Guide to Selecting a Water Damage Insurance Public Adjuster in Boca Raton
Most homeowner’s insurance policies cover basic water damage caused by burst pipes, sinkholes, and leaky roofs. Flooding may require you to purchase additional coverage, though.
Water may seem harmless, but it can cause substantial damage to your home. It can ruin the drywall, ceiling, flooring, and the overall structure of your property. It may even cause mold damage to occur as well. You should immediately record and document the damage before taking the next step, which is to find a public adjuster to handle your claim.
Do not handle your water damage insurance claim in Boca Raton without the assistance of an experienced water damage public adjuster. Insurance companies are notorious for denying water damage insurance claims for any number of reasons. It is important that you have a professional public adjuster on your side to ensure that your claim is processed fairly.
The biggest challenge is to find a qualified public adjuster for help. Here are some tips that can help you get started:
1) Conduct Research
Research is the first step in the selection process. Do not assume that a public adjuster is qualified simply because they advertise their services on the internet. You must research their history with past clients and see if they have a positive rating from them. If the public adjuster is reputable, this information should be available on the internet. If not, then they are probably new or inexperienced.
2) Check the Credentials
A reputable public adjuster should be a member of the United Policyholders of America, the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, and Windstorm Insurance Network. These are organizations for public adjusters, and they require strict standards to be met for acceptance into them. If a public adjuster provides above satisfactory service, then they are often accepted into these organizations.
Before you hire a particular public adjuster, check out the status of their license. They need to have a valid Florida insurance license to be legally qualified. If you hire a public adjuster without a license, your insurance company will have grounds to deny your water damage claim.
3) Do Not Pay Upfront Fees
A big warning sign of a bad public adjuster is if they ask you to pay upfront fees. Public adjusters are supposed to get paid a percentage of your claim settlement amount. Stay away from any public adjuster that tries to get you to spend money upfront.
Be careful of what you sign too. Some public adjusters may persuade you to sign up with them quickly. They’ll make you feel afraid of what could happen if you don’t hire them. Stay away from all public adjusters like this.
Good public adjusters will offer a free consultation and provide you with plenty of information about your case. Then you can decide whether to hire them without any pressure.
4) Do Not Use Remediation Companies
You might think a remediation company is a better choice than a public adjuster. However, it is common for remediation companies to take a substantial portion of your claim settlement.
Even though they help you settle faster, it is still not worth it in the end. A public adjuster may take longer, but they don’t take nearly as much in commission as a remediation company. That is why you are better off with a public adjuster.
5) Trust Your Instincts
Water damage will continue to ruin your property if it is not dealt with soon. For this reason, it can sometimes be a good thing to simply trust your instincts when choosing a public adjuster.
If everything else has checked out with a particular public adjuster and you feel comfortable with them, then do not wait another second. Hire the public adjuster and get your insurance claim process started.
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