The recent hurricane has left many homeowners and business owners with severe property damage and in some states we have seen the tragic loss of life.  The American Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (AAPIA) sends their condolences to those families in the aftermath of one of the worst hurricanes ever recorded.

Whenever property damage, as we witnessed with Hurricane Irene this past weekend, occurs it is a traumatic event for policyholders and their families.  The fear and worry of how they will rebuild or repair their property is something we hope no one ever has to experience.  The public adjuster serves the public, not the insurance companies, it is the responsibility of the Public Adjuster to help rebuild and restore the homeowner's lives by assisting them in all aspects of claim preparation and tedious negotiations that take place whenever a claim of any dollar value needs to be approved.

On August 30, 2011 AAPIA convened a panel of experts in the insurance industry to discuss how policyholders can work through their property losses.  The program appears on our website www.aapia.org under the tab: BlogTalkRadio - program entitled: "What Policyholders Need to Know After Hurricane Irene". Please take a moment to listen to our program and the comments. Also we highly recommend visiting www.delaydenydefend.com website where you will find an excellent book authored by Jay M. Feinman, Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers University Law School. We highly recommend this book to homeowners.  

I began the program by stating, this live show is not about Public Adjusters, but how we can help the policyholders understand the complex process of knowing what their insurance policy covers and does not cover. 

AAPIA advocates for public adjusters, but we provide education and resources for the consumer so they can begin the necessary process of repairing or rebuilding their properties.  The public adjuster works for the policyholders, not the insurance companies. 

There are 3 types of adjusters:

1. Staff Adjuster who works solely for the "Insurance Company"
2. Independent Adjuster, retained by the insurance company
3. Public Adjuster, they only represent the policyholder and their responsibility is to examine property loss, establish true replacement value, and begin the arduous task of "negotiating" with Insurance Company adjusters.

 On our web site we offer a 24/7 call in center that assists consumers with answering many questions to help them through this unsettling time in their families lives.

No one is ever happy when tragedy occurs, but when it does, a licensed public adjuster and a lawyer can be a major resource in "negotiating" and "assisting" policyholders in arriving at a claim settlement that is fair and reasonable. 

I recently stated in a television interview: "If you were not impacted by this recent storm, I highly recommend you pull out your homeowner's or business owner's policy and review it in depth to make sure your coverage is what you believe you need to protect your assets". 

The Public Adjuster can examine a policy and offer suggestions on what you may need to be fully protected in the event of a loss.   There is no cost for this evaluation. Let's face it, insurance language is not something we all can easily understand, that is why there is a need for public adjusters even before a loss occurs and especially after when there is so much confusion on what is covered etc.

AAPIA is available to the public to address any specific questions you may have related to your property loss.  We also offer many website links to governmental offices and agencies if you need to contact a state department in your locality.

We are here to help the many families whose lives have been impacted by this recent storm.  Our purpose is to help individuals restore their lives as a result of recent storms and property loss when  it should occur.  

For additional tips on what policy holders would need to know in the aftermath of a storm click here.