It generally represents between 10% and 20% of the total settlement of the insurance claim, depending on the size of the claim. In any case, while most public appraisers are honest and competent in their work, it's still essential to be on the lookout for potential scams. Most public appraisers charge a percentage of the total payment of the claim. Your compensation can be as low as 3% or as high as 30% of your insurance settlement, depending on the size of your claim.
A state organization, such as the California Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, or the Texas Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, can guide you to one of its members. If you want to know how to file an insurance claim or need help managing the insurance claims process, talk to Allclaims Pro Public Adjusting. Public appraisers review each case individually to determine how much time and materials they should spend on their particular claim. Your insurance company will send its own appraiser, but you can also hire a public insurance appraiser to assess the loss of property on your behalf and help you file insurance claims.
A public appraiser can help you with the claims process and ensure that your payment is fair and accurately reflects the damages and your coverage. For any home insurance claim, a public appraiser can point to the money in the claims to which you are entitled and that you didn't even know. After all, you can't expect the landlord to be an insurance expert. So how much does a public appraiser charge? On average, an appraiser will charge fees equivalent to 10% of the claim payment.
Public insurance appraisers must be licensed in each state in which they practice their profession and, like other professionals, must participate in continuing education courses to retain their license. Generally, a public appraiser handles the entirety of a claim on behalf of their clients, including communication with the insurer, but some policyholders may want to participate in some measure. When determining if hiring a public appraiser is right for you, consider the amount of the damages and your specific situation with respect to the trust needed to process the claim independently. A public appraiser can help reopen a claim with the insurer and file a supplementary claim for additional payments.
Public appraisers can file and negotiate claims for damage caused by floods, fires, smoke, wind and hurricanes, as well as for damage caused by other hazards and even for loss of business income if caused by property damage. Unlike an insurance company's appraiser, a public appraiser advocates exclusively for the insured, says Tim Cornett, president of the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters. Public appraiser fees are usually a percentage of the amount that the insurance company pays for the policyholder's claim. If you've been trying to file a damage claim with your insurance company, but you firmly believe that you should receive more money than they offered you, you can go to a public appraiser for help.
The National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) has an online directory of public appraisers, although membership does not prevent someone from being a qualified or licensed appraiser for your claim.
