Floridians are no strangers to the problem of hail damage, with Melbourne, Florida alone, averaging 30 reports of hail each year. Unfortunately, hail damage claims are often another problem rather than the solution they are supposed to be.
We all know insurance companies are businesses, meaning they need to make money. This also means that when the time comes to shell out money, they will try to give away as little as they think is reasonably possible.
While that sounds like good business sense, it’s almost certainly bad news for you when you need to get your house and life back in order after an especially bad hailstorm.
Hail can cause direct harm and damage, breaking windows, injuring people, and denting cars. This can, in turn, lead to indirect damage, where injuries or transportation issues get in the way of your work and quality of life.
This is where we at Pinnacle Claim Services, Inc. introduce ourselves. While your insurance company will look for any way to diminish the value of your claim, our public adjusters look for ways to maximize that value.
Whether you’ve been injured or had property damaged by hail, call Pinnacle Claim Services Inc. at (321) 384-9379 Our public adjusters will handle your case to the best of our abilities and work toward the highest possible claim you can get.
Florida doesn’t see as much hail as, say, Kansas or Texas, but the frequency of thunderstorms in the state means the threat is never truly gone. Floridian hail has an average diameter of around an inch, placing it at just the border of what NOAA considers severe.
This means that when Florida does get hail, the odds are pretty good that someone somewhere will lose something to severe weather. Wind and hail account for the largest percentage of property loss claims annually, in fact.
Particularly bad hailstorms result in roof, siding, and window damage and can sometimes disable HVAC units. Exposed vehicles risk dents and shattered windshields, while exposed people risk injury and death.
Hail damage can result in indirect losses as well. Water infiltration caused by hail can lead to interior damage within homes, creating conditions that foster mold growth, electrical issues, and other problems.
Damage isn’t limited to your house, either: injuries can also abound during hailstorms, and transportation can be disrupted by potholes or aforementioned direct vehicle damage.
The extent of damage and how it equates to value isn’t easy to determine, and so insurance providers will have adjusters who specialize in just that. But because they work for the company, they don’t really have a motive to increase the value of your claim.
Quite the opposite, in fact. But that’s where public adjusters come in.
Public adjusters are licensed professionals who represent you – the policyholder – in claims against insurance companies. And a hail damage public adjuster is trained to identify all damage your insurance policy covers, whether directly or indirectly caused by hail.
Good public adjusters recognize all types of damage covered by your insurance policy. While understanding the extent of coverage can be challenging, this is the exact niche in which a public adjuster specializes.
From a technical point of view, you don’t have to team up with an adjuster to make a claim. However, public adjusters have the same expertise as the insurance company’s private adjuster, meaning your chances of getting a fair settlement increase exponentially by working with one.
Plus, depending on the case, a maximized damage claim will satisfy and often far exceed the commission you spend on a public adjuster. That means the decision to work with a hail damage public adjuster – at least one worth their salt – pays for itself.
There isn’t a set-in-stone rulebook about when you should hire a public adjuster. However, the specifics of your case as a policyholder might make it a wise decision.
If you are looking for compensation after hail damage, here are some questions you could ask yourself to help you decide whether to hire an adjuster to handle your claim:
Generally speaking, the bigger the claim, the more you ought to look into hiring a public adjuster. Large claims often include complex interconnected factors and variables that need to be accounted for, which is what adjusters specialize in finding.
Claimants who work with public adjusters often find out that their policies entitle them to money they didn’t even know about. And while the insurance company should inform you of these, they can still miss these details even in the best of times.
This is possibly the most common reason for seeking out a public adjuster’s services. After all, insurance companies make a profit by getting clients to accept as low an amount as they can offer.
Sometimes people just aren’t familiar with the claims process, which is understandable as claimants aren’t typically insurance experts. Sometimes, even if they are familiar with it, they might be unable to handle the claim themselves.
Perhaps your property was damaged by hail while you were outside the country, or maybe you can’t file the papers yourself because of a handicap or injury. In either case, a public adjuster offers the convenience of representing your interests without you being there in person.
As with many other things, information is king when it comes to getting the most out of any insurance claim. Anything you want to be compensated for has to be well-documented and backed by evidence, or your insurance provider will likely reject it.
This is why having a public adjuster on your side proves to be an advantage. In addition to the ability to accurately evaluate claims, particularly skilled adjusters can connect problems you may be experiencing with damage caused by hail.
This means you might stand a chance of being compensated for missed work hours, additional transportation costs, or other concerns you may not have considered were even related to hail damage before.
Of course, while our public adjusters at Pinnacle Claim Services are happy to do this kind of work for you, we would also like to work with you. You can help us fight for the maximum amount you can get by doing the following.
Use whatever recording devices you have to take as many clear photos and videos as you can. Be thorough and include as many objects as possible.
Some things you might want to document include missing shingles, broken windows, downed trees, downed power lines, or flooding. Check indoors as well for dents or scratches on belongings, including heavy-duty appliances or furniture.
A general rule regarding evidence is that too much is better than too little. Entire claims can hang in the balance based on a single photograph, so don’t skimp out.
If you have recorded damaged property, do not throw it away unless it poses an immediate threat to your safety or the safety of your family or surviving property. Your insurance provider may want to know that the items you have documented exist or that they are yours.
This is especially important because fraudsters sometimes photograph others’ property to pass it as theirs in order to make their own claim even when no property was damaged. Having the actual objects on hand reinforces any argument you and your adjuster make.
Depending on the extent of the damage, you may need to spend money to repair your property. You may also have to chalk up some extra expenses in medical supplies, food, clean water, and other essentials.
If you do end up making these purchases, be sure to keep your receipts in a secure folder or envelope where you can easily find them. This is because some insurance policies cover such expenses and reimburse the holder for them.
It isn’t uncommon to work with multiple companies to restore your home and property in the aftermath of weather damage, particularly hail. More often than not, you’ll probably end up working with contractors and repair services.
In addition to our previous advice of keeping receipts of transactions with these companies, it’s also a good idea to review any contract with them before signing. Besides being good advice when it comes to contracts in general, this is especially valuable with regard to insurance.
For instance, your contract may require you to cover costs for debris removal, while your insurance plan might only cover the cost of repair. There may also be hidden fees that, after careful review, might fall outside what your plan covers.
It isn’t to say that restoration companies intentionally try to make your claim more difficult. It’s just that contractors often arrive from out of state and may not be familiar with the insurance claims process.
This holds true even if the companies you choose to work with are reputable. Always be cautious and clarify any discussion of money with your contractor before signing documents.
In the aftermath of bad weather, people usually just want to file their insurance claims and move on. This means insurance providers want nothing more than to process claims quickly, as they can quickly become overwhelmed by a flood of clients.
Private adjusters will often rush through the claims process in order to keep up. This means missing details and damage that should be covered by insurance and, at worst, intentionally minimizing your claim to maintain good relationships with the companies.
We probably do not need to explain why neither of these scenarios is in your best interest as a claimant.
At Pinnacle Claim Services, our public adjusters will ensure that your property damage is accurately reported to the insurance company. We will fight for you to get a fair and just settlement for your claim.
There is no reason to deal with an insurance company unprepared and alone. Working with us gives you the breathing room to focus on other important matters while we handle the nitty-gritty of your insurance claim.
So then: do you need to file a property damage claim due to hailstorms? We at Pinnacle Claim Services are here to help.
Contact us today, and we will schedule a free inspection of your property. Our adjusters will work with you throughout the entire claim process, from filling up the forms all the way to negotiating with your provider; we’ll do whatever it takes to get your life back on track.
Reach us online or call us at (321) 384-9379 We will contact you back as soon as we can!
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When disaster strikes, it can be difficult knowing where to turn or who to ask for help. Pinnacle Claim Services’ professional team of Florida public insurance adjusters and support experts are here to assist you throughout every step of your damage claim from emergency services and mitigation through final settlement.
Some of the most common issues people experience with insurance companies after property damage has occurred and a claim has been initiated include: unreasonable delay on the part of the insurance company, inadequate training of the insurance company’s adjusters and adjusters that are “so busy” that your claim gets zero attention and does not progress towards resolution. Additionally, you may not have the appropriate policy with the right type of coverage or limits.
There is no set time period for settling a property damage claim with an insurance company and each claim is different. You could receive a check in a few days or it could be a few weeks. Also, it may take multiple rounds of negotiations and payments for you to be adequately and justly compensated for your claim.
Absolutely not. Some companies do possess better reputations than others and there are some who consistently delay the process unnecessarily. It’s important that you comply with your “duties after the loss” (duty to mitigate etc.) Call us, we can help!
Pinnacle Claim Services will request a copy of your policy, file the proper paperwork for you, put together a comprehensive estimate of damages and negotiate a fair settlement Do not become emotionally burdened. Do not be denied money for repairs you deserve. Rely on Pinnacle Claim Services to work on your behalf, keeping you informed throughout every step of the process to get every penny you deserve from the insurance companies.
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