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The question you want to answer is, 'Can I get my own independent loss adjuster to support me?' The short answer is yes. But who are loss adjusters? How can they help? And are they the best people to help you settle your claim successfully?
Independent loss adjusters are qualified experts at managing insurance claims. They provide support, guidance, and knowledge as insurance professionals with a full understanding of insurance coverage, procedures, and claims. They are typically employed by insurance companies to assess and oversee particularly complex and costly insurance claims. They are responsible for establishing the cause of a loss and determining whether the insurance policy covers it.
An Insurance Claims Adjuster is supposed to act impartially and provide an unbiased representation of an insurance claim. However, insurers will ask their employees to conduct their investigations in a manner that focuses on outcomes that favour the insurer. For example, they may be asked to look out for confusing details surrounding the circumstances of the claim, as ambiguity could help the insurer avoid liability.
Independent Adjusters are most often employed by insurance companies to investigate a complex or substantial claim. Very rarely are they appointed by policyholders. No matter whose behalf they are working on, an insurance claims adjuster should remain unbiased and focused on assessing the facts using their expert opinion. Their conclusions and reports should be proven with evidence and professional knowledge rather than speculative.
An Insurance Claims Adjuster is employed to determine two main points: whether the policy covers the loss/damage of the claim and the amount that should be awarded. Sometimes, the loss adjuster is given delegated authority, otherwise understood as full authority, to settle the claim on the insurer's behalf. Alternatively, the loss adjusters may be asked only to support the negotiations with guidance and recommendations.
During their claim assessment, loss adjusters will ask various questions to understand the full circumstances surrounding your claim. They will gather information through your responses to their questions and by viewing the damage and loss to your property. The information they collect will be used to create a report, which is sent to the insurance company. This report carries a great deal of weight in settling the details of your claim.
Policyholders are not usually given a copy of the loss adjusters' report. However, you can ask for the loss adjusters' conclusions and how they reached them. If you disagree with the loss adjusters' findings, you can ask for further explanations, including how your policy conditions specifically influence the claim. You can also ask how you will challenge any of the verdicts drawn from the assessment. Any issues you have about the loss adjusters' conduct should be raised immediately. If your concerns are not addressed, take them to the establishment directly.
Yes. All policyholders retain the right to appoint an independent loss adjuster to support their commercial or domestic insurance claim. A loss adjuster will guide and assess your claim, providing you with the knowledge and skills to reach a successful outcome. This is particularly important if your insurer contracts a loss adjuster like Questgates to work on their behalf. Utilising a loss adjuster's services usually indicates the claim's complexity. If your insurer has one on their side, it would be wise to appoint one to represent you also.
An independent loss adjuster can coordinate emergency work, prepare details of your claim, negotiate with all representatives, and settle an agreed-upon payout. This is all highly beneficial when competing against insurers and loss adjusters such as Questgates. But are independent loss adjusters the best people to represent you? Insurers typically contract them; therefore, they can be expensive to hire and harder to appoint to work on your behalf.
Independent loss adjusters are experts at assessing claims and understanding complicated insurance policies. Their expertise typically remains with representing insurance companies, but they are independent professionals trained to stay unbiased. If you appoint one to assist you with your claim, they will assess and conclude their findings impartially, delivering clear conclusions from their gathered information.
However, you may find that many independent loss adjusters only work on behalf of insurers as this provides them with a more reliable workload and competitive income. Instead it would be more worthwhile to contact insurance claims professionals with specific skills and experience at handling claims on behalf of the policyholder.
Loss assessors such as Oakleafe Claims are independent insurance experts who work solely on behalf of policyholders. They have the same knowledge and proficiency as loss adjusters, yet their purpose explicitly supports policyholders. They only ever work on your behalf. For this reason, they can be trusted to handle your claim expertly and correctly. Loss assessors work like independent loss adjusters, with the added value of experience and authenticity representing policyholders. They know the common mishaps, pitfalls and biases that loss adjusters and insurance companies use. They have the skills to guide and support you through a complex claims process. Their values lie in encouraging and assisting you, the policyholder specifically.
You are doing your best to navigate through your claim process, and you're informed that Questgates Loss Adjusters are coming to see you on behalf of your insurer. As the UK's leading specialist loss adjusters, they are experts in insurance and complex claims. The prospect of successfully managing your claim is already daunting, and now you feel even more intimidated by the thought of specialist loss adjusters representing your insurer.
Questgates is the UK's leading specialist loss adjuster. If they contact you on behalf of your insurer, you know your insurance company is taking your claim seriously. Employing such a loss adjuster indicates your claim is complex and substantial. For these reasons, you should consider appointing your own representative to support your side of the claim, such as Oakleafe Claims.
As a policyholder, you can employ your loss adjuster to back up your claim, whether for a commercial or domestic claim. Loss adjusters are professionals with expert knowledge of claim assessments, reports, insurance policies and settlements. However, loss adjusters are typically employed by insurance companies, making them expensive and complicated to come by. Loss assessors such as Oakleafe Claims, on the other hand, operate with the sole purpose of supporting policyholders with their claims. They, too, have expert knowledge and experience in insurance claims. More importantly, they have the relevant insight and skills to assist policyholders. They can offer you the guidance, encouragement and expertise you need to proficiently handle your claim, no matter who you are negotiating with.
A fire at home is not something anyone wants to think about and much less stop to consider the true cost After a Fire in My home. We all hope that it never happens but if it does knowing what to do after a fire and properly assessing any damage are crucial. The truth is that an accidental fire in the home is a common occurrence and one every house owner should be prepared for.
Kitchen fires account for a large percentage of accidental fires in the home. An average stove fire restoration work can start at around three thousand pounds but depending on the damage caused by the blaze and water, proper restoration can sometimes run up to tens of thousands of pounds. With that much to lose it may be worth to know what the most common causes are and how to prevent them and what to do after a fire.
The most common causes of fires in the home are accidents while cooking, smoking and improper use of portable heaters and candles. It may seem common sense not to leave anything on the stove unattended, but this is still the number one cause of all fires in the home and more common than either smoking or using portable heaters. We all have busy lives and as you are happily preparing dinner and the phone rings it only takes a moment to become distracted.
Overloaded extension cables also account for a significant percentage of fires in the home .There is an overwhelming number of electrical devices in each household today and being mindful with how to charge them all is important.
As does failure due to lack of maintenance on heating systems and chimneys which is probably not on top of anyone’s task list but should be scheduled on a regular basis.
Gas leaks account for a portion of fires at home and are particularly dangerous because they spread very quickly. Careful use and maintenance of any gas appliance is essential to prevent fire in the home. Faulty electrical wiring can also sometimes be the culprit because as wires get old and frayed, they may cause sparks.
The cost after a fire varies greatly depending on the size of the burned area and materials which burned. Synthetic materials cause a lot more damage than organic when burned and produce more harmful soot and smoke. The actual cost can be anywhere between a few hundred pounds and as much as £ 30,000 if remodeling the kitchen or a bedroom is necessary.
There are two types of damage after a fire: damage from the fire itself and damage from putting the fire out. The second type is from smoke and water and any other substances which were used to contain the blaze. Most structural damage to a home is caused by this secondary type as soot and smoke get into the structure and become corrosive when cooled.
If you are insured, an insurance adjuster works for the company, not for you. What they assess as damage might not include all long-term damage to your home and may not include damage to your furniture or personal items. Oakleafe is 100% on your side and works to both maximize your claim and make it easy for you to deal with the entire process, which is already hard enough.
Some fire damage is obvious such as anything that burned like a stove, cabinets or furniture and any structural damage to the home itself such as burned walls and ceilings. Other types of damage after a fire in your home may not be so easily noticeable but harmful to health if not properly removed. Soot and smoke can settle on anything and sometimes you may not be able to see it.
Smoke damage is harmful to health as smoke can easily become toxic, settles on all contents of a home and stains walls. The odor of smoke after a fire can linger and usually requires professional restoration to remove. If water was used to put out fire, there may be water damage which in turn may cause mold to form.
Careful assessment of all damage and gathering detailed evidence for your claim is very important. This is where Oakleafe can make a difference as they look out for you and not the insurance company’s best interests. What you need after a fire are qualified professionals who know the different types of damage and how to assess it.
The most obvious way to prevent a fire in the home is to never leave anything on the stove unattended even for a moment and make sure you have a working fire alarm. It is also important to maintain your alarm by testing it and checking the battery on a regular basis.
There are other things you can do: purchase fire extinguishers for your home and make sure you know how to work one. Keep all flammable products such as household cleaning products away from heat. Make sure children do not handle kitchen appliances and do not have access to anything flammable. Inspection of heating systems and checking conditions of electrical cords regularly can also prevent many accidental fires.
Finally, keep your insurance documents in a safe place and have a clear plan to evacuate quickly in case of fire. Make sure everyone who lives in the household knows and follows it.
Accidents sometimes happen even if you are careful, so the next best thing is knowing how to deal with a fire in your home if it does happen. Always call the fire department first and evacuate quickly. After a fire contact an insurance assessor such as Oakleafe to properly assess all damage and guide you through the insurance claim.
A fire in your home can be a devastating experience but knowing what to do and knowing you have qualified people on your side throughout the ordeal can help a lot. A dedicated claims technician who will advise you on your insurance policy and whose priority is to get you the best settlement possible will make taking care of all the details much easier on you.
After a fire minimizing and assessing the damage becomes priority and knowing how to properly address this can make a big difference in restoring your home. Oakleafe will properly assess your damage and expedite your claim so you can go back to what’s most important in your life quickly.
If you have been declined whilst trying to claim on your domestic or commercial insurance, we can help. We can also help with professional services, for example, Brokers, VAR Valuations and Managing Agents.
