Why You Should Hire a Public Adjuster before Settling

BEFORE YOU SETTLE YOUR HOMEOWNER INSURANCE CLAIM – Should you Hire a Public Adjuster?

The average home or business owner will file 4 insurance claims in a lifetime.  At Advocate Claims, we do 4 before lunch and more after.  We lost count a long time ago on the total number of claims that we have filed.  We have proudly and competently filed thousands of insurance claims in Florida.

We do a great deal of fishing in Florida.  We have a ready supply of some of the best fish on earth, year round.  Imagine being told that you were responsible for taking over a commercial fishing vessel tomorrow morning.  Would you come back to the dock at the end of the day with a record breaking catch?  Or is it more likely that you would have a Forest Gump moment, being lucky to catch anything more than a shoe?  We submit to you and our ability to handle an insurance claim expertly, is just as limited as your sudden Commercial Skipper duty success.  We also remind you that your insurance company knows this, and is counting on your lack of insurance claim experience.

Your insurance company often wants to settle your claim for an amount that is less than you need for repairs.

The first offer you get will almost always be lower than we can accomplish while acting as your Public Adjuster.

Why can we bring more money to most claims when compared to the offer that your insurance company makes?

1. Advocate Claims provides scopes and estimates of damages, in detailed insurance language. This is language that most insured business and homeowners will never possess.  We detail items that should be covered and are often missed by the insurance industry.
2. We understand the legal constraints faced by insurance companies in responding timely to claims, and responding to specific areas of the policy; which are the agreement on how things should be handled and covered.
3. We have handled thousands of insurance claims just like yours.  Our experience dramatically changes the outcome of your claim.
4. We have relationships in the industry, built over time, which allows us to overcome insurance claim delays.

Recently, we were called into a claim very late in the process.  A homeowner in South Beach asked us to review her insurance company offer before settling her family’s home insurance claim. 

The letter offered the family $46,245.  Attached to the claim was a 24 page document that covers 146 lines of items for services, listed by room.  If this sounds boring and tedious, it is because it is for most home owners. Our staff writes these same types of documents, and knows them inside and out.  We call it “insurance language” for this reason; it is difficult to follow.

The owner was ready to take the offer and had a thought to reach out for a second opinion.  This is some of what we found:

• The Insurance Company did not include: Refinishing 1,200 square-feet of flooring, construction cleaning, insulation, and missed the quality of the baseboards and doors being replaced. This was what we found in the first few minutes of review.
• The Insurance Company did not include or offer to pay for the time the owners had to live in a hotel, because the house was not habitable due to the insured damage condition. These costs were over $6,500 and did not include food costs, which should have been covered by the insurance.
• The Insurance Company missed replacement of any belongings in three of the affected rooms. This estimate alone was over $8,000, but would need additional documentation to cover completely.

We completed a quick review and found no less then $30,000 in additional funds that should be allowed under the Florida Homeowners Insurance Policy held by our customer.   Upon further query, we learned that the homeowner had plans to get a loan for additional money to repair the home and replace damaged personal property.

This is not a rare situation, but one that we find less often at Advocate Claims, while acting as the Public Adjuster for countless Florida Insurance Claims.  We were able to help in this client’s case, but would have likely been able to shorten the entire process if we had been called in earlier.

Your insurance company wants you to take a low settlement for your Florida Homeowners Insurance Claim.  Only a Public Adjuster works strictly for you in the insurance claim process.  Advocate Claims, acting as a skilled Florida Public Adjuster, has the accolades of many.  Learn more here (insert links)

We stand ready to handle any kind of claim: Wind, Water, Mold, Tree Damage, Plumbing leaks, vandalism, fire, and all other property insurance perils.  Each of these types of insurance claims have special characteristics and knowledge which Advocate Claims can address, with success.