Let Public Adjuster Deal With Insurance Company by Harry S. Gross
Q:
About five years ago I changed our homeowner’s policy to replacement-cost coverage. I had a fire in my home in January. The insurance company adjuster listed the material cost to replace our kitchen cabinets but not the installation cost. After weeks of wrangling, he still wouldn’t budge, so I hired a public adjuster to fight for me. At this point, they agreed to an outside appraisal. Is that OK? Is there something else I should do?
A:
Unfortunately, insurance companies sometimes forget that their primary purpose is to protect their insureds. That’s why the whole field of public adjusters is alive and well. You may have, at most, a couple of losses in a lifetime. The adjusters deal with it everyday.
You have good representation, so just sit tight. From time to time insurance companies will get slapped down by the courts for acting in bad faith. If you adjuster concludes that your company is acting in bad faith, you should get a lawyer to go after it.