Many people might be surprised that having an adjuster look at your claim is only the beginning of the insurance claim process. Remember, the field adjuster that inspects your property may not be an employee of the insurance company. They are typically independent adjusters on contract and typically are paid a set fee or percentage for each claim they handle. This is especially true during disaster situations when there are so many claims to adjust. You should ask them what firm they are with when they come to inspect your property and note how thorough they are recording your damage and if they are “listening” to you. 
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Summer is the time of the year when lightning can cause severe damage or even destroy your property. No surprises to folks in Florida, as they know we are widely regarded as the lightning capital of the U.S.  The raising heat over the Florida peninsula pulling in the cooler sea breeze later in the day often creates spectacular lightning shows followed by out of this world thunder claps. The results of these storms can be manifested in two ways, both bad. The first is life, health, and safety issues and the other is property damage resulting from lighting strikes that cause fires to buildings and destroy personal and business property. The insurance claims that follow can get quite complicated. 
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An online poll published in the Boston Globe on Saturday, showed over 70% of Bostonians are rooting to break the record snow fall of 107.6 inches. To date, they are only 2 inches shy. Who would have guessed that with all the misery from snow, ice and freezing temperatures, that folks in Boston would be in the majority and want those extra few inches to best a 124-year National Weather Service record? 

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With New England and now the eastern United States in a deep freeze from record snow and ice accumulation, remember the old saying, it’s the darkest before the dawn.  Yes, there will be a spring and it’s just around the corner according to the Old Farmers Almanac. Spring, also called the vernal equinox comes in the Northern Hemisphere on March 20^th at 6:45pm to be exact. This shouldn’t minimize the extensive property damage being caused this winter as this excellent article on Ice Dams discusses. Many of our staff are gearing up to head north in order to help current clients and work with our public adjuster partners.

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A phone call to our office today from a public adjuster colleague in Boston confirms what we all are seeing on TV. The call started out this way… “Dick as you know our firm has been in the public adjusting business for a long time and we have never seen anything like this.  We need help.” This call is from a good guy and person I have known for years and whose firm enjoys a stellar reputation.  For years we have referred clients back and forth to each other. His firm’s phones no doubt have been ringing off the hook and I suspect their email boxes are full. To my friend rest assured, the cavalry is saddling up. We can’t let a colleague and friend down.

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You can bet at any gathering of a group of Florida licensed public adjusters, the conversation will start off with the question of how many Florida public adjusters currently exist. No question about it, Florida saw an explosion in the ranks of the public adjusting profession since the big four storms of 2004, as compared to the historical record.  And this does not include the hundreds of non-resident licensed public adjusters who fly into this State to solicit and handle claims.  In the past few years however, the actual number of in-state licensed public adjusters has started a precipitous decline because of several factors.

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Here is an insurance claim question that we recently were asked to weigh in on as a contributing member of insurance claim experts for United Policyholders who advocates for property owners. 

Q. We received a question from a North Carolina consumer regarding a roof replacement due to windstorm damage. The carrier is claiming that only a "spot-repair" is required under the policy but the homeowner has requested a full replacement. This position is supported by the North Carolina Department of Insurance, yet I find scant case law to support it. Further, when I browse through the North Carolina Insurance Code, I find a reference to "like, kind, and quality" v. "functional" repairs but I'm not clear on what this means in practice. If you have had any recent experience with this type of scenario, I would be interested in your insight.

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As public adjusters, we tend to see property damage resulting in an insurance claim sometimes well after the damage has been done and errors in filing and estimating the claim or just simple lack of documentation has occurred. Fortunately, policyholders can take a number of steps to protect their property claim. A recent article by Consumer Reports: Hurricane warning: Don’t let your house insurer blow you over states that “ the policyholder needs to stand tough and stand up to make sure you get everything you’re entitled to under your policy. They point out 10 ways to do that.

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A recent article from CNN Money Damaged home? How to get an insurer to pay up states that utilizing a public adjuster can help policyholders obtain a fair recovery. As the article states, “Often, policyholders accept low-ball offers from insurers because they don't know what they're entitled to, don't realize how much repairs cost or they're just worn down.” Public adjusters are typically insurance industry veterans who understand the claims process and know how to talk the industry language. Especially with large or complicated losses or during a disaster, involving a public adjuster early in the process can help the homeowner avoid costly mistakes and subsequent denials that require legal action. 

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Q. The restoration company who repaired our home after an attic fire caused a contamination of fiberglass insulation by improperly clearing and cleaning the attic from smoke damaged insulation.  We know that the restoration company should be the one to take responsibility and maybe even use their General Liability Insurance, however instead they went out of business. We have talked to several lawyers and they say we have no recourse with our property insurance carrier.  We feel that our insurance company should take responsibility and make the restoration company who messed our home up pay to have it cleaned up properly.   Does an insurance company have to use bonded and general liability covered contractors?
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