Guide to Selecting a Fire Damage Public Adjuster in Boca Raton
You never know when fire damage might occur to your home in Boca Raton. All it takes is a power surge or worn out electrical wiring to cause a fire. If you’re not around to put out the fire or call for help, it could cause permanent damage to your entire home. Then you’ll have no choice but to rebuild it from scratch.
Even if smoke damaged occurred from the fire, it is still reason enough to file a fire damage claim with your insurance company. Fire and smoke damage are both covered by most homeowner’s insurance policies. Of course, the most challenging thing is to prove your claim to the insurance company. Due to the high value of such a claim, they will look for any excuse to pay you a minimal amount of compensation.
Hire a fire damage public adjuster to ensure that you get paid the value of the fire damage incurred. Below is a guide to help you select the best fire damage insurance public adjuster in Boca Raton.
Table of Contents
1) Check Their State License and Memberships
Anyone can advertise themselves as a public adjuster. However, you should not hire any public adjuster until you’ve checked them out thoroughly. Since you have access to the internet, it is easy to verify the credentials of a public adjuster. Go to the Florida Attorney General website, and you can verify the license of any working professional in the state, including public adjusters.
In addition, high-quality public adjusters are usually associated with at least three reputable insurance organizations. The top three include the Windstorm Insurance Network, National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, and the United Policyholders of America.
If you visit the websites of these organizations and verify that a particular public adjuster is a member of them, it means that public adjuster has proven themselves to provide excellent services to its clients.
2) Make Sure They Specialize in Fire Damage Claims
Public adjusters are not experts in all types of insurance claims. Stay away from any public adjuster who claims to be. When you have to file a fire damage claim, you should look for a public adjuster with a minimum of ten years of experience in handling fire damage claims. That can give you some peace of mind to know they will do a good job for you.
3) There Should Be No Hidden Fees
The average public adjuster in Boca Raton will charge between 10% and 25% in commission for their services. That fee normally gets paid after your claim settlement is approved and finalized by your insurance company. You should never have to pay any money before your insurance claim is approved. If a public adjuster asks you to pay a part of the commission up front, then walk away immediately. You have no obligation to pay a public adjuster anything until they negotiate a settlement that gets approved.
4) Do Not Trust Upfront Promises
No professional public adjuster should make any upfront promises to you during your first meeting with them. To understand the strength of your claim, any good public adjuster will conduct a thorough assessment of the fire damage, fire marshal’s report, police report, eyewitness reports, and any other related evidence. Based on all this information, they can determine how to proceed further and help you with providing a proof of loss and more.
There is never any guarantee on what the outcome will be. If a public adjuster tries to sell you a guaranteed outcome, then do not buy it. Look for a different public adjuster immediately.
5) Resist High-Pressure Tactics
Bad public adjusters tend to act as salespeople. They will try to push some high-pressure tactics onto you in order to get your business. For instance, they will pressure you to sign a contract to hire them before they give you any advice or consultation. A good public adjuster, on the other hand, will be more than willing to offer you a free consultation or advice.
