The Adjuster's visit; What to expect.

After the filing of your claim, an adjuster will want to visit your property.  When he/ she calls, get your legal pad in your file and write down the adjuster’s  name and phone number and if possible a cell number. You will want to write this down if you should have to re-schedule or if you find that your adjuster is late for the appointment. Sometimes an adjuster may be late because he/she had to visit a property before yours, and upon arriving at that property there may have been more damage than expected. This may require the adjuster to stay longer and delay your appointment. So, be patient, but get a phone number and write down the date and time.

Before the adjuster arrives try to complete these 4 steps:

1) Walk around the outside and inside of your home and note all of the damages. (If your home has had a fire or is a health or structural hazard be careful and don't break the law.) 

We call this doing your homework!  By writing down the damages that you see on the front, right, rear and left side of your home. Be sure to look your roof over. Then look over the inside of your home, beginning with the ceilings, down the walls and to the floors. If you want a comprehensive free checklist to be used in your inspection, then email to Rick@RLCarteradjuster.com . These helpful checklists explain what you need to look for,  and how to note damages to the exterior an interior of your home. There is even a list for damage to contents if you have experienced a loss to these items.

2) If you have had a fire, earthquake or flood. Stay out of the property unless you're certain it is safe. Leave items as they are so the adjuster can inspect.

3) If possible take pictures to confirm damages. Take pictures one room at a time

4) Make sure your property is neat, clean and orderly, but don't disturb any damaged areas or items.

The adjuster will probably be taking photos… You do not want him/her writing in a report that some of the problems are due to unseemliness or maintenance issues.  If your claim should go sour and it becomes necessary to file suit and possibly go to trial, you do not want your dirty laundry being shown up on the witness stand.  Although this is only common sense, it is a good reminder.

A True Story

I had a claim in the Dallas, Texas area. There had been numerous water damage events in the home. These damages included three roof leaks from two hail storms, an air conditioning overflow leak, and plumbing leaks at several locations. As a result of these numerous damages, there was some significant mold growth appearing in this home and the children were chronically sick. It was this chronic sickness which prompted their doctor to ask if there was mold in the home and caused the eventual filing of the claim. Fortunately, the property owners had coverage for mold in the event of these covered losses.

When testing was performed by an environmental company, the report read that there was significant mold growth and dust in the home. These results were caused by water damage, but also from accumulated dust and dirt. The report said that this probably had the cumulative effect of creating poor air quality in the home, which contributed to the occupants’ poor health. This statement in the environmental report made it more difficult in the settling of this claim since the insurance company took the position that some of the air quality problems were the result of cleaning issues. They were right in this and this presented more challenges to overcome. The claim was eventually settled.

Moral of the story… Keep your home clean and as dust free as possible. It’s better for your health and for your home.

During the adjusters visit you should:

1) Have an adult family member, neighbor or friend there when the adjuster arrives. If that person is not listed on your insurance policy he/she should have nothing to say about your claim, however, it can be helpful to have someone there listening.  Having a person there can be of use so that you can more accurately recall what was or was not said during the visit.

2) Be sure to show the adjuster around the exterior and interior of your home, pointing out the damages that you have observed. Then give him/her plenty of space to do their measurements, take photos and annotate the damages. Try not to break your adjuster’s concentration by talking too much.

3) Give the adjuster your own damage checklist. You can receive a free “damage checklist” from Rick@rlcarteradjuster.com. This helps to prevent the adjuster from missing things and will give peace of mind to you later when you have reviewed the adjuster’s estimate. You will know if he/she has neglected anything. Your own damage checklist is vital to the success of your claim.

4) During the adjuster’s visit he/she may want to interview you as to what happened, or ask other information about your property. Some states permit and some insurance companies have a policy of taking a recorded statement. The adjuster may ask you if that is okay. If you are interviewed, then simply answer the questions. If you don’t understand a question, then ask for clarification. If a question is uncomfortable, then ask the adjuster to re-phrase it. If you don’t know the answer, then tell him so. Don’t be intimidated. Simply tell the truth as you know it and nothing more. Don’t feel like you have to explain a lot, just simply answer the questions.

5) Ask the adjuster when you can expect to hear back from him/her with an estimate of damages and when a check will be issued. Write this information down in your legal pad. Also, make sure you have the adjuster’s email, phone, fax, cell (if possible) and address. You don’t want to lose track of this adjuster. He/she is now the most knowledgeable insurance representative in regard to your claim. Future communications should be directed to this adjuster unless you are told otherwise.

When the adjuster leaves you should:

Immediately after the adjuster leaves, write down in a notepad the details of the adjuster’s visit. It is a good idea to have a notepad and file strictly for all of your claim information. What time did he/she arrive and leave? Did he bring anyone like another adjuster or contractor, or assistant? What were their names, and did you get a card?

Here are some other observations that you will want to write down. Did the adjuster walk around the entire house? Did he/she go on the roof? Did the adjuster take pictures? Did he/she go though your home thoroughly? Did he/she write down the damages you pointed out?

Remember, if you are prepared, and have completed your “Damage Checklist”, you could give the adjuster a list of damages and their locations. If you are not prepared, you face a  substantial risk. Failure to do this can cause the adjuster to miss things. Then, when he/she completes their estimate you may find that your home has damage that wasn’t estimated and paid for by your insurance company.

You don’t want this to happen because you will then have only two alternatives:

1) Pay for these damages out of your own pocket.  That is not why you pay premiums!

Or

2) Supplement your claim, which will involve challenging the first adjuster's conclusions, and will quite possibly mean that you will find another adjuster assigned to your claim.

If your home was affected by a catastrophic situation like a hurricane, tornado, flood, hail storm, or earthquake, it is likely that you will have a cat. claims adjuster. This is someone who may be from another state doing temporary work in your area. It will be hard to follow up with this person, and more than likely your claim will be reassigned. Then, you will be waiting again for the file to be reassigned and another adjuster’s visit. This of course, will slow the process down, resulting in increased delays and frustration for you. Don’t let this happen to you, Be prepared and do it right the first time!

If you realize that things are not going well on your claim then get help. As a consumer advocate, and public adjuster we can help.

This article is an excerpt from the book entitled “How to Settle Your Claim and Get the Money You Deserve!” written by Richard L. Carter.

Mr. Carter is founder of My Insurance Adjuster, a consumer advocate that educates, informs, and assists property owners in claim resolution. He, his wife and family live in North Carolina. If you need help with your claim or have a question, contact him at the contact page above.

If you would like to read "real life ongoing claim examples" visit our testimonials page, or our Facebook.