Should You Hire a Fire Claims Adjuster?

A part, if not all, of your home is in ruins. Many of your possessions that weren’t burned are engulfed in smoke—a residual smell that continues to haunt many fire damage victims as they attempt to preserve any intact clothing, furniture, and cherished pieces and heirlooms. You’ve likely been displaced from your home, forced to live in a hotel or with family or friends as you try your best to with day-to-day life. Unfortunately, the damage you’ve incurred extends to beyond what you cannot see – the intense emotional trauma you’re likely experiencing as you grapple with this tremendous loss. And it’s this very same emotional stress that can lead to even further loss: the outcome of your fire claim settlement.

What Typically Happens During the Fire Damage Repair Process

Because of the intense emotions involved and your desire to return to life as it existed before the fire, it’s entirely normal to want to move through the fire damage repair and claims process as quickly as possible in order to get your life back and begin anew. However, because they are A) Not thinking as clearly and B) anxious to initiate the fire damage repair process as soon as possible and restore their lives, many fire damage victims turn solely to their insurance company for help, assuming that the company they’ve paid for years to cover them in the event of catastrophic misfortune such as a fire will take care of everything and provide them with the maximum amount required for repair.

Ironically, nearly as quickly as they hoped the recovery process to begin, these same fire damage victims are soon filling out forms, signing authorizations, and trying to decipher the often perplexing insurance jargon they’re encountering in paperwork that may very well be implicating a lack of coverage or even suspicion surrounding their fire claim. Rather than being guided step-by-step through the fire damage repair process in a way that takes careful survey of both obvious and inconspicuous damage, many fire victims find themselves even more distressed as they realize they’re not being compensated and/or even treated as they expected, being left instead to cope with the financial and emotional implications of what is often incomplete fire damage repair or partial payment for their damage.

Fortunately, there is recourse—whether you seek it following your fire damage repair settlement or from the very beginning.

Hiring a Fire Claims Adjuster: What to Know

There are two types of fire claims adjusters who handle fire damage repair: the fire claims adjuster sent from your insurance company and a public fire claims adjuster. The former works exclusively for your insurance company, and as a result, may not necessarily thoroughly assess the entirety of your fire damage, often resulting in a settlement that doesn’t even begin to cover the total damage that has occurred.

On the other hand, a public fire claims adjuster is someone you can hire from the very beginning to manage your fire damage repair claim. An experienced public fire claims adjuster will scrutinize every detail to asses even the smallest extent of the damage that was caused by the fire’s heat, the resulting soot and smoke, and even the water damage which may have occurred as a result of extinguishing the fire. At Insurance Claims Consultants, we thoroughly investigate even the smallest trace of loss that would otherwise go unnoticed—and therefore uncompensated—including the seemingly trivial damage or loss whose repair or replacement you’re still likely entitled to. After 30 years of helping fire damage victims and encountering hundreds of different types of losses and damage our clients’ insurance companies missed, we know that without the help of a veteran fire claims adjuster who’s advocating on your behalf, any incomplete damage assessment ends up coming out of your own pocket, which should simply never happen when you carry proper structure and property insurance coverage.

How a Public Fire Claims Adjuster Can Help You

At Insurance Claims Consultants, we get involved as soon as you call us—even if it happens to be after you’ve already received an inadequate fire damage repair settlement. At whatever stage of your fire claim you contact us we, ensure you’re in control of your claim, not the insurance clam. Our public adjusters will:

1. Closely analyze and interpret your insurance policy to determine the full extent of your coverages and policy limits.
2. Independently evaluate the entire scope of the damage and loss caused by the fire and its aftermath.
3. Determine what should be completely replaced versus cleaned or repaired, so you aren’t stuck with exorbitant bills for services that didn’t fully address the fire or smoke damage.
4. Help you secure an advance for the essentials you need now as you wait for your settlement.
5. Address any questions or concerns you have throughout the fire damage repair process.
6. Properly calculate and submit to your insurance company the replacement cost or actual cash value of your losses for both your personal property and structural damage. Our estimates are created and submitted in industry-accepted software.
7. Prepare and submit your fire damage repair claim to your insurance company with all the necessary documents needed to substantiate your claim.
8. Prepare and submit claim forms and letters, and respond to communication you receive from your insurance company to ensure you don’t accidentally document potentially miscalculated and/or damning information.
9. Attend site meetings with vendors and representatives from your insurance company.
10. Negotiate with your insurance company and its claim adjuster to maximize your fire claim settlement, and in some cases, get you above and beyond the limits stipulated in your policy.
11. Reopen your fire damage repair claim should you decide to seek consultation following a settlement, using skilled and experienced negotiations to maximize every settlement dollar.

What to Look for When Hiring a Public Fire Claims Adjuster

Experience

The number one thing you should look for is experience—that’s how a successful public fire claims adjuster gains the kind of knowledge and scrutiny that’s required to truly assess the entirety of your fire damage, assuring that not even the smallest crumb of loss has been overlooked.

Details we frequently encounter are policy provisions that are often overlooked by both insurance company adjusters and homeowners. In one recent case, we secured an additional $68,000-plus for a St. Paul, Minnesota couple whose insurance company originally offered less than half of the policyholder’s coverage limits. Part of the nearly $70,000 increase we won for these particular clients was for provisions that had not been exhausted- or offered- by the insurance company. Like many of our clients, these policyholders received a settlement above and beyond their actual policy limits. In fact, most of our clients are pleasantly surprised to learn that we could procure beyond what their policy dictates – up to 35% more, depending on the extent of fire damage. This is just one example of the hundreds of fire damage repair claims we’ve successfully handled. Our special attention to detail and our vast expertise and resources help us assimilate the true scope of your fire damage in order to win the settlement you’re entitled to, not what the insurance company offers to pay you. And our experienced team has the finely tuned balance of the tenacity and finesse needed to arbitrate with your insurance company to win the fire damage repair settlement you deserve.

A History of Success

Because of our extensive experience in fire damage claims, we have a 100% success rate in securing larger insurance claim settlements for our clients. You can be confident that from the very first moment you call us, we’ll take every measure to assure you receive the compensation you’re entitled to in order to truly rebuild your life.

A Dedication to Knowledge

The old adage “knowledge is power” is a core belief at our firm. Because we’re working with insurance and construction industries whose methods and codes are continuously changing, it’s an absolute necessity that the public adjuster firm you hire to handle your fire damage repair claim takes pride in continuing education in order to be 100% equipped to handle any potential snag that may surface in your claims process. That’s why every member of our team is constantly meeting to discuss newly acquired knowledge that further enhances the services we offer.

24/7 Availability

We understand the importance of having your questions and concerns addressed right as they’re occurring, rather than after a long night of worry and fitful sleep. The way we see it, waiting for answers only worsens your stress during a time when tension and emotional suffering are already at their peak. Whether you need advice or have even the simplest of questions, you can call us at any time of day or night. Our around-the-clock service is just one of the many reasons our clients feel so reassured from day one.

Fire Claims Adjuster Fees: How They Work

At Insurance Claims Consultants, you compensate us with a small percentage of your final settlement only once you receive your check. If we don’t win you a larger settlement than your insurance company’s offer, our services are completely free, though thanks to our seasoned team of public fire damage claims adjusters and property loss appraisers, we’ve always secured more money for each and every one of clients throughout our firm’s 30-year history.