What Do Claims Adjusters Do?

Have you experienced significant damage to your property?

According to the Insurance Information Institute, one in 50 homes experience damage from freezing water on average.

As a result of this and other homeowner’s hazards, you may want to understand the essential functions of claims adjusters. The nature of this relationship can drastically affect your ultimate compensation.

To understand more about claims adjusters’ jobs and how to get the most of the relationship, read this article to its conclusion.

Job Duties

Offers from a company for damages depend on the findings of a claims insurance claims adjusters. They have the responsibility of investigating the situation by:

  • Taking pictures
  • Speaking to witnesses
  • Reading police reports
  • Reviewing and organizing evidence

While some specialize, others may have experience with frequent events like auto accidents. In general, professionals who conduct adjusters claims have a Bachelor’s degree in a related field.

Types of Claims Adjusters

You’ll encounter three types of claims adjusters for an insurance appraisal: public, company, and independent. Depending on the situation, understanding these differences can help you decide if you want to hire for yourself.

Company Claims Adjuster

An adjuster has the responsibility of evaluating the incident for your insurance carrier. Since they work for a company that may have to pay out, they also have the motivation to settle for the least amount possible.

Independent Claims Adjuster

This person tends to be an independent contractor that is an outside hire by your carrier. If an event they lack specialization in occurs, they may have the motivation to hire a specialist. A few situations that justify this include disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, or tsunamis.

Public Claims Adjuster

This type of adjuster works for you, the policyholder. With that understood, you also hire this person because they have a license and don’t have a stake in the insurance claim.

What to Look For in a Claims Adjuster

Whether you’re dealing with the adjusters’ claims process with a company or for yourself, you’ll want to know what to expect. Look for the following types of traits and qualities:

  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Time management skills
  • Extensive knowledge of insurance policy
  • Excellent verbal and written communication

Other things to look for include their educational background and years working as an adjuster. If you’re hiring an independent contractor, always ask for references before signing an agreement.

What to Expect From a Claims Adjuster

One of the first things an adjuster will want to see is loss notices and police reports. Depending on the situation, you may need to provide additional materials.

You should have confidence that the person you’re interacting with knows policy intimately. The smallest element of your case could drastically change what you receive for damages.

Need to Know More About Claims Adjusters?

Having a basic understanding of what you need from claims adjusters is only the beginning. At this point, you may want to start a list of questions and start making phone calls.

Did you find out what you needed to know about fixing a significant problem with your property? Check out more of our content that can add value to any homeowner’s day!

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