Insurance companies hire and train their own adjusters to minimize your loss. You need an Insurance Claim Advocate to maximize your settlement. With over 25 years of experience, we're ready to fight for you. Here are 5 reasons to hire an Insurance Claim Advocate.
5 Reasons to Hire an Insurance Claim Advocate
1. Get the Best Possible Return.
Most insurers are careful to minimize their customers' fears and do their best to set a tone of cooperation, particularly in the initial stages of a claim. It is all too common to find, as the process unfolds, that your request for payment to cover the contractor's proposed repair cost falls on deaf ears when you learn that your insurer's estimate isn't sufficient to cover these costs. Many people are at a loss when they find that the insurer's 36-page estimate is offered up as proof that the repairs can be completed for substantially less than your repair contractor's one-page proposal. It can be quite a shock.
A competent Insurance Claim Advocate/Public Adjuster can ferret out the areas of disagreement and facilitate a fair resolution.
2. Peace of Mind.
The cleaner says that soot and odor can be safely removed from your home's interior finishes and furnishings after a fire, but you are concerned about recourse if odor returns.
The General Contractor won't have repairs completed for 6 months, but the insurer will only pay your temporary living costs for 3 months. Can they do that?
You have "Replacement Cost" coverage, but the insurer withholds depreciation. Is this fair?
A capable Advocate can provide you with answers to all of these questions and ensure your interest is well represented.
3. Having an Insurance Expert on Your Side.
A well qualified Advocate has worked within the insurance industry and is intimately familiar with insurance coverage and regulatory requirements. There may be statutory requirements that are in addition to (or supersede) those set forth in your policy.
Not every Advocate (or licensed Public Adjuster) is equally qualified in this regard so you need to ask the right questions before choosing an advocate. Find out if your Advocate is also a CPCU (Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter).
4. Presenting the Right Claim.
Most people are not in a position to prepare the kind of detailed repair estimate and contents inventory necessary to document their claim. Insurers largely rely on estimating protocol that isn't widely recognized by the contracting world and the burdensome task of identifying, documenting and pricing thousands of damaged business or personal property items is overwhelming.
A skilled Advocate can prepare an estimate using the insurer's protocol and develop a detailed inventory worksheet that ensures none of your property is underpriced, or falls through the cracks.
5. Understanding Your Rights and Duties.
In the case of larger claims, adjusters often have no authority to issue payments or even to reach an agreement with you. Getting approval from authorized representatives within the insurance company can result in long delays.
Most policies have provisions that dictate a reasonable time frame within which insurers need to respond, but certain of these requirements may only be triggered by the presentation of formal documentation.