Question 1

When is the best time to start a claim?

Accepted Answer

Immediately and ideally before your insurance carrier.

Question 2

How do you determine if I have a claim?

Accepted Answer

Send us your policy declarations page, photos of the damage, any prior estimates you've received from your carrier and invoices if applicable either through our website with the "upload" option or email us at documents@adjustermanllc.com. After these are received we will schedule a time to come see the damages or let you know your other options.

Question 3

How does Adjusterman get paid?

Accepted Answer

On any event the state declares a State of Emergency like hurricanes and tornadoes all Public Adjusters are capped out at a 10% contingency fee on gross recovery of new money. 
 
On any non emergency event such as fire, theft, vandalism, broken pipes and escape of water all Public Adjusters are capped out at a 20% contingency fee on gross recovery of new money.
 
As your claim settles we collect upon recovery. This can vary slightly if a mortgage company is involved. As a courtesy we will allow time for your funds to clear.

Question 4

How long will my claim take?

Accepted Answer

Depending on the severity, cause of the loss, and the responding carrier, the initial response time can be a few hours to a few days. We like to get the carriers inspection scheduled as soon as possible. Once the carrier has inspected the loss it may be several weeks before we get a response.
 
In the meantime, we are preparing our estimate during this time based on the technology and knowledge for a full scope of loss. The carrier has Ninety (90) days to respond, depending on the circumstances the carrier may be allowed to take longer. - See our documents section- FLORIDA INSURANCE CLAIMS BILL OF RIGHTS
 
If you filed your claim with the carrier first and you were underpaid or denied and already received an inspection with their estimates we will evaluate these additionally and any other invoices. 
 
Upon intake you will sign our contract which is also a letter of representation that will be sent to the carrier. Once our full estimate is completed you may need to sign and have notorized a sworn proof of loss. This is typical with building damage.If the loss is large we will ask the carrier to issue an advance of settlement, issue continuing expenses or additional living expense payments immediately whenever it's appropriate. 
 
Some claims receive an Initial Undisputed Payment almost immediately, this is the amount the carrier is immediately acknowledging. We will meet your carriers adjuster when they come to inspect the loss, present the full scope, and advocate for swift payment of either an advance, initial undisputed payment or immediate payment in full of your claim. Most residential claims take 3-4 months to settle, some claims take significantly longer, every claim is different. 
 
Be patient, it may seem as if nothing is happening and then everything shifts quickly.
 
Gather repair estimates immediately from licensed contractors and vendors immediately and send them to us.

Question 5

Are you still accepting Hurricane Irma and Michael claims?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Many insurance carriers have underpaid or denied claims and these claims have a 3 years statute of limitation on them. Currently, public adjusters are taking a 20% contingency fee on anything over a year. Adjusterman is holding to the original pre year state cap of 10%.

Question 6

What happens next?

Accepted Answer

We will notify your carrier of your loss within 48 hours of receipt of your signed contract with ADJUSTERMAN for service. You will receive an email with your login information for the ADJUSTERMAN client portal at www.adjustermanllc.com, you will be able to see notes, upload files, respond to document requests or other action items through the website. Your carrier will usually respond within 24-48 hours to setup their initial loss inspection, during this time do whatever you can reasonably do to protect the property, car, boat, etc from further damage. Do not start repairs. Be sure to save all damaged items, don't disturb the damage if possible. Your insurance carrier has a right to inspect the damaged property and items. Treat the damaged areas like a crime scene, take lots of pictures and try not to touch anything until the carrier's adjuster has come to inspect the damage as well.

Question 7

How do you prove the loss to the insurance carrier?

Accepted Answer

We will be looking at your damage with thermal imaging cameras, drones, 3D Digital mapping, along with other measureing and inspecting tools to document the entirety of the damage to your property. We may bring Forensic CPA's to establish loss earning from rent or business proceeds, Engineers to attest to the severity of damage, or other in- field experts as needed to support the scope and value of your loss. If you have pictures of the damaged property in it's pre loss condition, please send those to us along with any receipts, expert valuations or appraisals, estimates and contracts for repairs completed or proposed, even a casual picture is fine, as long as it clearly shows the missing or damaged items in their preloss state.

Question 8

Should I call the carrier myself?

Accepted Answer

Call us with any questions before you call your carrier.

Question 9

What is the "Recorded Statement" and why do I have to do this?"

Accepted Answer

It is your statement to the carrier about the details of the loss. Yes, you must participate as a condition of the policy, and most recorded statements are fairly simple. The insurance adjuster will ask you the basics; what happened, when did you try and stop the damage or keep the damage from getting worse? Things of this nature. Keep your answers short, simple, and direct, stay on topic, don't tell stories or add extra details, most recorded statements take less than 10 minutes, we will meet with you in advance of the recorded statement to help you prepare.

Question 10

What if the carrier has previously denied my claim, or did not pay me enough?"

Accepted Answer

We can often reopen previously denied claims, we can seek additional recoveries to underpaid claims through a variety of means, we can ask to have the damage re- inspecte, we can ask for expert opionins from people like engineers, plumbers, roofers, jewlers, art experts, etc. to establish the full scope of the loss, or file for supplemental payment to complete the recovery. In the event that your carrier disputes the amount of your policy loss most policies provide for dispute resolution through some or all of the following options State Sponsored Mediation, Appraisal, Arbitration or Lawsuit.

Question 11

Who is paying for all of these experts?

Accepted Answer

With your agreement, and inaccordance with our contract with you,we may hire experts to substantiate the value of your loss,some vendors are willing to wait for payment from the carrier, some vendors want to be paid up front, at our option and with your acknowledgment we will carry the cost of a vendors services until a recovery is achieved, then collect that expense when payment is received from the carrier. You may responsible for some or all of a Vendors bill in the event that we are unable to achieve a recovery for you.
Refer to Paragraph 5 of you rcontract for specific details.

Question 12

What if we need to hire an attorney?

Accepted Answer

Most attorneys handling property claims work on a contingency fee basis, make sure you ask them to discuss their contract directly with you.

Question 13

What if I want to use my own attorney?

Accepted Answer

We refer to certain attorneys that we have had success with in the past, you do not have to hire the Attorney’s we recommend.

Question 14

ADJUSTERMAN and my Mortgage company are on this check – how do I cash it?

Accepted Answer

We will giveour signature guaranteed endorsement on the back of the carriers’payment check when we receive your check for our fees, you then deposit the check through your mortgage company. The Mortgage company will then issue the funds for repairs to your property.
 
Depending on the size of your claim your mortgage company may choose to monitor the progress of your claim, if they choose to monitor your claim you will need to provide the mortgage company with copies of your repair contract, the contractors w-9, proof of insurance, a copy or proof of license and the repair estimate from the insurance carrier. Your mortgage company may release the funds back to you in part or in full to buy materials and begin the work -- Relax, it is your money. Typically, when 85-90% of the repairs have been completed and inspected by the mortgage company, they will release any remaining funds to you.

Question 15

Inspected? I don’t want the mortgage company telling me how to put my house back together!

Accepted Answer

Yes, inspected, the mortgage company has an insurable interest in the property – they still own some portion of the property and want to make sure they don’t get a damaged property dumped on them, while you don’t have to put the property back exactly as it was pre-loss, (you can most definitely use this opportunity to make changes as most people do) your mortgage company just wants to see the property repaired and in good order.

Question 16

So who is going to fix all this stuff after my claim checks arrive? Can I choose to use my own contractors and vendors for repairs?

Accepted Answer

YES! You can choose any qualified company or individual to make repairs to you damaged property. We have a small pool of reliable referrals across a variety of specialties that we can put you in touch with, make sure that you understand the terms and conditions of any contract you engage in with all vendors. We are not responsible for the actions of any vendor you hire that you received as a vendor lead from us. You do not need to hire our vendor referrals, you are not obligated in any way to utilize the service of any of our vendor referrals. You may choose from any qualified company or individual with the appropriate licenseor credential to make repairs to your damaged property.

Question 17

Who are all of these adjusters?! Why should I use a Public Adjuster? Why Adjusterman?

Accepted Answer

1. PUBLIC ADJUSTER means: the insurance adjusters who DO NOT WORK FOR YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY. A PUBLIC ADJUSTER works for you, the insured, to assist in the preparation, presentation, and settlement of your claim. You hire them by signing a contract and agreeing to pay them a fee or commission based on a percentage of the settlement, or other method of compensation. Public adjusters are required to be licensed, bonded,
and tested by most states to represent your interest only.
 
2. Company adjusters means the insurance adjusters who are employees of your insurance company. They represent your insurance company and are paid by your insurance company.
 
3. Independent adjusters means the insurance adjusters who are hired on a daily or contract basis by your insurance company to represent the company in the settlement of the claim. They are paid by your insurance company. They will not charge you a fee. Independent Adjusters are similar to “day laborers” in that they are typically hired on a temporary or even daily basis.
 
You have the right, but are not required, to use the services of a public adjuster in the preparation and handling of your insurance claim.
 
A Public Adjuster, specifically ADJUSTERMAN, is going to be more thourough and have your best interest at heart. Most adjusters do not employ the same technology that we do to determine your scope of loss. Most claims do not need to reach litigation in order to be paid out and therefore the commission rate is also substantially less. A public adjuster does have the credentials to speak on the insured's behalf during mediation.

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