Hurricane Earl et al Policyholder Suggestions:

  1. Contact your insurance company immediately to notify it of the claim. The first contact will likely be a telephone call, but follow that up in writing. In some states, you are only entitled to certain legal rights if you notify the insurance company of the claim in writing.
  2.  Hire a competent Public Adjuster.
  3. Read your insurance policy carefully to determine exactly what your policy does and does not cover. For example, if your policy covers water damage but not mold damage, then you will need to emphasize to the insurance adjuster that your carpet is wet, rather than saying it “smells moldy.”  If you are represented by a Public Adjuster you have no need to worry about most of this.
  4. Document the damage with lots of photographs. Photograph every room and each item that is damaged. After the property is cleaned up and repaired, the insurance company may dispute the extent of the damage and you will need proof.  This is far less likely to happen if you retain a Public Adjuster.
  5.  Hire reputable contractors for the repairs. Avoid “restoration” companies, particularly if they tell you they will only charge you what the insurance company pays. That situation can result in the restoration company getting the bulk of your insurance check and leaving you with a lot of out-of-pocket expenses.  Again your retention of a Public Adjuster will relieve you of this kind of activity.
  6. Keep track of the amount of time your employees spend on clean-up or repairs. The insurance company may reimburse you for the cost of its time.
  7. Provide the insurance company with all of the documentation it requests. If you fail to cooperate with the insurance company, you could jeopardize your insurance claim.  A competent Public Adjuster will eliminate some of the concerns.
  8. Document all contacts with the insurance company, including names, telephone numbers and conversations. It is common for a policyholder to receive conflicting information from the insurance company. The adjuster who says the company will pay for your loss may be overruled at the home office.  The retention of a Public Adjuster eliminates some of this area of concern.
  9. If your claim is not paid quickly, fairly and your carrier is guiltyof Bad Faith Claim Handling a Public Adjuster can provide a selection of Attorneys for your consideration and to determine your rights.
  10. Policyholders who are in the path of high wind events should retain a Public Adjuster so they have some looking out for their interests.  A Public Adjuster will closely inspect for the subtle damages caused by hurricanes. Many catastrophe adjusters do not have the time, experience, training or motivation to find these types of damage. Remember their interests are on behalf of the stock holders of the insurance company.  The more thorough the examination of the structure following a loss, the better the chance of finding damage which often is overlooked until it causes other portions of the building to break down far sooner than the designed life expectancy.  This is a vital area for the Public Adjusters representation of your interests.
  11. Keep track of everything said and done by the company adjusters and representatives of the insurance company can be crucial. When you retain and team up with a Public Adjuster a detailed time line can be developed.  Agreements and discussions are often forgotten or lost in the corporate jungle. Our strong suggestion is for the policyholder to carefully note every interaction with the insurance company by time and date.  This is developed with your help by the Public Adjuster.
  12. Take many videos and photographs of obvious damage to your property and neighboring properties. Documenting the “war zone” scenario often found following a storm prevents any argument later by the insurer that the storm was not as bad as the policyholder suggests. Insurers that want to minimize damage payments often have few photographs of very badly damaged structures or devastated areas. Those same insurers will take many photographs of areas with little damage.  Your retainer of a Public Adjuster solves many of these potential problems that we have experienced over time.

             John Wayne Campbell,Sr.
             Executive Public Adjuster
             Texas License No.1549815
            Oklahoma License 40131821
            North Carolina
            www.johnwaynecampbell.com
            www.PublicAdjusterAcademy.com