What is a public adjuster?

A public insurance adjuster (or public adjuster) is a licensed insurance professional hired by a policyholder to document, prepare, and present a claim on your behalf to negotiate the best settlement for the you, the policyholder. Unlike insurance staff adjusters and independent adjusters, who work for insurance companies, we work for you. Public adjusters are licensed by your state.

In this guide, you learn what is a public insurance adjuster, why use a public adjuster, what services a public adjuster provides, and how much public adjusters charge. Read on to find out what a public adjuster can do for you.

What does a public adjuster do?
What types claims does a public insurance adjuster handle?
Advantages of using a public insurance adjuster
Public adjuster vs. independent adjuster
Why use a public insurance adjuster?
Should I use a public insurance adjuster?
How soon should I call a public insurance adjuster?
How do public adjusters get paid?
How much does a public adjuster charge?
How is the claim settled? What is actual cash value (ACV)?
How can Grenier Public Adjusters can help you?

What does a public insurance adjuster do?

A public adjuster handles all aspects of an insurance claim for damage to a commercial building or private residence on behalf of the policyholder. A public adjuster is an insurance expert who thoroughly reviews your insurance policy, documents all aspects of the claim, presents your claim to the insurance company, and negotiates with the insurer to arrive at the best possible settlement for you, the policyholder.

What types of types claims does a public insurance adjuster handle?

Commercial losses and homeowner claims caused by fire, water damage, frozen pipes, storm damage, vandalism, windstorm, and vehicle hits are a few examples of the types of claims handled by a public adjuster.

Advantages of using a public insurance adjuster

  1. Higher settlement: A public adjuster helps the property owner get a fair valuation for loss. A public adjuster charges a small percentage of your claim, which is an offset of a larger claim settlement that you would not otherwise receive. A public adjuster is your advocate.
  2. Your guide: A public adjuster provides expert knowledge, cutting-edge technology for documentation purposes, and guidance to benefit you at every step through an insurance claims process that is time-consuming and complicated.
  3. Insurance expert: Insurance policies are long and often ambiguous. A public adjuster knows what to look for in insurance policies and utilizes the endorsements to your advantage to ensure you receive all the benefits to which you are entitled.
  4. Documentation: A public adjuster uses cutting-edge technology to fully document your loss.
  5. Timesaver: Hiring a public adjuster enables you focus on your day-to-day life without the extra burden of dealing with the insurance company and contractors. This is our specialty.

Public adjuster vs. independent adjuster

A public adjuster serves you, the policyholder to represent your best interest. In contrast, an independent adjuster or staff adjuster is hired by an insurance company to best serve the best interest of the insurance company. Public adjusters balance the system for policyholders.

Why use a public insurance adjuster?

Only a public insurance adjuster will represent your best interest, not the insurance company’s. Insurance carriers hire their own insurance adjusters or independent insurance adjusters to represent their interests to minimize the claim as best they can. You owe it to yourself to be represented by a professional public insurance adjuster right from the start.

Under Massachusetts law, property owners are entitled to representation. Public adjusters are professionals who assess your property damage claim and negotiate the highest settlement permissible based on your insurance policy.

Should I use a public insurance adjuster?

Yes, the services of a public adjuster are beneficial no matter the size of your claim. Public insurance adjusters are beneficial for two main reasons:

  1. Achieving a fair settlement: Your claim must be documented properly and handled efficiently every step of the way to receive a fair settlement.
  2. Guidance throughout an insurance claims process that is time sensitive, confusing and has many moving parts. If your claim is not closely attended to and properly documented, large sums of money could go unclaimed.

Sometimes policyholders hope for or expect a fair settlement from the insurance company and go through the claims process without a public adjuster. They may wait a long time only to receive an offer they don’t like, and then they hire a public adjuster. Unfortunately, waiting wastes a lot of time and results in an offer the policyholder may think is fair but probably isn’t. It’s important to get professional guidance from a licensed public adjuster like Grenier Public Adjusters right from the start.

How soon should I call a public insurance adjuster?

Immediately! When disaster strikes, insurance company personnel and agents may direct the policyholder to “follow necessary protocol” in the first two days. Often the direction given by the insurance company is not in the policyholder’s best interest. The presence of a public adjuster on a claim ensures the initial steps taken benefit the policyholder.

In addition, a public adjuster evaluates and documents the damages prior to the scene being disturbed to preserve any evidence that may help in the event of a dispute. On day one, we carefully photograph the damages to the building and its contents. Before anything is disturbed or disposed of, it is important that the public adjuster and the insurance carrier agree on a scope of work. Insurance carriers often push for salvage to minimize the payout, even when full replacement is warranted.

Engagement of a public adjuster’s services right from the start is crucial. Without representation, you could lose out on large sums of money.

Consult with a public adjuster right from the start!

If you or someone you know has suffered property loss, call Grenier Public Adjusters, day or night, at 774-239-6822.

How do public adjusters get paid?

Public adjusters work for the policyholder, not an insurance company. There are no initial out-of-pocket expenses paid by the policyholder upon hiring a public adjuster. We get paid after achieving you a fair and equitable settlement that is agreed upon by all parties. We get paid when you get paid.

How much does a public adjuster charge?

You may wonder what percentage does a public adjuster take? Or what is an appropriate fee for a public adjuster? A public adjuster and the policyholder agree to a percentage of the claim in the beginning, before to entering a contract. In Massachusetts, public adjuster fees are capped at 10% of any recovery.

The public adjuster’s fee is usually more than offset by the larger settlement recovered from the insurance company. As a bonus, the value of a public adjuster is not only monetary. Our customers say we deliver additional value because of our ability to increase their claim amount, reduce their involvement and stress and provide guidance the insurance carrier won’t.

How is the claim settled? What is actual cash value (ACV)?

The insurance company will pay the claim in parts: Typically claims are settled on an actual cash value. ACV includes depreciation, code upgrade costs and other benefits provided by the policy—but only if the policyholder provides the correct documentation. A public adjuster assists and guides the policyholder by preparing and presenting this documentation such that nothing is “left on the table.” At every step in the claims process, the public insurance adjuster fights for what is right for you.

How can Grenier Public Adjusters help you?

We are expert public insurance adjusters serving Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.

Our services

We assist with all emergency services, such as securing the property, winterization, and temporary accommodations. Next, we thoroughly assess your loss using specialized strategies and techniques specific to the type of loss. We obtain building repair estimates, produce a detailed personal property inventory, determine the full impact of damages, and more. Our Our three-dimensional (3D) tool helps us document the loss to best prepare in case of a dispute. In all cases, we work to be well prepared.

Our commitment to you

As our many references will agree, we sincerely care about our clients and are committed to getting you what you are entitled to. All too often, we hear stories about property that took years to acquire being wiped out, and when the owners contacted the insurance company the owner’s motivation and integrity was questioned. Property owners are entitled to the coverage they paid for and were promised. This has motivated Grenier Public Adjusters for more than 40 years.

Personal and friendly service

When you choose Grenier Public Adjusters, you get personal and friendly service from Justin Grenier. I handle every aspect of your claim from start to finish. If you have a question, I’m here to answer it. Our family business has long lasting personal relationships that have taken decades to build with insurance company personnel, and we have access to all the same vendors as a larger public adjusting firm. Our reputation matters, and we strive to be thorough to see your claim is handled with the utmost care to deliver the best result to you. Our main goal is to build good relationships with our clients, so they can say comfortably to friends and family, “Grenier PA helped me tremendously, and they’ll help you, too.”

Taking the stress out of filing insurance claims since 1973

Grenier Public Adjusters was founded by John Grenier almost fifty years ago. Justin Grenier joined him in 2008 after studying business administration and working in the building trades for 12 years. Together they built a positive reputation in the industry, strong relationships with insurance adjusters, and a deep network of vendors, including contractors and restoration specialists.

What we can do

We can help you overcome many obstacles, such as understanding terms like depreciation, ordinance or law, broad evidence value, buy-out, period of restoration, and proof of loss. If you aren’t familiar with any of these terms, you should hire a public adjuster. We’ll help you understand your insurance policy and more. Without the involvement of a PA, you likely won’t receive a fair value for your loss, but you’ll be left wondering how to recover the full settlement after the insurance companies withholds depreciation. How will you know whether you have taken full advantage of the benefits your policy provides? You’d be surprised what you’re entitled to under your policy. Insurance carriers typically won’t advise you of these benefits, but we will!

Often, we are contacted months after a loss. In these cases, we request the policy and the carrier’s offer. We then do a comprehensive evaluation of the policy, the offer and the damages sustained to determine if there is opportunity for additional recovery. Numerous times, we have recovered tens of thousands of dollars more per loss for our clients.

Hiring a public adjuster is like hiring an attorney to represent you. You wouldn’t go to court without legal representation. We recommend you not engage with an insurance company without the representation of a public adjuster. In fact, many leading law offices recommend Grenier Public Adjusters to their clients.

If you or someone you know has suffered property loss, call Grenier Public Adjusters now, day or night, at 774-239-6822 or fill out our contact form.