
If you have suffered significant damage to your home or business, the first step in the insurance claims process may be to identify who can help you. If you are looking for an adjuster to help you with your insurance claim, the difference between an independent adjuster and a public adjuster can be very confusing. The professional roles these two play in the claims process are quite opposite.
Independent Adjusters
An independent adjuster sounds like exactly what it’s not. This type of adjuster is not in fact independent in any way, and works under contract for an insurance company. Their job is to represent their employer, only looking out for the rights of the insurance carrier. An independent adjuster does not and cannot work on behalf of an individual insurance policyholder. The stated goal of independent adjusters is to promote the general welfare of the insurance industry.
Independent adjusters are paid by insurance companies to adjust the claim on their behalf. They maintain a license that only allows them to work for an insurer and not for an insured. Insurance companies keep staff adjusters in-house and/or contract with independent adjusters to handle certain claims.
Public Adjusters
Public adjusters hold public insurance licenses to work for policyholders only. Currently, 44 states and the District of Columbia have a statutory and/or regulatory setup to license public adjusters. Public adjusters work exclusively for policyholders and do not work for insurance companies or have any ties to insurance companies.
Claimants hire public adjusters to help document, expedite, file their claim, and to assist them through the entire claims process. A public adjuster can help ensure that the appraisal of residential or commercial property is appropriate for the damage sustained. So why doesn’t every insurance claimant hire a public adjuster? The cost of hiring outside experts like public adjusters is an added financial burden borne entirely by an already financially strapped policyholder. Most public adjusters charge a fee equal to 10% of the value of the claim, and a good one can easily make up that difference.
Raizner Slania Has Relationships With Adjusters Across The Country
Our attorneys have years of experience examining insurance policies to determine the intricacies of various forms of coverage to determine what our clients may be owed. Insurance companies can be resistant to their policyholders’ claims. If you are facing an insurance company who is denying your claim or not giving you the full compensation you are owed under your policy, contact Raizner Slania today.