Who is really on my side?

The role of the insurance adjuster is one of the most commonly misinterpreted aspects of any claim.

When a home or business owner files a claim there is an expectation that a representative of the insurance company will quickly inspect your damage in great detail and provide you the best payment possible to repair your damage.

The first misconception is understanding who your adjuster is and what their role is in your claim. What you must first know is that there are three types of adjusters. They are Staff Adjusters, Independent Adjusters and Public Adjusters.

Staff Adjuster - Direct employee of the insurance company.

Independent Adjuster - Adjuster that works for one or more insurance companies.

Public Adjuster - Works solely for policyholders and not insurance companies.

As you can see, Staff Adjusters and Independent Adjusters only represent insurance companies.

The second common misconception is that Independent Adjusters work for policyholders and always have the policyholders best interest in mind because they are not directly employed by an insurance carrier, but by a third party adjusting firm. Unfortunately, this is simply not the case. It is impossible for a Staff Adjuster and Independent Adjuster who only represent insurance companies to serve two principals, the insurance company and the policyholder.

This is why the role of the Public Adjuster is so vitally important to level the playing field and ensure a policyholder has representation solely dedicated to their best interests in a claim.