A Public Adjuster (also known as a "PA") is someone who uses their license, experience and expertise to advocate for you while representing your rights when you have an insurance claim. Your PA will ensure that you are treated fairly by your insurance company and also ensure that you receive what you're entitled to under your insurance policy. The insurance company has their adjuster, who is familiar with the policy language and the knowledge of how to settle your claim for the lowest amount possible, you should have someone in your corner who is representing your best interests. 

We will not charge you any fees out of pocket. Our fee is based upon a percentage of the insurance company's settlement payment to you. You owe us nothing unless we recover on your behalf. We will conduct a complimentary review of your policy prior to filing your claim.

• If you can safely do so, take picture or video of the loss.
• Write down details of the date, time, witnesses and all other facts pertaining to the loss.
• Safely take reasonable and necessary steps to mitigate the damage. For example: if there is a pipe leaking, shut off the main water source to the home.
• If it is an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency service.
• Look for your most recent complete insurance policy, with the endorsements.
• Call HLA at 844-546-6100 so that we can discuss the loss and to quickly schedule someone to visit your property to assist you in cleaning up and making temporary fixes, at no cost to you.

Under Florida law, insurance companies have 90 days to investigate your claim and to make a determination. It may take longer depending on the facts of the loss and your specific insurance policy language.

Yes, most claims can be reopened. You cannot reopen a claim in which you have signed a release on that specific claim.

You have 3 full years from every Hurricane to make a claim with your insurance company. In most instances, if a licensed roofer determines that 25% or more of your roof is damaged due to a Hurricane or windstorm in excess of 40 miles per hour, your insurance company owes you a 100% roof replacement.

It is against Florida law to cancel your insurance due to you exercising your rights under your policy and making a valid claim. No property owner should be punished for needing assistance.

Read the declarations page of your policy and see if there is any language that contains "direct repair" "managed repair" or "preferred contractor". If you see this language, it likely means that if you suffer a loss that the insurance company may force you to use their chosen vendor to repair the damage.

The money that the insurance company was supposed to pay you to repair your property will not go to you, it will instead go to a company of their choosing, sometimes owned by the same people who own the insurance company. You will have no say over which materials the repair company uses, nor will you have the opportunity to interview them to determine if they are qualified for the job of repairing your home. Another issue is that the insurance company sometimes subcontracts the work out to other unknown companies to get your home repairs cheaply done and the person entering your home may have a criminal background.

Due to this limiting and crippling language in your policy, many Public Adjusters may not be inclined to assisting property owners with claims that include "direct repair" "managed repair" or "preferred contractor" language, therefore, there would be no one advocating for you and your rights in addition to the issues stated above.

Other language that you should be weary of are "water limits" or "LWD- Limited Water Damage." The reason why this language can be problematic is because insurance companies know that most property owners are likely to suffer a water loss more than any other form of loss. Therefore, they place "limits" or "caps" on the amount that can be claimed as it relates to water damage.

For example: an insurance company can acknowledge that you have $150,000 worth of water damage due to a pipe burst, ac leak, bathroom leak, washer machine leak, polybutylene piping and more water related accidents but because they strategically placed the water related limits or caps in the policy, they will write a check for $5,000 or $10,000 and there is nothing more that can be done to assist you. You do not want to be in the situation of having a lot of damage to your property and not enough money to repair it. It can cause you financial hardship.

ACV - Actual Cash Value - This means the policy will pay you the present-day depreciated value of your property.  The ACV method is subjective and by agreeing to this method, you are giving your insurance company the power to decide what your property or items are worth. You do not want ACV because your insurance company is likely to provide the smallest reimbursement for your damage while stating that the present value of your property or items are substantially lower then what you believe. It is best to get RCV - Replacement Cost Value, which means you should be fully reimbursed what you paid for your property or item.

The cheapest policy is not always the best, many times it includes language that provides little to no coverage if you suffer a loss to your property. Public Adjusters can only work with the Insurance policy in which you accepted and purchased. Don't wait for an accident to happen to review the language in your policy. Give us a call today and we will conduct a complementary review of your insurance policy to educate you about the coverage that you currently have.

Yes, you are allowed to change your insurance company at any time, even if you have a one year policy period with your current insurance company and even if your mortgage company choose the insurance company for you. Please note that if you have an open and unresolved claim that it may be a requirement of the new insurance company that any open claims be closed to be able to obtain new coverage. 

You can continue to communicate with your insurance company after a claim has been initiated; however, it is not recommended that you bypass your public adjuster. After you’ve taken the important and crucial step to hire a professional adjuster to advocate on your behalf, it is important to allow your adjuster to work through the claims process with the insurance comapny. Interfering with the claims process, after hiring someone to represent you, can delay settlement and adversely effect your claim. In most instances, your insurance company should copy you on all correspondence sent to your public adjuster. 

You should hire HLA to advocate on your behalf because our professional adjusters have worked on the inside of several large legal and claims departments of different insurance companies. We know how insurance companies think and utilize our inside knowledge to advocate for you.