choose to hire a public adjuster their interest are aligned with yours and this help ensure that you get everything that you are owed under your policy.
Public adjusters are not able to get you anything that you are not owed already under your policy. The policy is the contract that dictates how the loss is supposed to be handled. A study done by OPAGA (Office of Public and Governmental Affairs) showed that policyholders that hired public adjusters received over 700% more for their claims than the policyholders that did not. Since a public adjuster works handling claims day regularly they understand all of the ins and outs of the claim process.
A public adjusting firm is a public adjusting business that is typically made up of multiple public adjusters and support staff who all work for the company. When you hire a public adjusting firm like ProActive Claims you are getting access to more than one public adjuster who works as a team to better assist you with your claim. This can be especially beneficial if the primary public adjuster gets sick, goes on vacation, has an emergency, or has other scheduling conflicts that might otherwise delay reinspections with the carrier adjuster.
Yes. In all states that we currently operate public adjusting is regulated by the department of insurance for that state. The department of insurance sets requirements for licensing, bonding, contracts, continuing education, etc. You can typically find out if the public adjuster and or public adjusting firm you are speaking with is licensed in your state by searching the state name plus "public adjuster license lookup" or you can just call the department of insurance for your state.
