For business owners, dealing with any fire, flooding, storm damage or vandalism, it’s usually a real nightmare. Even a week or two out of the market can have a huge negative impact and cause serious business loss. A quick restoration and reimbursement for the business losses suffered may be essential to the business’ very survival.
In the insurance claim process, the burden of proof falls on the business owner. The documentation he/she submits is used in determining the final settlement. Thus, comprehensive appraisal of all commercial property losses and of business activity losses, proper claim documentation and timely submission are all important factors that determine how successful and expedient the claim will be.
Based on our long experience with commercial insurance claims, we do not recommend that any business owner does it on their own. Not just that the stakes are too high to take a chance on, but in the vast majority of cases, even after the percentage the adjuster company gets for their work, the business owner still gets a significantly higher settlement.
Hiring an adjuster company to help with a commercial loss insurance claim does, in the end, pay off, for more than one reason:
- commercial loss appraisers have the knowledge to accurately estimate commercial property losses and substantiate them to the insurance company
- professional adjusters are able to estimate and document the business activity loss accurately
- a review of your insurance policy by someone on your side will assure nothing is overlooked and you are getting everything you are entitled to
- it will free up your time and resources
- adjuster companies (reputable ones, anyway) have established relationships with the insurance companies; insurers know the claims submitted by adjusters are accurate and complete and get challenged and delays a lot less often
- it will expedite your claim process and therefore, your recovery!
DISCLAIMER: not all adjuster companies are created equal. Before hiring someone, please do your due diligence. Just like in any other business, experience matters, a lot. How do we fare? We’re seriously good at what we do, and have the record to show it…