I am not a public adjuster nor am I an attorney making a pitch for work. My areas of expertise, as an insurance adjuster, are residential and commercial losses. My experience extends from small losses such as water leaks or kitchen grease fires to large losses where property has been totally destroyed by fire, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.

In the 23 years that I have been an adjuster, I have worked with thousands of adjusters, most of them with average to below average claims adjusting skills. Because of the adjusters’ lack of experience and knowledge, I have seen many people struggle to get their claims settled fairly, professionally and on a timely basis. I have always been the adjuster that is sent to “make right” the initial adjuster’s errors in handling the claim, thereby, bringing the insurance claim to a satisfactory conclusion for the customer.

The information that I am laying before you is from the perspective of a successful home owner insurance claims adjuster. Remember, the person the insurance company sends to meet with you is an adjuster. It is the adjuster that will steer the direction your claim is going to take. The initial concern you must address, upon meeting with your adjuster, is the adjuster’s level of experience and knowledge handling home owner insurance claims. It is your adjuster that is 100% responsible for a satisfactory or unsatisfactory solution to your problems.

Look at it this way, who would you want to take care of your family’s medical needs, the person that has completed medical school or the person that has completed 2 years of medical school? Your home may be your greatest investment. Should you not want and demand the best person for the job? If the insurance company is not willing to assign a different adjuster to your claim, at least you know the adjuster’s level of experience and that you will need to maintain tight control of the claims process. Regardless of the adjuster’s level of competence, you must always maintain control of your claim.

Insurance companies require that an individual have a 4 year college degree before being hired as an adjuster without regard to the degree's relationship to claims adjusting. Insurance companies invest a few weeks of training on the new hires before sending these “adjusters to be” into the field to handle home owner insurance claims. The new adjuster’s training is then left up to the immediate supervisor and/or manager to continue. In the meantime, the new adjuster is handling home owner insurance claims that he/she is not qualified to handle.

The goal of this document is to show you how to maintain control of your home owner insurance claim and prevent you from: 1) being penalized by the adjuster’s inexperience and lack of knowledge; and 2) having your home owner insurance claim settled short of securing the insurance dollars you need to properly and adequately repair the damage to your property. I will provide you with positive and effective methods to Control Your Home Owners Insurance Claim.

Follow with me as I show you the ways to increase the security for your home and, most importantly, your family. I’ll cover the following: 1) deductibles; 2) coverage and policy definitions; 3) home owner insurance claims handling; 4) repair techniques; 5) repair vs. replacement; 6) adjuster vs. the contractor and what this means to you; 7) public adjusters and attorneys – good or bad – and; 8) how do all of the above effect you, financially?

Let me give you a real life example of what an adjuster's experience and knowledge can do for you versus the adjuster's lack of that same experience and knowledge.

Recently, I handled a home owner insurance claim for a family that had the misfortune of being involved in 2 hurricanes within a 2 week period. The first hurricane damaged the doors and windows of the home, allowing water damage to the interior of the home. Authorities evacuated the entire area because of the substantial damage caused by the hurricane.

Before being able to return to their home, the second hurricane struck. Upon returning after a 5 week absence, they were shocked at what they found. What the first hurricane had started, the second one finished. The roof had been badly damaged allowing rainwater to enter the home. Drywall, insulation, flooring, cabinets, etc., throughout the home had been damaged. Their contents were ruined. Mold was everywhere.

After the first hurricane, this family filed a home owner insurance claim with their insurance company. The adjuster was not able to inspect the damage as no one was allowed entry to the area. When the second hurricane struck, this family filed a second home owner insurance claim. It took the adjuster a month after the second hurricane before he was able to meet with this family.

The adjuster that responded handled the damage from both hurricanes as one loss. Policy limits were paid. Unfortunately, the policy limits did not adequately repair the home. The family argued that they had two losses, not one. The adjuster countered by saying he was not able to separate the damage caused by the first hurricane from that caused by the second hurricane. The family provided the adjuster documentation from the Fire Department that described what the first hurricane damaged but, to no avail.

I became involved in this file over 2 years after the hurricanes struck. This family had saved every piece of paper that was generated in the course of the claim(s). Everything was carefully organized and easy to explain. The main obstacle I encountered, aside from the extreme frustration this family was experiencing, was getting the insurance carrier to accept this as two losses, not one. I, having succeeded in getting the carrier to accept this as two losses, was able to finalize the home owner insurance claim to the family’s satisfaction. The family received over $20,000.00, in additional funds, to cover the damage created by the first hurricane. With the funds for the first hurricane’s damage and the limits that were paid for the second hurricane’s damage, this family was finally able to properly and adequately repair their home.

This example is not uncommon, especially when the home owner insurance claims are of a catastrophic nature. Over the two years that this family worked with the insurance carrier to get their damage properly addressed, they met with a number of adjusters. Each time, the new adjuster failed to bring the home owner insurance claim to a satisfactory conclusion. With each failure, frustrations on part of the customer increased. Making any home owner go through something like this is totally unacceptable.

When you purchase your policy, you enter into a legal agreement with the insurance company that states, for an agreed price (premium), the insurance company will cover you for loss(s) by perils that are outlined within the document (policy). If your property is damaged by a peril that is covered, you should expect the carrier to provide the monetary assistance you need to repair the damage to your property. You should also expect that this service be provided professionally and on a timely basis by an adjuster that is experienced and knowledgeable in handling home owner insurance claims. You should not expect to be penalized for the adjuster’s inability to properly perform the carrier’s responsibilities to you.

Problems arise because the adjusters are not experienced. In the business of adjusting insurance claims, experience is everything. Insurance companies expect you to pay 100% of the premium each and every month. In return, you should expect to have your claim processed by “100% of an adjuster”. Less than this is not acceptable because the funds you receive on your claim may vary by 1,000’s of dollars when the claim is handled by an experienced and knowledgeable adjuster as compared to an adjuster that does not “own” that same experience and knowledge.

The knowledge that you will receive from my presentation will show you what you can do to prepare for a catastrophic loss, what you can do after the loss to mitigate your damage and, the actions you can take to assure that your claim is handled properly and to your satisfaction. This same knowledge will translate into the right amount of insurance dollars being paid on your claim.

My presentation provides you with my 23 years of claims adjusting experience providing the customer the service they deserve. Control Your Home Owner Insurance Claim is made available to you for $69.99. The information covers minor water leaks, wind, hail, tornado, earthquake, hurricane and fire related damage. This information is information that you will need BEFORE the storm strikes so that you can take the necessary measures to best protect yourself against the devastation the storms bring with them. You should also have this information to properly control your claim so that you are sure the adjuster has your best interests in mind and not only those of the insurance company.

Good Luck to you,

Chap Ulin

P.S. Should you require additional clarification on any item contained within the document, please refer your concern to my e-mail address: homeownerinsuranceclaim.com. Your concerns will be addressed within 24 hours.