Know the difference so you know who to call when you need help!
If you recently suffered damage to your home or business, you will quickly need to familiarize yourself with the insurance claims process. No matter what their “tagline” may be, insurance companies are always going to be looking out for their best interests. It’s up to you, the policyholder, to identify who you can hire to assist you in making your property whole again.
If you are looking for an adjuster to help you navigate the claims process, understanding the difference between a public adjuster and an independent adjuster can be understandably confusing. However, the roles these two play in the claims process are very different, and fully understanding the differences between the two is critical.
An independent adjuster, at first, may sound exactly like the person you, the policyholder, needs; when in reality, independent adjusters are independent contractors that work for the insurance companies. Like we said before, no matter what your insurance company might say, they are always going to be looking out for their best interests, and independent adjusters are hired with that in mind. Legally, they represent the rights of an insurance carrier, not you. What you are looking for is a public adjuster, an adjuster who works exclusively for the policyholder.
While independent adjusters are paid by insurance companies to adjust claims on their behalf, public adjusters work for the policy holders to ensure that the rights of the policy are being upheld, as well as ensuring that the property is made whole again. Insurance claims are often very complex, and the provisions and processes involved can be very overwhelming for many individuals. Public adjusters can assist you through the entirety of the claims process by filing a claim, documenting your loss, and negotiating a settlement.
Most importantly, public adjusters represent you, the policy holder. This ensures that the claim is handled quickly, fairly, and with the policy holder’s interests in mind. Independent adjusters work for the insurance companies and are always going to have the insurance companies’ best interests in mind, so make sure you have someone sitting at the table with your best interests in mind!
The experts here at Gavnat and Associates are one of Minnesota’s leading public adjusting services. Gavnat and Associates’ focus is to assist the public in settling residential and commercial property losses throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and the rest of the Midwest. Our public adjusters help policyholders navigate insurance claims and support them through the entire claim process whether it be from a storm, fire, vandalism, or any other mishap that has damaged your property.