Filing a New Claim
If you have experienced a loss or damage to your home in the last year and have not yet filed an insurance claim then please give us a call for a free consultation. We’ll discuss the claim with you, and whether it makes sense to use our services. Many times we are able to assist claims right over the phone, however based on complexity, we may also decide it’s best to come to the property and do an inspection of the loss.
The earlier you contact YPA Public Adjusters the more likely we can assist in ensuring that you will meet all of your obligations. A homeowner or business policyholder has the duty to mitigate property damage and prepare a scope of loss & estimate of damages.
These are some of the mistakes business and homeowners make when reporting claims themselves:
- Homeowners does not understand the cause of the loss – therefore can be denied.
- Can get UNDERPAID if not recognizing the total scope of the loss.
- The policy holder doesn’t document the loss properly and gets underpaid.
- Homeowners get contractors who are unskilled in insurance documentation, leading to underpayment or denial.
- Homeowners fail to understand their obligations under the insurance policy, leading to a denial.
Every claim is different. However, in a perfect situation, here is generally how the claim process would progress when you consult with and hire a licensed public adjuster to handle your claim:
- Loss to home or business is incurred
- File a claim with insurance company
- Hire a public adjuster
- Conduct onsite meetings
- Documentation of the claim (from the insurance company and public adjuster)
- Discussions with the insurance company concerning the documentation from both parties
- Negotiations
- Settlement of claim
- Collection of any supplemental payments as construction progresses
- Close claim once fully paid
If you have not first hired a public adjuster and instead attempted to handle the claim yourself, and the insurance adjuster has already submitted an estimate, YPA Public Adjusters would re-evaluate the insurance company’s decision and the claim would progress as follows:
- Loss to home or business
- File a claim with insurance company
- Insurance company inspects and estimates the loss
- Insurance company makes an offer
- Hire a public adjuster to dispute insurance company’s findings
- Conduct onsite meetings
- Documentation of the claim (from the insurance company and public adjuster)
- Discussions with the insurance company concerning the documentation from both parties
- Negotiations
- Settlement of claim
- Collection of any supplemental payments as construction progresses
- Close claim once fully paid
In either situation, YPA works on a contingency fee and you don’t pay us until you get paid.
PENDING CLAIM: Reviewing the carrier’s estimate
YPA Public Adjusters can assist and advise you at any point during the claim process. We work directly with your insurance company and its representatives to make sure they give your claim the attention it deserves. As experts, we advocate on your behalf to assure you are properly indemnified for your loss.
Even if you have received an offer from your carrier, we can quickly analyze their estimate and provide a recommendation on the chances you could be wildly successful by hiring us. Usually we find many items that were not originally included in the carrier’s estimate. For whatever reasons adjusters sometimes overlook certain areas of potential damage that can inadvertently reduce an insurance claim. We provide an extremely thorough investigation to uncover those areas and seek proper payment for your loss.
Below is a list of items that we have found are frequently unpaid or underpaid in estimates:
- Overhead and Profit
- Content manipulation
- Access difficulties
- Emergency Services
The proper understanding of the nature and extent of the loss and subsequent development of an estimate often yields thousands, sometimes even tens of thousands of dollars more than their estimate or even your contractor’s estimate. Our services are free until you are paid by your insurance company.
REOPEN CLAIM: Insurance claims have been settled
Even though your claim may have been settled, you may still be entitled to additional benefits. For the same reasons found above under the “PENDING” insurance companies sometimes fail to properly value your loss which reduces your settlement. At no cost to you the YPA Public Adjusters team can review the settlement and report back to you with recommendations.
We have been very successful handling claims carriers considered “closed” that returned significant additional benefits owed to you. However there is a time limit to re-open claims which varies state-by-state.
Please contact us for a Free Consultation and review even if you think you might not have been properly paid for your loss.
Call YPA Public Adjusters – at (682) 267-0336