You've suffered a bad loss, you're going to be down a lot of money no matter what because of your deductible, and on top of that, now you have to deal with a home insurance adjuster who could offer you a lowball claim and try to pay you as little as possible. That's an expected outcome with insurance claim adjusters who work for the insurance companies. You and they are naturally at odds because they're looking out for the insurance companies and not you. How do you deal with home insurance claim adjusters? There's a few critical bits of information that you have to know to make the right decision and get the best outcome for yourself. When dealing with homeowners insurance adjusters, it's important to remember who they look out for (unless they're public adjusters) and keep that in mind as you interact.
What is a Home Insurance Claims Adjuster?
They're an agent sent by a company, or by the public, to investigate the claim you made and look into it to make sure it's legitimate. They are also the ones who generally determine how much the damages are and what kind of coverage and payout you can expect to receive. This is why public insurance claim adjusters take a cut. Private ones don't, because public ones don't have the company's interests at heart as private ones do. Private insurance adjusters can lowball your claim and reduce the payout that the insurance company has to give, which is excellent for the company but bad for you. Public insurance claim adjusters will provide you with a fair shake but take a cut. You can pick your poison, but sometimes, with private adjusters lowballing you, you have to go public.
How to Negotiate
It's important to remember that you don't have to take whatever offer they give you, even though you can get lowballed. You can reject it and ask for a better sum or negotiate with a public agent. When dealing with home insurance claim adjusters, it's also imperative to remember that you have the upper hand when it comes to negotiations. If you know your case is good, and the facts are in your favor, you can master your case and present it in the best possible light. The insurance adjuster, however, has many cases they have to manage throughout the days and weeks. They'll only be spending a fraction of their time looking at and researching yours. Even though they're experts on the cases, you can be the expert on your case. This will help you when it comes to securing the highest possible payout that you can get.
Results You Can Expect
While success isn't always guaranteed, if your claim is legitimate and you have your facts straight, everything should have a good chance of going better than it would otherwise. This goes double if you go with a public adjuster instead of a private one what works for your insurer. While you might not always get the maximum payment, by presenting the facts and knowing your rights, and pointing out all of the damages to the insurance claims adjuster, they should be able to give you an accurate measure of the injuries and get you a fair amount of money when the payout comes through, as long as your claim is accepted.Remember also not to settle the claim too quickly and be careful not to let them record any statements or sign documents without fully understanding them. You should be able to get the best possible payment using all of these tips.