Unlike the adjuster that your insurance company sends over, a public adjuster works for you, which means you will have to pay the public adjuster charge for services. The benefit, of course, is that because the public adjuster works for you, they are duty bound by law to look after your best interests, versus that of the insurance company.
Public Adjuster Charge and Fees
Claim Monsters is a public adjuster in Texas, so if you aren't in Texas, please research public adjuster charges and fees in your state.
In the state of Texas, the Texas Department of Insurance caps the fee that a public adjuster charges to a maximum of 10% of a claim. While that may sound like a large chunk, most insurance companies will underpay most claims by 100-200%. Yes, seriously. Let's do some math.
Public Adjuster Fee Example
You file an insurance claim on your home because your roof was damaged by a hail storm. Your insurance company sends out its own adjuster and tells you that your roof can be repaired for $10,000. You search and search, but can't find a roofing contractor that isn't shady that will do the repair for that amount. You are either stuck paying out of pocket for the difference or going with a questionable roofer for repairs. Neither situation is good for you!
So you hire a public adjuster. The public adjuster is up front, and notifies you that their public adjuster fee is 10%. The public adjuster does an inspection of your roof according to industry standards for repair and replacement and determines that the actual claim should be closer to $25,000. They negotiate with your insurance company on your behalf to get you that amount.
Paying the public adjuster charge of 10% would come out to $2,500, leaving you with $22,500 to get your roof repaired properly by a reputable contractor. Even with the public adjuster's fee, you more than doubled your payout from the initial insurance claim.
This scenario happens all the time. ALL. THE. TIME.
When Do I Pay The Public Adjuster Fee?
Beware of public adjusters that charge an upfront fee for their inspection or filing fees. Most reputable public adjusters in Texas will only get paid once you get paid. Under this type of agreement, they will do everything they can to get you the most money possible because the more money you get, the more money they get.
If your insurance claim is underpaid on your Texas home, we would love to help you get the money that you deserve to get it fixed. Contact us today or share this post with someone who needs the information. We'd greatly appreciate the opportunity to help.
