Marking the start of hurricane season in the U.S. the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters is encouraging property owners to be prepared for summer storms by checking insurance coverage and making sure they are adequately protected.
“The public needs to make certain that they are adequately secure, and regardless of whether they have a claim or are the victims of a disaster, it is a responsibility of public adjusters to be proponents of good insurance protection,” Ron Reitz, NAIPA’s incoming president, said in a statement.
Reitz, president of Quality Claims Management Corp., said the unusual track of hurricanes in 2011 makes this reminder particularly important regardless of whether an owner has property in a coastal community.
“The devastation from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, and the aftermath of challenging claims in areas of New England and upstate New York that are not normally susceptible to hurricane damage, is a stark message to everyone that hurricane season can affect just about everyone,” Reitz said. “The churning of a storm in the Gulf of Mexico just this past week is also a reminder that storms are not limited to August or September.”
NAPIA also offers the following tips to property owners who use the services of public insurance adjusters:
• Check to make sure that the public insurance adjuster is licensed if the local jurisdiction requires it (45 states currently have a licensing statute), and know if your jurisdiction has limits on the fees that can be charged by a licensed adjuster.
• Ask the public adjuster for their professional qualifications, past experience and whether they have been cited by their regulators for poor or unethical performance.
• Know that insurers cannot prohibit a property owner from utilizing the services of a public insurance adjuster.
• Understand that independent adjusters and insurance company adjusters represent the interests of the insurance company, and do not represent the interests of the claimant.
• Be aware that many contractors hold themselves out as public adjusters, and that the unauthorized practice of public adjusting is illegal in many states.
• Check to see if a public adjuster is a member of NAPIA by visiting www.napia.com or by calling 1-703-433-9217.
Reitz said public education is critical to property owners knowing the value of public insurance adjusters, knowing how to protect against unscrupulous actors holding themselves out as public adjusters and knowing how to pick a credible public adjuster.
“It’s just not a good idea to wait until after a disaster to understand your insurance coverages or how public adjusters can work with you to make you whole once disaster strikes,” Reitz said. “The start of hurricane season is a call to action to us all to be prepared and ready to act should you be the victim of a storm.”
NAPIA encourages the public to reach out to their insurance departments or other regulators of public adjusters to know more about the critical role that public adjusters play, or to report concerns over the actions of parties purporting to be public adjusters. The public can also reach out to NAPIA with any questions or concerns by calling 1-703-433-9217.
For more about hurricanes and insurance, see “Fiscal planning key to hurricane season survival.”
