Contractors who provide a quality service can only do so by hiring a qualified team and purchasing materials in good condition with warranty of wear. If your contractor is cutting into their profits to waive your deductible, they’re sacrificing quality somewhere in the process.

In some states, it is illegal to waive deductibles. We will never suggest to change your contractor of preference. But if your contractor is waiving deductibles, they may not be around in a few years when you need them to service the warranty they promised.

Also, contractors who specialize in roofs may not be focused on resulting interior damages. Mold, water stains and damaged materials may have been missed. You need someone to consider all damages to your property without singular focus on one type of recovery.

Public Insurance Adjusters (PIAs) are state-certified and we are required to learn the applicable laws, duty bound to uphold any statutory requirements and we are required to engage in continued education in insurance practices and in ethics.

PIAs will obtain the carrier’s policy documents, review the contract language with the insurance company and ensure all duties are performed to facilitate your recovery. Laymen are not typically well-versed in the means of performing and executing the duties of a policy and, sometimes, they are not aware of allowable benefits.

Although insurance companies and their employees are also duty-bound to advise the policyholder, the experience level of their staff is not closely monitored by the state. We are aware of adjusters with no prior insurance, construction or policy language experience who were previously assigned to work high-dollar, large loss and total loss claims on behalf of the insurance company.

Some states also do not require the insurance company adjuster to take or maintain a state license. Take the state of Ohio, for example. Ohio does not require the insurance company’s adjuster have a license before handling claim files. Imagine someone who was fired from a retail job as a cashier last week is now hired on by your insurance company and is in charge of paying your claim equitably!

The adjuster may not willingly or knowingly underpay or mismanage your claim for damages. But without the proper experience and with hundreds of employees being supervised by only a few managers, it is easy to see how your claim could be underpaid or improperly denied.

PIAs cannot prevent those adjusters from being assigned but we can challenge the assessments and work within the policy contract to obtain payment on a fair and complete evaluation.

The fees we charge are paid on a contingency basis and the percentage allowable will vary. In every case, the allowable fee is set forth by the state in question.

As part of the consultation process, you will be advised what the allowable fee amounts are and the state-approved contract will also have documentation of the fee payment amounts.

As such the fee is not negotiable. Once our contract is executed, the fee amount will not exceed the maximum allowable by state statute, nor will it be reduced by any work performed by the policyholder(s) or a representative of the policyholder(s).