Cape Canaveral Public Adjuster

When people think of Cape Canaveral, they often picture rocket launches. The site was chosen for two reasons – its proximity to the equator and the ocean providing a vast, uninhabited area downwind of the launch site. Unfortunately, Cape Canaveral’s status as a barrier island and adjacency to the ocean also increase the risk of flooding due to rainfall. While hurricanes seldom hit the island directly, their rain and winds can still lead to floods.

If you own property in Cape Canaveral, it’s essential to purchase flood insurance in addition to regular homeowners or commercial insurance. But making a claim on your insurance isn’t always as easy as you’d like. Sometimes the insurance company wastes time, repeatedly promising they’ll send someone out to assess the damage soon, or they deny the claim entirely. Other times, they may send an adjuster promptly but then offer you less than you think the claim is worth. Frequently, clients tell us that the insurance carrier provided enough money to repair certain damage but not replace a badly damaged fixture like a roof or floor. If this happens, you might pay out of pocket to replace the roof or floor in a year or two – even though the insurance company should have covered it after the initial damage.

While getting the runaround from your insurance company can be frustrating, there are other options for seeking a damage assessment.

How Can a Cape Canaveral Public Insurance Adjuster Help With My Property Damage Claim?

Many people are surprised to learn they can hire their own adjuster to survey the damage and complete an estimate for the insurance company. It’s easy to think that if you make an insurance claim, you must use the insurance company’s adjuster – especially when you may have friends or neighbors who did that. But you have a right to hire a public adjuster to assess the damage and file or refile a claim with the insurance company on your behalf.

What Does a Cape Canaveral Public Claims Adjuster Do and Why Do You Need One?

It’s essential to start by understanding the difference between a public adjuster and an insurance company adjuster: The public adjuster works for you and strives to support your best interests by accurately evaluating your damage. They will even negotiate with the insurance company to get you the ideal settlement for your damage. The insurance company adjuster works for the insurance company and aims to save them as much money as possible by paying less on claims.

A public adjuster will carefully examine the damage to your property and consider the long-term effects. If a total replacement is in order, they will recommend one, documenting the reasons with photographs of the damage and other evidence. 

Next, they will ask to see your insurance policy and conscientiously review what is and isn’t covered. This part can be difficult to do independently, as most people aren’t experts on insurance policy language. Additionally, policies often use extremely long sentences and archaic language, making it even harder to absorb the information. Fortunately, your public adjuster is skilled in interpreting the policy language and finding the best strategy to secure a fair payment.

After covering all the damaged areas and your insurance policy, the public adjuster will then complete a claim and submit it to your insurance carrier. An experienced public adjuster will have the knowledge and training to explain why you need the specific remedies stated in the claim and back it up with the appropriate information.

Having the assistance of a skilled public adjuster improves the chances that your claim will be accepted, but if it isn’t, your public adjuster can negotiate with the insurance company and submit additional documentation as needed. This saves you the stress of trying to find files or arguing with the insurance adjuster. It also means that someone who is very knowledgeable about property insurance will negotiate on your behalf instead of you struggling to figure out how to get your claim approved.

How Much Do You Have to Pay Upfront for a Public Adjuster?

You should not pay anything upfront. Public adjusters work on a contingency basis, charging you a percentage of the amount recovered from the insurance company. This percentage may vary depending on the experience and training of the adjuster, and cheaper isn’t always better. However, there are legal limits to public adjuster fees – Florida caps the percentage at 20 percent, or 10 percent, if your property was affected by an event that the governor declares a state of emergency.

Do Public Adjusters Only Handle Floods?

No, we can assist you with a variety of covered property damage, including:

• Hurricanes and other weather damage.
• Fire damage (including water damage from fire suppression efforts).
• Water damage from broken pipes or other non-weather sources.
• Mold is a common problem in the humid environment of Florida, especially after a flood or hurricane damage, the risk of which in Cape Canaveral is rated as major over the next 30 years. Sometimes an insurance company adjuster will not pay attention to signs of mold, leaving you to pay for repairs when you discover it later.
• Theft and vandalism.

How Do You Find the Best Cape Canaveral Insurance Claim Services?

While you may feel that you’ve waited long enough (especially if your insurance company hasn’t prioritized your claim), we recommend spending more time choosing an adjuster. It’s crucial that you research the public adjuster or adjusting firm to ensure your adjuster is experienced, has the proper credentials, and is a good fit. Here are several steps you should take when choosing a public adjuster:

• First, you should check the adjuster’s licensing status here to ensure their credentials are current.
• It also helps to converse with the adjuster and learn about their experience, education, and skill set. Ideally, you want an adjuster who has been doing the job for some time and has handled multiple claims like yours. They should be eager to tell you about their experience, training, and continuing education efforts and answer questions about current issues in the industry.
• As we discussed earlier, being able to interpret an insurance policy and explain it to the policyholder is an especially important skill. You might ask the adjuster if they can explain a clause in your policy. If they seem flustered or confused, they might not be experienced enough for the job.
• How are the adjuster’s reviews and ratings? Your adjuster or adjusting firm should encourage potential clients to check out their rating with the Better Business Bureau and their reviews on consumer sites. In addition to the overall rating, peruse some of the adjuster’s reviews. If they seem genuine and are generally positive, that’s usually a good sign.
• Internet ratings and reviews are wonderful, but old-fashioned word-of-mouth can still provide valuable information. Ask around and find out if any of your friends or neighbors have used the adjuster for their claims, and if so, what they thought.

How Much Time Does It Take To Get an Estimate From a Cape Canaveral Personal Claims Adjuster?

This depends on multiple factors, including how busy the adjuster is and how extensive your property damage is. If your damage is part of an event that affected many people in your area, the adjuster may already be booked for the next week or two. On the other hand, if your property damage only affected you – such as an electrical fire – the adjuster may be able to fit you in within a day or two. At Pinnacle Claim Services, we always try to schedule appointments with clients as soon as possible and work around times that are good for you.

The time it takes to create an estimate and file a claim with your insurer is mostly determined by the amount of damage. If you have damage to one isolated area of your property, it will probably take less time than if your building suffered damage in multiple areas. We also thoroughly describe and document all issues and explain the necessity of specific repairs.

Some people ask if hiring a public adjuster will lengthen the claims process. It is difficult to say for sure in an individual case because part of the process depends on your insurance company and how swiftly they respond. A Brevard County public adjuster may spend more time studying your property and documenting your claim than an insurance company adjuster, but they do this to ensure you receive the amount you deserve.

Get a Free Cape Canaveral Insurance Claim Review Today

At Pinnacle Claim Services, we’re happy to answer questions about our experience and credentials. We can also provide you with a free claim evaluation so you’ll better understand your options. Please call or use the contact form on our website to learn more about how we can help with your property damage claim.