Homeowners pay their monthly premiums for their homeowner’s insurance to protect their home and property, hoping they’ll never need to file a claim. It’s normal to feel a variety of emotions after experiencing a fire, burst pipe or weather-related damage. Unfortunately, many homeowners are further traumatized when their insurance claim for the damage is denied.

Insurance companies have numerous reasons to which they can resort to deny a claim. Insurers may say the homeowner didn’t properly maintain the property, the damage is excluded, or the claim exceeded time limits for filing. They may also say there’s insufficient documentation of the damage, or even automatically deny the claim with no investigation. Other insurers compute compensation at a bare minimum to save the company money.

Adjusters sent by the insurance company will ask a variety of questions. Anything said to an adjuster by the homeowner about the damage, what may have caused it, or their physical or emotional state may later be used to deny the claim. Never admit guilt.

Any time an insurance claim is denied is the perfect time to hire a public adjuster. Insurance adjusters work for the insurance company. A public adjuster works for the homeowner. There’s no guarantee that a public adjuster can get a higher reimbursement from the insurer. However, statistics show that those who hire a public adjuster can receive up to a 30 percent higher settlement from their insurance company.

A public adjuster will examine the homeowner’s policy for exclusions and other clauses that may be improperly applied by the insurer. The professional will investigate the extent of the loss and the circumstances surrounding the damage, along with the costs of materials to repair the damage and the cost to replace lost contents. They can also negotiate with an insurer for a higher settlement on behalf of the homeowner.