Let’s say you live in Chandler and come home to a water heater leak located in a utility closet in your kitchen. You’re standing in a few inches of water covering your beautiful hardwood floor. You’re probably freaking out and wondering if this is even covered – and if so, will you get a fair claim settlement.
You dig out your homeowner’s insurance policy – which you’ve never had the time to read through – to locate your insurance agent’s phone number. You call your agent who, of course, empathizes with your situation and helps you get a claim filed. The claims department puts you in contact with a water remediation company to stop the leak and start getting rid of the standing water.
The hard part should be over, right? You’ve had this policy for ten years and never filed a claim before. You’ve made all your payments on time. Your expectation is that your insurance company will take good care of you in your time of need and offer you a fair claim settlement.
A “company” adjuster (one who works directly for your insurance company) or an “independent” adjuster (one who does adjusting as an independent contractor for several insurance companies) calls you up to make an appointment to come take a look at the damage. When he gets there he says “Yep, this is a covered loss.” You’re happy. Whew! You’ve dodged a bullet. Any worries you had that your claim would be denied vanish. You’re stoked. It seems like your house will be repaired right away and life will get back to normal again.
In a few days, you receive a scope of damages estimate and an offer from the adjuster. You look it over and think … geez, what am I looking at here? I’m not a contractor. I’m not an engineer. How do I know if this is right and if I’m getting a fair claim settlement? If you’re asking yourself these questions, then you’re on the right track – because the truth is that unless you’re experienced in handling insurance claims (as an adjuster, a contractor, or an engineer), you really have no idea if what your insurance company is offering you is a fair claim settlement.
Think of it this way: Imagine you were involved in a car accident and the guy who hit you was drunk and completely at fault. Imagine if you filed a lawsuit and took this guy to court (as often happens with auto accidents). You would want your own representation in court, right? Would you accept it if the other guy’s insurance company appointed your attorney? Someone who was on their payroll? Of course not. Well, accepting a settlement offer from an adjuster who’s on the payroll of your insurance company isn’t a whole lot different. I’m not implying the company adjuster is dishonest. I’m only saying that it’s in his best interest to minimize the settlement. He’s not going to look for everything you may be entitled to. You need someone on your side representing your interests in the claim. You need a “public” adjuster – an insurance adjuster who represents only the policyholder’s interest in the claim.
When you retain our firm to represent you in a property damage claim, you know that our estimates are thoroughly written – not leaving any money on the table that should rightfully be included in your settlement. What exactly do I mean?
Well, let’s take the above water damage claim. We have represented Arizona policyholders in many water damage claims. The most common things that are left out of the company adjuster’s scope are things like removing drywall that has been exposed to water. Wet drywall is a breeding ground for micro-organisms (or the big M word in the insurance industry: mold). Do you want to live in a house that has wet drywall? I know I don’t. There are many such items that the insurance companies are very content to let you live with (warped baseboards and cabinets, not including money to paint when drywall and baseboards have to be replaced, debris removal when there’s a lot of tear out involved … and the list goes on and on.
When you work with one of our public adjusters, you’ll know that your claim has been maximized to get you every dime you’re entitled to and a fair claim settlement.
