Hail Damage Public Adjuster
Applying for an insurance payout in case of hail damage is not a rare thing in the states where hail is quite common. Yet, most insurers try to decrease the number of approved hail damage compensation claims as there are lots of them occurring yearly. Only in 2020, US insurance companies were forced to pay out over $2.6 billion for hail damage issues. If your insurer is tricking you by denying your hail damage claim, you may need the help of an independent expert called a hail damage public adjuster. Let's look into the nature of this pro's activity and the services they provide.
What Are the Functions of Hail Damage Public Adjusters?
Public adjusters generally act as an alternative to insurance adjusters. They also inspect damaged property in order to draw up a detailed and informative report on the existing damage and its assessment. While insurance adjusters are employed by insurance companies and protect, first of all, their interests, the functions of hail damage adjusters are much broader. Let's consider the main ones.
- Preliminary damage assessment and recording the very fact of the damage caused to your home by hail. The public adjuster thoroughly examines all the corners of the house, looking for the facts of damage and determining their exact causes. This will help you determine what has caused the damage to your roof, siding, or windows during a storm, whether it was wind, rain or hail itself. The hail damage public adjuster can tell you exactly the types of damage that must be indicated in the insurance claim.
- Assistance in drawing up documents for the insurance company. Often the reason for refusing to pay out the compensation is related to the mistakes made by an ordinary homeowner when filling out a claim and preparing supporting documents. Due to the proper qualifications and knowledge, the public adjuster knows exactly what and how to indicate in the documents, as well as how and when to submit them.
- Submission of documents to the insurance company is also considered one of the functions of the hail damage public adjuster. If, for some reason, you are afraid to communicate with the representatives of the insurance company yourself, he/she will do it for you as an official representative. Consider that this is your lawyer, just not working in the court but in the insurance company.
- Protection of your interests. If something goes wrong and the compensation rate is low, or there is no payout at all, the public adjuster can challenge this decision and get your insured issue reviewed. In 19%, it helps to increase the compensation amount even in case of hail damage.
Of course, when hiring a hail damage public adjuster, you should immediately stipulate all the powers and authority because such specialists may limit their functions or just conceal some of the possible services they can provide to clients.
Is It Profitable to Hire a Public Adjuster to Deal with a Hail Damage Claim?
As it has been mentioned above, it is really worth hiring a public adjuster to deal with your hail damage claim if you need the money to restore your property. In spite of the fact that you have to pay for these services, the profit is quite evident.
- You do not have to waste your time on personal visits to the insurer's office. This could be crucial if you are a really busy person, as you might need to delay your working routines, sometimes losing money.
- You are sure everything is OK with your claim as you avoid lots of mistakes. Besides, you get all the necessary information about your rights and policy terms.
- You will be compensated. No doubt, your insurance company will accept your claim and meet it when the public adjuster is dealing with it.
So, you can see that a hail damage public adjuster is your savior when it comes to getting money from the insurer. Moreover, in the states where hailstorms occur frequently, the lion's share of the hail damage payout is the merit of public adjusters, because insurance companies often try to refuse to pay out compensation for this particular type of damage.
The Average Cost of Hail Damage Public Adjusters' Services
The average cost of public adjusters' services may differ depending on the way the payment is charged.
- In case of specialists working hourly, the rate will be on average $24 per hour. This can be beneficial to those who need only basic services, or in the cases when the work of the hail damage public adjuster is limited to the preparation of documents.
- If you hire a public adjuster who works for a percentage of the insurance company's payment, be prepared that you will have to pay him about 10-15% of the compensation amount. You can find out the exact amount at the time of the conclusion of the contract. This hiring option is especially convenient if you want to compete for the maximum compensation and want the public adjuster to challenge the decision of the insurance company.
In any case, you will receive the compensation that will cover your needs for repairs, minus the deductible, if you are helped by a hail damage public adjuster.