Much like life insurance, your homeowner’s insurance is something you might arrange in advance but hope never to use. If you’re lucky, you won’t have to: back in 2020, just 6% of insured homes had a claim of any size, from small cases of theft to total home destruction.
Of course, that rarity is exactly what makes the homeowner insurance claim process so stressful. Because you may be struggling with your insurer for the first time, it may be hard to know where you stand—or what your claim is worth.
That’s where a reputable Wisconsin public adjuster comes in. With their wealth of expertise, these pros can help you get the maximum payout for your claim.
But how do you know when you need one? Let’s take a look at what these professionals can do to help and when to hire a public adjuster.
What Is a Public Adjuster?
Before we dive into the nuances of hiring a public adjuster, let’s take a look at what these professionals do.
Public adjusters are insurance professionals you can hire to help you evaluate and settle your insurance claim. Based on your policy and the damages or losses you’re dealing with, your public adjuster will decide what kind of reimbursement is fair.
Because your insurance company will assign you a claims adjuster, you might think you don’t need to hire an adjuster of your own. However, your insurer’s claims adjuster works for your insurance company—not for you. In other words, they may offer a smaller payout in an attempt to save money for the company they answer to.
On the other hand, a public adjuster is an independent party who works on your behalf. This person can work with your insurance claims adjuster to get you more of the money you deserve. While they can’t get you more money than what your insurance policy covers, most homeowners find that working with a public adjuster nets larger payouts than they might have gotten otherwise.
Should You Hire a Public Adjuster?
You can hire a public adjuster anytime you make an insurance claim, but you may not want to hire one for every claim, especially if you’re dealing with one for a small amount of money. In fact, some public adjusters only do large-scale claims.
However, there are a few key situations in which you should always consider partnering with one of these professionals:
When You Don’t Have Time to Prove a Claim
When you file a claim, half of your battle will be proving its validity. This often means documenting your damages and proving the value of what you’ve lost. If you’ve never made a home inventory for insurance purposes, this can be especially difficult and time-consuming.
When you work with a public adjuster, you won’t have to worry about proving your claim: that’s what an adjuster is there to do. These professionals are experts at handling complicated claims in order to get a fair settlement.
When You’re Dealing With an Extensive Claim
Anyone dealing with a large claim, such as fire or storm damage, should work with a public adjuster. It’s easy to miss opportunities for a larger payout when you need to cover a lot of ground in the claims process. With a public adjuster, you’ll be able to include even small details in your claim, ensuring that you get a settlement that covers the full cost of repairs and replacements.
When You Have Other Things to Focus On
If you’ve lost your home or business, the last thing you may want to do is deal with a complicated claims process. Letting a public adjuster deal with the claim on your behalf gives you space to focus on what matters instead of arguing with your insurer.
When You Feel in Over Your Head
Insurance policies include a huge variety of complicated legal terms, clauses, and processes. If you don’t understand the jargon, it can be hard to understand whether or not you’re getting a fair settlement. Worse, the unknowns involved in the process can cause significant emotional and physical stress.
A public adjuster can cut through the confusion and offer peace of mind. In essence, you’re hiring a pro to have your back!
When Do You Hire a Public Adjuster?
As anyone who’s dealt with an insurance claim of any size knows, the claims process can take weeks or even months.
Most people hire a public adjuster when they first make their claim, allowing the adjuster to help with the process from the start.
However, you can make a hire before or after you’ve filed your claim. If, for example, you begin to feel that your insurance company isn’t responding to your claim in a timely fashion, you can hire an adjuster partway through the process. You can also hire one if you begin to suspect that your insurance company isn’t giving you a fair evaluation.
Though it’s always better to reach out to a professional sooner rather than later, you can even hire a public adjuster if your insurer has denied your claim.
Hire a Wisconsin Public Adjuster for Your Homeowner Insurance Claim
No matter where you are in the claims process, hiring a Wisconsin public adjuster is an easy way to get the fair settlement you deserve—with far less stress. If you’re struggling to deal with a homeowner insurance claim on your own, reaching out to one of these professionals can offer great peace of mind.
If you’re considering the need for a public adjuster, let us help you make the decision. Our free consultations are a risk-free way to find out whether a member of our team would be able to help you. Contact us to get the money you deserve for your damages!
