It is crucially important to arrive on site and to get your storms off to a good start; because it will help build your confidence and set your mood for the rest of the storm! I have met many new guys who are too focused on performing inspections as soon as humanly possible. Unfortunately these adjusters never stick around because they will be back-logged with too many claims. Ive met too many adjusters who put themselves in a hole that they cannot get out of; because they didn't allow themselves the proper amount of time to schedule everyone. DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!!
How soon do I need to contact everyone?
- Depending on the insurance carrier, most companies will expect you to have everyone contacted within 24 - 48 hours of receiving the claim. It is possible to do! You just need to allow yourself enough time to focus on calling everyone before you attempt to perform any inspections.
How much time should I set aside after arriving on-site so I can get everyone called?
- A reasonable time-frame would be 2 or possibly 3 days (depending on your initial claim load). A good way to judge would be to allow yourself 1 day per every 25 claims you receive. If you give yourself this time when you start receiving claims, your going to earn a lot of respect from management! Managers usually have to hassle the other adjusters who do not take the time to call homeowners. You will look like a stud-muffin if you do this step!
What questions should I ask the policy holders?
- What damage did you sustain?
- This will help save you some detective work when you arrive at the home.
- This gives the homeowner a chance to address any specific concerns they may have.
- How old is your roof?
- The age of the roof plays a HUGE role in determining repairability!
- Is there any interior damage?
- Usually I encourage all of my homeowners to be present for the inspection. Sometimes it is not possible to work around their schedule and inspections will have to be performed without the homeowner being present. If there is interior damage, then there will need to be someone present so you can access and photograph the damage. If you ask this question and find out that there is no interior damage, then it becomes that much easier to set your schedule (because the homeowner doesn't necessarily need to be present).
- Do you have a contractor involved?
- Contractors are usually the first people to notify the homeowner that they have sustained storm damage. If the homeowner is comfortable with their contractor they will often times want their contractor to be present for your inspection. Always be sure to notify the homeowner that the contractor is welcome to be present for the inspection! This scares a lot of new guys because they don't want to argue. But it will save you a lot of back end work later on, because you won't have to be dealing with as many supplement requests later on during the storm. Get the contractor to meet with you and document if this particular contractor agrees with your inspection results (or not!).
Is your home 2 story and/or steep?
- This is probably the most important question to ask! Because if the roof is 2 story and/or steep and you are not comfortable climbing it, then it will need to be referred over to a 2 story & steep team (or another adjuster who is willing to climb big roofs). Not every insurance carrier utilizes a 2 story and steep team. If you end up with one of these insurance carriers, don't be afraid to ask a manager or another adjuster for help! It's much better to ask for help, instead of falling off of a roof and dying! It is important to remember that this does not give you permission to refer every roof that looks "mean" over to a 2 story team! The roof will need to be at-least 7/12 in pitch and/or 2 stories tall. If the roof has a single story access YOU CAN CLIMB IT! Unless you need a special 2 story ladder or need to perform a double pull to access the whole roof, do not refer a tall roof to the 2 story and steep team! (ITS VERY ANNOYING)
Verify their deductible and mortgage company!
- Sometimes a policy holder will be thrown back when they hear that their deductible has risen to $1,000.00 from $500.00. Ask them this question so they can get their insurance agent involved if they believe there is an error. The more detective work you do from the beginning the quicker the claim can be settled!
- Mortgage companies NEED TO BE VERIFIED! By law, if the Coverage A (building/dwelling) damages exceed $7,500.00, the mortgage company NEEDS to be included! Or if the mortgage company is considered a "dollar-one mortgagee" then you will need to include the mortgage company regardless! (even if you only write a check for 1 dollar!) If the incorrect mortgage company is written on the check, then the insured will not be able to deposit it into their account! This makes for a very angry homeowner!
*****IMPORTANT NOTE***** If you do not include a mortgagee that needs to be included on the check, then you may face some serious fines!
