Filing home insurance claims to an insurance company can be stressful. A lot of claims are handled by adjusters that are employed at the homeowner’s insurance company. There is another option for insurance claims processing to be less stressful though. This is to hire a public adjuster Los Angeles professional that can handle the work on the homeowner’s behalf.
This article can help homeowners to understand the insurance claims processing to decide if hiring a public adjuster Los Angeles professional is the right choice.
Insurance Adjuster vs. Public Adjuster Los Angeles
The work of an insurance adjuster is to investigate home and car insurance claims. They decide if the homeowner’s or car owner’s insurance company will have to pay for the loss. Adjusters are by default employed by the homeowner’s insurance firm or provider as opposed to public adjuster Los Angeles professionals personally hired by homeowners. When a homeowner files for a claim, an insurance adjuster is assigned to the case of the homeowner to find out the extent of loss or damage as well as how much the insurance gives as a payout based on the claim policy.
During the investigation process, the claim adjuster may talk to the homeowner or other parties and witnesses. They also gather evidence and inspect records pertinent to the insurance claim. After this, the insurance adjuster verifies the claim and comes up with the amount that the insurance company is required to pay the homeowner.
Claim adjusters can be divided into 3 categories:
- Staff Adjuster Los Angeles – these kinds of adjusters are employees of the insurance firm as opposed to public adjusters Los Angeles professionals
- Independent Adjuster Los Angeles – they are the adjusters that are often hired by insurance companies during periods when there is a high volume of claims i.e. after a catastrophic typhoon
- Public Adjuster Los Angeles – they are the adjusters that work exclusively on the side of the homeowner or policyholder as they are not employed by the insurance company
In fairness to them, the insurance company will try to settle all the claims reasonably. But there may be times when the homeowners disagree with the settlement they receive or that the insurance claim may be complicated enough to garner some outside assistance.
Why Hire a Public Adjuster Los Angeles
A lot of insurance claims are tried to be settled outright by staff adjusters – the insurance company’s claims representatives and are employed them. If a fast influx of claims comes in simultaneously like what could happen after a hurricane or some other natural disaster, the insurance company may opt to tap the services of independent adjusters to work on their behalf.
If insurance claims are particularly complex or entail large damage, and the homeowner does not agree with the initial settlement outcome by the staff adjuster or independent adjuster, then a reliable public adjuster Los Angeles professional may be hired by the homeowner to help. A public adjuster Los Angeles works on the behalf of the homeowner, and not the insurance companies.
It is helpful for the homeowner to hire a public adjuster in Los Angeles when:
- The homeowner does not have the time and/or skill to handle the insurance claim
- The homeowner has suffered a big or complicated damage or loss
- The homeowner doesn’t agree with the insurance company’s decision made by their staff adjuster and would like some outside opinion on the damages
Nevertheless, employing the services of a public adjuster Los Angeles is not without its disadvantages:
- Some public adjuster Los Angeles firms can be expensive to hire and homeowners will most likely have to pay out of their pockets.
- As public adjuster Los Angeles professionals are authorized by the homeowners to be their representatives to the insurance company, the homeowners may find themselves losing a degree of control over their claim.
A large chunk of claims is handled adequately by staff and independent insurance adjusters. If the homeowner feels the need to hire a public adjuster Los Angeles, they may want to reach out to California’s Department of Insurance for recommendations and further queries.
How Much Public Adjuster Los Angeles Professionals Charge for Their Services
When homeowners decide to hire a public adjuster Los Angeles specialist, they will have to pay a fee. There are no set standard fees for public adjuster Los Angeles firms and the price for their services will vary from one professional to another. Chances are, homeowners may have to pay a flat rate fee to public adjuster Los Angeles professionals or they may be to pay a percentage of the final claim payout. If a homeowner is considering hiring a public adjuster Los Angeles professional, they need to keep in mind that they will have to pay for their services while sticking with the staff and independent insurance adjusters care of the insurance company comes at no expense to them.
How to Choose Public Adjust Los Angeles Professionals to Hire
Because public adjuster Los Angeles professionals work on behalf of the homeowners, they will be the best ones to choose who to work with. The insurance company will not so much care as to recommend anyone. Consider the following steps when looking to hire public adjuster Los Angeles professionals:
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Consult families and friends and fish for recommendations
Homeowners should ask their family and friends for their recommended public adjuster Los Angeles if they have experience with them before. If none of the have ever employed a public adjuster Los Angeles, they could be asked if they knew someone who has.
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Look over at the NAPIA website
The NAPIA or National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters is an organization with a database of professional claim adjusters including public adjuster Los Angeles professionals with at least 2 years of experience. Homeowners can find trustworthy claim adjusters and filter the list by several categories.
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Shortlist candidates for the best public adjuster Los Angeles
Once the homeowner has narrowed down the list, they might want to screen these identified trustworthy public adjuster Los Angeles specialists. Homeowners may want to contact their references and previous client and inquire if the specialist was credible, timely, and of assistance. Also, homeowners looking to hire public adjusters in Los Angeles might want to verify the credentials of these specialists by contacting their accrediting body.
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Get hold of the California insurance office
States regulate or give licenses to public adjusters and public adjuster Los Angeles professionals are not exemption. If the state does, contacting them to find out the reputation of the shortlisted candidate is ideal.
