Storm Damaged House

After a major storm many homes suffer storm damage.   The repairs can vary widely depending on the extent of damage.   Sometimes the storm damaged house can be mitigated quickly without much disruption to the homeowners but when the storm damage is severe it will require more complex mitigation and reconstruction.   It is important for homeowners and commercial building owners to call upon the services of a qualified restoration company to restore their building to pre-loss condition.

Once the storm damage occurs the natural response is for the homeowner to call their insurance company who in turn will send out an independent insurance adjuster whose job is to evaluate the claim.   They will soon find out that this is not always the best option.

The insurance adjusters job is to settle the claim for as cheap as possible for the insurance company.  Most homeowners have no clue what their homeowners insurance policy covers.  Think about it – how many homeowners read thru the insurance policy while signing loan documents when purchase their home?  The adjuster will show the policy holder all the clauses showing how their claim or parts of it are not covered.

This is why a homeowner should never rely on the evaluation produced by an independent adjuster but should consider hiring a public adjuster.   The public adjuster is hired by the homeowner and usually charges a commission of 10% – 12.5% to settle the claim.  They will comb thru the policy to determine what is really covered. Before proceeding make sure to get a signed contract.

Usually, if the claim is smaller – let’s say under $15,000 than it may not pay to hire an public adjuster.   However, it is still beneficial to chat with them and get their advice as insurance industry veterans.These public adjusters are usually veterans in the insurance industry who formally have worked for large insurance companies as adjusters.    Be certain to ask for references and verify proper state licensing before hiring a public adjuster. Professional insurance adjusters don’t tend to go door to door for business.  There are some states that do not license public adjusters in which case you would really want to look into their credentials.

So, for homeowners in the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco, Marin, Berkeley, Oakland, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, Concord, San Ramon, Livermore, Antioch, Brentwood)  who have suffered from storm damage make sure to review all of your options before accepting the claim settlement from your insurance company.  You may want to consider hiring the services of a public adjuster and also make sure to interview our storm damage restoration company.