What Does a Public Adjuster Do?
Article by Neal McLoughlin
Well before I answer that question, it is first necessary to explain all the participants and represented parties connected with an Insurance Claim. You have the insured who purchased the insurance policy to safe guard their property and contents from any damage that might occur. You have the producer or agent that sold the insured the policy. The agent can be either captive or independent. You have the In- House claims adjuster not required to be licensed or certified or bonded or insured. You have an independent adjuster who is called independent because they can work for a variety of insurance carriers but never for the benefit of the insured homeowner or property owner. And finally, you have the Public Adjuster who is required to show a level of competency by sitting for and passing a state licensure, keeping updated by attending mandator trainings and demonstrating the continuing ducatoon that they have attained every 2 years and finally being required to have ethics training, something that the staff adjuster and most independent adjusters are not required to do. As well as being Bonded.
Now since the staff adjuster is employed by and looks out for
the interests of their employer as does the independent adjuster. Who is left to represent and be an advocate for the homeowner or property owner. That’s right the Public Adjuster you have been paying attention after all. Yes, the Public Adjuster, usually the only party to the claim who is licensed in most cases, the only party who has to maintain licensing and bonding and who can be punished for acting unprofessional by losing their license. The other party’s staff and independent adjuster have no license to lose. Hence no repercussions.
Now since we know who a public adjuster is as opposed to the staff adjuster and independent adjuster (remember still working for and exclusively paid by the insurance company). Let us answer the question Just What Does a Public Adjuster Do?
The Public Adjuster works for you the insured. They can be called to handle all manner of property damage and loss by fire, water, storms such as hail and wind or just general vandalism to name a few.
They ensure your claim is handled in a timely manner and you do not miss deadlines, file proper forms which by the very nature of insurance can be confusing and filled with legal terminology. They understand policy and interpret the policy, make a qualified assessment of the loss and damage sustained as well as the loss of use of the damaged property. They employ data bases and utilize proprietary software when estimating the loss using Xactimate, Simsol, or Symbility for accurate pricing of both materials and labor. When necessary, they seek out specialty items bids for ornate artisan work that needed. They document the claim in images and video as well as specialized equipment that measures for moisture content, charring, mold, unseen damage using infrared cameras, drones for aerial views as well as core sampling when necessary to ensure a proper investigation has been conducted on your behalf. They expertly negotiate the claim and most importantly they never work for insurance company’s so there is no conflict of interest.
About the author Mr. Neal McLoughlin is a licensed Public Adjuster in multiple states and has handled claims for over 20 years. He holds several professional designations and certifications from a variety of professional organizations. He is the founder of Property Claims Loss and sits on the Executive Board of the Appraisal and Umpire Association. He can be reached at (773) 497-2856 or via email at LossAssist@gmail.com or Neal@PropertyClaimsLoss.com