Home Damage Adjustment
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Explore common queries about our program, training, and opportunities. If you have more questions, feel free to reach out for personalized assistance.
A: Yes. Public adjusters are licensed by the state Department of Insurance. Licensed public adjusters are the only type of claim adjusters that can legally represent the rights of a property owner with an insurance claim. Home Damage Adjustment has public adjusters who are licensed in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In addition, we can
get reciprocity in other states when needed.
A: No. The profession of public adjusting is regulated and licensed by the Department of Insurance to protect the policyholder. You have the right to hire an expert who can manage your claim on your behalf. Canceling a property owner’s policy for hiring a public adjuster is a violation of state law. If there are any delays or problems they likely will exist whether a public adjuster is employed or not. A settlement is likely to proceed faster when a licensed, trained professional is navigating the process for you.
A: No. Most states have penalties for individuals acting as a public adjuster while also acting as a contractor. Contractors are used to write estimates to keep the cost down to get the job. A public adjuster is trained to get your property back to exactly how it was before your loss and knows how to legally justify building materials and labor that a contractor can not do adequately. Our public adjusters are trained to use the same estimating program the insurance companies use, so this gives us a big advantage over contractors. Beware of the contractor who offers to negotiate your claim for you. This can put your entire claim in jeopardy.
A: No. Most policies include the right to have an appraisal, and if necessary, the right to litigation. However, our public adjusters reopen claims regularly and get our clients increased settlements with their knowledge and expertise without any appraisals or litigation. Do not sign any waivers from the insurance company without having one of our public adjusters review it first.
A: Probably yes, depending on your state and time limits stated in your policy. Contact Home Damage Adjustment for a free consultation on how we can help you.
A: When hiring a public adjuster you do not have to put up any retainer or upfront fees. Fees are not paid until the payment is collected from the insurance company. Public adjusters work on a contingency fee basis (a percentage of the recovered settlement) and public adjusters generally charge a lot less than an attorney. The fee structure can vary depending on circumstances surrounding the claim and the type of loss. In a typical scenario, most of our homeowners end up with more money even after paying the public adjuster fee. Ultimately, the fees are often considered a value as settlements can double, triple or quadruple.
A: The average claim can take anywhere from three weeks to 2 months. Some claims can take longer depending on disagreement on coverage, claim payment, and scope of the damage. We will not jeopardize recovery efforts to obtain timely settlements, unless directed otherwise by our clients.
A: The insurance company is supposed to forward mail to our administrative office. However, sometimes your carrier will accidently mail the check to the homeowner. If you receive a check with our name on it please send it to the address below “2977, White Tail Court Suite 201, Doylestown PA – 18902” for processing.
A: You can deposit the check immediately into your bank account and how you choose to use your settlement check is up to you. You can choose a contractor of your choice, choose the amount of work you want to get completed or even fix the damages yourself.
A: You can be assured we have been in contact with you insurance company. We document all phone calls, emails, appointments and follow up with them with letters, so there is never any question on our efficiency. All appointments and communications need to go through our office and we have a policy to return phone calls, emails, and letters within 24 hours. Most of the time when a letter arrives at your home, we have already been in contact with the insurance company’s adjuster.If they call you, please tell them to contact our office at Toll Free (855) 566-9687 because we are representing you on the claim.
A: Absolutely call us! Often the insurance company will initially deny a claim verbally or through a letter. However, Home Damage Adjustment are expert at overturning partial and completely denied claims. Give us a call and have one of our experts give you a free evaluation at (_____). Overturning denied claims is what we love to do!
A: Recoverable Depreciation” is a line item on our payment breakdown. It means you have more money due to you for your claim. Sometimes the insurance company will withhold a small portion of the claim until work is actually completed to restore the damaged property.
You will simply need to hire a contractor and submit an invoice to recover the amount withheld by the insurance company. When you do get the invoice, send the invoice to our administrative office at: “2977, White Tail Court Suite 201, Doylestown PA – 18902” and we will take care of it for you.
