What is a Public Adjuster?

By: Wade George, Licensed Public Insurance Adjuster, Authentic Adjustment LLC

​A Public Adjuster is an expert property claims handler. They are not an employee of the Insurance company; instead, they are hired by the policyholder (homeowner or business owner) to advocate on the policyholder’s behalf. The Public Adjuster assists and negotiates every detail of the claim. Public Adjusters are insured, bonded, and state licensed professionals. They are skilled, experienced, and trained to interpret policies, document and evaluate damages, and negotiate claim settlements.

2. What do Public Adjuster’s do?
A Public Adjuster exclusively serves the client, not the insurance company. We negotiate and work tirelessly on your behalf to get you the money you are entitled to for your claim. We inspect the loss site, analyze the damages, assemble claim support data, review the insured’s coverage, and determine current replacement costs. Public Adjuster’s provide services on a full-time and professional basis adjusting first-party property claims for owners of fixed properties (residential, commercial, industrial, or institutional) that are damaged by covered causes. This also includes financial losses involving business interruption, rental income, improvements, and additional expenses. Public Adjusters work for you to itemize the loss, figure out how much money it will take to do the repairs or rebuild, and negotiate the settlement.

3. Why would anyone need a Public Adjuster?
Our work is complicated and takes a great deal of talent, experience, and skill. If your property recently suffered damage from a pipe break, a fire, hurricane, or some other situation, now is not the best time to learn on the fly about how to properly present an insurance claim. Public Adjusters take over for you when you’re lost, overwhelmed, or simply don’t have the time to deal with the claims process. The policyholder is responsible for proving the extent of the loss to the insurance company. No matter how organized you and your documentation may be, filing and receiving payment on a claim is a time consuming and tedious process. Our years of experience and the systems we have in place make it a better use of time to have us handle things for you.

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