United Adjusters Web Log

A public adjuster is an insurance claims adjuster who is licensed and certified by the Department of Insurance to work exclusively for the benefit of the policy holder.

Have an insurance claim and not sure what to do?  Are you getting the run-around from the insurance company?  Do you have questions about your property insurance policy?  Want to know what your rights are?  We may be able to help.  Please post your questions and we will publish a response as soon as possible.  Thank you!

No. The public adjusting profession is permitted by the legislature and regulated by the Department of Insurance. It would be a serious violation if any insurance company would discriminate against you in any way for exercising a right given to you by the state legislature.

If you are substantially underinsured and it is quite obvious that you will obtain the limits of your policy you likely will not need our services. In some instances, it is ethically and legally impermissible for a public adjuster to take a claim.  However, many people make a serious error by not seeking professional assistance. The earlier we are involved in a claim, the smoother the adjusting process generally proceeds. The insurance company often will not take certain positions when we are involved that they may try to take when we are not. In addition, it takes a great amount of work to determine exactly what is fair, and most people simply do not have the necessary expertise to determine whether or not a company’s offer is fair and accurate. Unfortunately, we see many people who handle their own claims accept what we know are clearly low offers, compromising their claim for literally pennies on the dollar. We have also found quite often that the longer a person waits, the more stress and duress he or she is under. Every day many people accept substandard offers just to get the bad experience over with. This is not the best position to be in when you try to negotiate your claim. Bad settlements need not happen.

All of our claims are conducted and concluded in the spirit of professionalism and mutual respect with representatives of the insurance company. If the company does not want to be reasonable, we will under no circumstances capitulate to any unreasonable demands or positions they take. If there are any problems or delays in your claim, they are the same problems which would exist whether or not we are involved. We, however, because of our experience would know the best way to minimize certain problems or delays, and often, just by our involvement, many problems are avoided before they develop. While some unethical adjusters may discourage you from employing a Public Adjuster (who is licensed and certified by the Department of Insurance), statistics are quite clear that Public Adjusters, almost without exception, assist in obtaining extremely higher settlements for the Insured, not to mention the time and turmoil the Insured is saved. It is beyond dispute that if any adjuster or agent prefers that you do not hire a public adjuster, it cannot possibly be your interest they have in mind.

You probably bought your insurance from your agent or broker because of friendship or salesmanship. While the agent’s expertise is in connection with the marketing of insurance policies, he or she does not have the expertise or the obligation to render adjusting services. In many instances where the agent becomes involved, the insurance company will demand that the agent steer clear of the adjustment process. When it is all said and done, agents cannot do much to help. Agents cannot in good conscience (and most likely legally), adjust a claim. Many people are shocked when they learn that most agents are paid an annual bonus if their claims are kept below a certain percent, known in the industry as the profit/loss ratio bonus. This naturally creates an undisclosed conflict of interest. With the agent having a personal financial interest in your claim, the more he or she helps you, the more he or she hurts himself or herself. However, agents who are aware of our professionalism and expertise, and who have the interest of the insured in mind, will never discourage them from employing our services. In fact, they often highly recommend us, as they, themselves, have utilized our services many times after being a victim of a loss. Beware of anyone who advises you not to seek assistance from someone with our successful track record who works exclusively for you and your benefit.

Your public adjuster will expertly analyze and assess your insurance policy, the damages to your property, prepare necessary inventories, detail, document and present your claim to the insurance company.  Essentially, the public adjuster demonstrates your loss and effectively negotiates your settlement. This removes the burden from the insured at a most stressful period of time.

Public Adjusters are used by individuals and all types of businesses and professionals, including banks, accountants, attorneys, and even insurance adjusters and agents on their own losses. Once a person has experienced the benefits of our services, they will rarely attempt to settle a claim without our assistance.

No. We are not paid until money is collected from the Insurance Company. In fact, we spend our money and our time helping to document and process your claim before we are paid anything.  There really is no risk to using a public adjuster, who must devote time, money and effort to your claim before receiving compensation.

Invariably, use of a public adjuster will result in a better claim settlement. The more thorough and complete your claim, the higher the settlement. We meticulously inspect the loss site and properly evaluate and characterize the damage. On severe losses where much of the inventory is destroyed beyond recognition or obliterated, we use a variety of computer checklists to help us recap with you, on a room-by-room basis, what was in the property at the time of the loss. By using our highly refined methodology, reconstruction of a total inventory is surprisingly accurate. Studies have clearly demonstrated that most inventories compiled by the Insured are very incomplete, resulting in a lower settlement.