Dealing with a home insurance adjuster is a standard part of claiming after
a loss. However, if you have treated a claims adjuster, the procedure
can be overwhelming. Is the adjuster hoping for a mistake? How to optimize
the insurance company's payout? What things do you expect covered?
Today, we answer all these questions and explain how to manage the insurance
company's home insurance adjuster.
Suppose you decide whether to call for an insurance claim. It is necessary
to understand the next steps in the procedure to manage the company claims
adjuster properly and discuss the insurance claim.
AN INDEPENDENT INSURANCE ADJUSTER?
Your business hires adjusters. An adjuster's objective is to assess
the claim and determine how much money the insurance provider would payout.
Remember that the independent insurance adjuster is the insurance company's
paid employee or independent contractor. Like any good employee, the adjuster
aims to protect the insurance company's bottom line. From a financial
standpoint, insurance firms tend to pay the least amount they are legally
bound to pay.
An insurance company can call an analyst, a delegate, or some other title.
However, whatever they call their adjuster, their main task is usually
the same: to review your claim and close it for as little money as possible.
This also results in homeowners disagreeing with the insurance adjuster
and suspecting a low estimate.
If you need help from an insurance adjuster or a fair determination and
resolution of your claim, a lawyer can provide invaluable expertise and
assistance.
HOW TO DEAL WITH THE HOME INSURANCE PROVIDER'S ADJUSTER
Negotiating with your home insurance company's adjuster does not threaten
you. Many insurance providers offer a low initial offer, as they expect
the insured policyholder to bargain or employ a lawyer.
They could give you a low initial offer if you reject it.
Delivering a low initial bid is an insurance provider win-win scenario.
If you refuse it, they might have another, more appropriate bid.
If you agree, the insurance provider prevents a drawn-out arbitration
phase while saving money. There are two critical things to consider
while negotiating with your home insurance adjuster:
Your insurance provider must behave in good faith.
When you buy the insurance company's home insurance policy, you sign
a collective contract. The policy allows the insurance provider to cover
some forms of losses. If an insurance provider refuses to pay any damages
to be protected, deliberately stalled, or failing to thoroughly investigate
your claim, the provider can act in bad faith. Insurance firms in bad
faith are responsible for claims. For insurance firms, litigation can
be very costly, and they usually do whatever they can to prevent a lawsuit.
You have the upper hand.
Usually, a home insurance adjuster manages multiple insurance claims regularly.
You have the upper hand, though, since you have one argument to handle:
your assertion. It would help if you were your claim expert.
Use your experience when negotiating with your home insurance adjuster.
WHAT DO TALKS FAIL?
In a perfect world, your home insurance adjuster would offer a fair and
reasonable settlement based on the damage to your home, and you would
accept that offer and move forward with restoration, recovery, and repairs.
Homeowner Negotiating With Insurance Claims Lawyer
Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world, and home insurance
negotiations can quickly get messy. It's expected that people disagree
and believe the estimate of the home insurance adjuster is too low.
You need to determine what to do if you disagree with the insurance adjuster.
You needn't consider the insurance company's first bid. However,
if the insurance company continues to decline your claim or refuses to
cover certain damages, then it may be time to decide to hire an attorney.
If you're feeling lost, taken advantage of, or need help figuring out
the next best steps for your insurance claim, let us know, and we will
be happy to help.
Free consultations are available.
TIPS FOR DEALING WITH A HOME INSURANCE ADJUSTER
Here are other tips to remember when dealing with a home insurance adjuster:
- Avoid giving the adjuster a recorded statement
- Avoid speaking to the adjuster unless necessary, and consider having a
friend or, better yet, your lawyer assist when communicating with the adjuster
- Avoid signing any documents from the insurance adjuster until you have
reviewed and fully understand everything it contains
- Don't settle your insurance claim too quickly
- Consider hiring an attorney if negotiations are stalled or if you believe
your insurance company is acting in bad faith
- Remember that what you say can hurt you; insurance adjusters have a long
history of negotiating claims with clients, and a single recorded statement
can impact your final insurance payout (this is more common for personal
injury claims and car accident cases, but it can also be a problem in
homeowners insurance cases)
- Don't go overboard with your negotiation tactics; when the adjuster
is from your own insurance company, then you're required to cooperate
with that adjuster
- If the payout offer from your insurance company seems unreasonably low,
then ask for further justification on the short amount; ask them to itemize
the damages and provide the facts behind their numbers
- Once a settlement is finally reached, make sure you get that settlement
in writing; an adjuster might promise one thing during negotiations, then
flip back to a previous offer for the final settlement
- Overall, remember that the insurance company adjuster's goal isn't
to give away money to everyone asking for it. Instead, their goal is most
likely to be: settle your claim as quickly as possible, for the lowest
amount possible. The insurance company's adjuster is not on your side.
- CONSIDER HIRING AN INSURANCE LAWYER
Many policyholders hire an insurance lawyer to manage the claims process.
An insurance lawyer is an insurance professional that works on your behalf.
A good lawyer will work diligently to manage your insurance claim from
beginning to end, working hard to ensure you secure the maximum compensation
possible under your insurance policy contract.
Home insurance lawyers can't be expected to work for free. Typically,
lawyers charge a pre-arranged fee of 33 1/3% to 45% of the new money,
depending on the size of the claim and the adjuster's experience.
However, homeowners who hire lawyers have been known to get settlements
of 1000% or more above the one initially offered by the insurance company
– therefore, many agree it is a smart and valuable investment.
If you're overwhelmed dealing with your insurance company's adjuster,
then consider hiring an insurance lawyer. It can help relieve an immense
amount of time, stress, and confusion while ensuring you get maximum compensation
from your home insurance claim.