So, you’ve experienced hail damage. You may have thought to yourself that you remember the hail storm but looked up at your roof and really didn’t notice any damage. The fact is you can’t see hail storm damage from the ground and most home inspectors have not received any formal training on hail damage to roofs.
In order to know if your home has actual hail damage, a home’s roof must be inspected by a person who has training, knowledge, and experience. When you have hail damage, you will see some of the tiny granules of a roof missing and over time the roof damage will get progressively worse and possibly shorten its lifespan. Ultimately your roof will end up leaking.
Even if your roof has minimal damage you have a valid insurance claim and should file with your insurance company. The damage caused by a hail storm might not cause your roof to leak for years. This makes it very critical to have a qualified person inspect your roof. Most insurance policies allow a homeowner 14 days to report a loss, known as the 14-day rule. It is important to do so in that time frame because the insurance company will come back and say that this was something that happened over a long period of time, also known as pre-existing condition, and that the homeowner failed to mitigate the damages in the time frame allowed.
So what do you do if you think you may have hail damage to your roof and want to file an insurance claim? GETCLAIMHELP! Contact All American Public Adjusters, Inc to review your policy and verify if you have the proper coverage. After our experienced and knowledgeable adjusters inspect your loss, and justify that you in fact have hail damage, we will assist you with filing a claim. We will meet with the insurance company’s adjuster and justify your damage with proper estimates and with our expertise, get you a maximum settlement for your loss. Contact us today for a free claim evaluation.
[footer1]
We have come across many insureds with water damage caused by a pipe breaking under the slab. Unlike a general leak, a slab leak can be very expensive to fix especially if not identified immediately. There really is not much you can do to prevent them in terms of maintenance.
Slab leaks can be caused by both incoming or discharge water. If you check your water pressure, and your water pressure is less than normal, you could have flooding under the slab. The pressure in the pipe will remain the same and gets released before it gets to your fixtures. If the flooding is caused by an outgoing pipe, then it can cause problems under the slab and eventually be detected by the ground shifting, unusual flooding or foul odor.
In the event that you think you may have a slab leak here are some basic things you need to know:
First, find where the leak is coming from (Look for wet floors, walls, or outdoor area). If it is not visible, contact a plumber. A plumber can bring a camera and do what is known as a “leak detection”. Photograph the area and all the damages that are visible. If you sustain damage to your walls, floors, etc. contact a public adjuster. It is important that every item that gets damaged is documented and photographed. Also, it is important to remember that water damage causes mold and mildew and can cause further damage to your property. You might want to contact a water restoration company to make sure that all of your items are properly dried out and that they are not contaminated with mold. Also, if you are unable to live on the premises, then a public adjuster can get you money for additional living expenses.
Get the Professionals Involved
Water damage to a property can become very severe if not treated properly. Contact an insurance claims profession who has experience in helping homeowners handle water claims. At All American Public Adjusters, you will find insurance experts who can help through the insurance claim process. Also, if you feel that your insurance company has not reimbursed you properly, contact us and we will help negotiate your claim for you.
[footer1]- Published in Blog
Public Adjusters can get you 2-5 times more money on your property damage!
WHY Independent Insurance Agents should consider working with a Public Adjuster to handle and resolve home owners and business insurance damage claims. Insurance agents need to realize that Public Insurance Adjusters are not your enemy. If you help your customer pick a claims professional who understands YOUR insurance claims business, adheres to a Professional Code of Ethics and has an excellent reputation, you will have done a great service for them. Here are guidelines for how to pick a good Public Adjuster: – They should be licensed in the state the loss occurs in – A member of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) – Experienced with a range of disasters and has worked with many insurance companies – Local knowledge of contractors, repair and remediation prices, building codes, etc.
Public Insurance Adjusters Are Not Your Enemy
An Interview with Ronald R. Reitz, CPPA – Quality Claims Management, San Diego, CA
We recently spent an afternoon with Ron Reitz, CEO of Quality Claims Management and Past President of the California Association of Public Insurance Adjusters as well as an Officer of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (He will be President in 2012) . Ron is a Certified Professional Public Adjuster with over 15 years of experience providing hazard claim recovery services to investors, mortgage servicers, homeowners and businesses.
1. After a disaster, insureds have hundreds or even thousands of questions and worries. In a large-scale disaster, many of your local customers will be coming to YOU for answers. You may find yourself answering the phone every few minutes to address more questions and to resolve their fears. As an agent you will find it necessary to read the policy and then get back to the insured with their answers. You may find yourself at odds with the insurer if you add your own opinion or interpretation of the policy language and it differs from the insurer’s. This is an area where a public adjuster can add value since they will be the ones working directly with the insured and the insurer to address all coverage issues.
2. Customers who have suffered a loss are very emotional and upset. You will likely be the first one to receive a call informing you of their loss. Your customer will be in need of some immediate assistance and resources. Some of the things they will need are emergency services and temporary housing. Customers will also ask you to report their claim for them and will inquire as to the entire process. It is likely they will ask for a copy of their policy with a full explanation of their coverages. This is an important process that can be handled by a public insurance adjuster.
3. For the insured who experiences a disaster, working with numerous company adjusters, independent adjusters and contractors can be cumbersome, time-consuming and sometimes may even be infuriating. However, you as an independent agent want to stay neutral – you don’t want your customers yelling at you for decisions the insurer may be making and you certainly do not want your insurance company clients upset with you either. This can be a very challenging position to find yourself in. This is another reason why it makes sense to engage a public insurance adjuster – they are outside of the decision making process and will be an advocate for the insured.
4. Our experience in adjusting large losses and large scale disasters has shown there are a large number of insureds that are under-insured. This is usually the result of the insured shopping for the lowest rates and ending up with inadequate coverage limits. If your insured finds themselves under-insured, the natural thing for them to do is to point their finger at their agent and accuse them of not properly insuring them. Sometimes, a very skilled and astute public adjuster can find additional coverage within the policy to minimize the impact. When selling a policy I recommend the agent spend additional time with the insured to fully explain the coverages that may quickly reach or exceed limits in case of a large loss – such as personal property with the sub-limits; additional structures; landscaping; and building code upgrade to name a few. A good public adjuster will look for all coverages within the policy with a goal of minimizing the effect of an under-insured situation.
5. During the entire claim process it is common for the insurer and insured to have differing opinions on a variety of issues. A professional public insurance adjuster will relieve the burden from the agent by answering and explaining coverages, processes, values and options available to them. In addition, the public adjuster will be able to obtain a value of the loss that is independent from the insurer’s. The goal of the public insurance adjuster is to pursue all coverage the insured is entitled to under the policy. Our experience has shown this is not always the same goal the insurer has. A professional public insurance adjuster can be a strong advocate for the insured and will work with the agent, insured and the insurer to resolve the claim expeditiously for its full value.
[footer1]6. Remember a professional public insurance adjuster is the only adjuster that can represent the insured. The company adjuster and independent adjuster are only authorized to work for the insurer. If the customer does not engage a public insurance adjuster, then they will find themselves without their own representation – or will rely upon their agent to perform that work and you will quickly discover you have a second full-time job. It is an arduous and tenacious task to juggle all elements of a claim and one that should really be performed by someone that does this on a full-time basis.
If you help your customer pick a claims professional who understands the insurance claims business, adheres to a Professional Code of Ethics and has an excellent reputation, you will have done a great service for them.
Guidelines for How to Pick the Right Public Adjuster:
– They should be licensed in the state the loss occurs in
– A member of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA)
– Experienced with a range of disasters and has worked with many insurance companies
– Local knowledge of contractors, repair and remediation prices, building codes, etc.
– Knowledge of your insurance company – its top adjusters and claims handling processes and policies
– References from satisfied customers
- Published in Blog, F A Q, In the News
Hurricane Irene, the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, now has its sights set on the Bahamas and the U.S. East Coast.
Irene produced widespread tree and power line damage across Puerto Rico Sunday night into Monday. View Photos
As you can see on our projected path map below, Irene is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher on Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale) by early Wednesday as it tracks in the direction of the Bahamas on a path towards the East Coast of the U.S. Friday into the weekend.
Interactive map: Hurricane Irene interactive projected path
TWC’s Exclusive Threat Level for Hurricane Irene
Find out the potential impacts from Hurricane Irene in the Caribbean, Bahamas and the U.S. on The Weather Channel’s exclusive threat level graphics below.
-
We have increased the threat level in portions of the central and northern Bahamas to extreme. Hurricane Irene will track from the southern Bahamas to the northern Bahamas Tuesday through early Friday morning. This is a potentially very dangerous situation and preparations should be rushed to completion.
-
Coastal portions of the Southeast U.S. remain in a high threat (red shading). This threat level will likely change as forecast confidence increases both in the track and intensity.
-
The greatest probability of a U.S. landfall is in the Carolinas during the Friday night through Saturday time frame, possibly as a major hurricane.
-
Keep in mind, the average forecast track errors 4-5 days out are between 200 and 250 miles! NHC intensity forecasts even in the 1-2 day range are regularly off by one Saffir-Simpson category!
-
The second threat level graphic below shows that we expect Hurricane Irene to continue northward either along or inland over the Northeast U.S.
-
The threat level in Northeast U.S. is low to medium for now and will likely change depending on the exact track and intensity of Irene.
-
Timing for any potential Northeast U.S. impacts would be this weekend into perhaps Monday of next week.
-
As always, stay tuned to The Weather Channel and weather.com for the latest updates on this situation. Tune in at :50 after each hour for a full look at the tropics.
Las compañías de seguros tienen elbeneficio de representarse a
sí mismas para proteger sus intereses.
¿Por qué usted no?
Nosotros somos “ajustadores públicos de seguros” licenciados por el Departamento de Seguros de la Florida, entrenados para proteger sus intereses.
Nosotros comprendemos la inversión que ha hecho al comprar su casa, nuestro deber es ayudarlo a obtener la máxima indemnización posible.
Obtenga el mayor beneficio en el reembolso de su seguro con la ayuda de
ALL AMERICAN PUBLIC ADJUSTERS, INC
Si las compañías de seguro tienen el beneficio de tener representantes que evalúen los daños de su propiedad
¿Porque no tenerlo usted también?
Nuestros ajustadores están comprometidos con sus intereses en la evaluación y preparación de sus
reclamos a la compañía de seguros.
La experiencia y conocimiento sobre la interpretación de las pólizas de su propiedad nos permitirá
completar el reporte de los daños al más mínimo detalle, para asegurar así, que usted recibirá el
pago correspondiente por cada una de sus perdidas.
EXPERIENCIA QUE SALE A CUENTA
Nuestros ajustadores de seguros están capacitados y tienen la experiencia para representarlo en
reclamos causados por:
Incendio / Humo
Daños por agua
Goteras
Tormenta / Viento
Huracanes / Tornados
Goteras del aire acondicionado
Tuberías rotas
Objetos caídos
Vandalismo / Robo
Inundaciones
Relámpagos
Cortos circuitos
Nosotros nos haremos cargo de su reclamo, prepararemos los estimados de los daños que tenga su propiedad para presentarlos a la compañía de seguros; incluyendo los gastos de reconstrucción de lo dañado, los contenidos de su vivienda y además el costo de vivir fuera de su casa si está quedado inhabitable.
Llame a uno de nuestros
ajustadores hoy mismo, para una
¡CONSULTA GRATIS!
5 Razones para llamarnos
1. Nosotros tenemos el conocimiento y la experiencia sobre la interpretación de las pólizas de seguros y
la preparación de la documentación necesaria, lo más importante es estar al tanto de las nuevas leyes y
regulaciones de las Compañías de Seguros.
2. Si usted no está de acuerdo con el estimado ofrecido por su compañía de seguros, éste es el
momento de consultar a la ALL AMERICAN PUBLIC ADJUSTERS, INC, donde lo ayudaremos
adecuadamente a obtener la máxima indemnización por sus perdidas.
3. Nosotros nos haremos cargo de todas las negociaciones con la compañía de seguros, tanto
de la preparación de la documentación necesaria como de hacer cumplir los acuerdos que se
logren, en el menor margen de tiempo posible, aliviándole así el estrés generado por sus perdidas.
4. Recuerde que si no Ganamos, no Cobramos.
5. No Olvide que nosotros representamos a Usted y a sus intereses exclusivamente.
¡¡SI NO GANAMOS, NO COBRAMOS!!
No hay pagos por adelantado. Si no obtenemos un pago por los daños, usted no nos tendrá que pagar por nuestro servicio.
¡Llame ahora para una
inspección GRATIS!
Para ver el folleto original en español, el clic aquí: el interior , afuera .
- Published in Blog