There are a few key differences between the insurance company’s adjuster and a Public Adjuster. Insurance companies have their own adjusters that they send out to assess the legitimacy of an insurance claim, they are called staff adjusters or independent adjusters.
The first and most obvious difference is that they work for the insurance company rather than the policyholder or homeowner. Public Adjusters work exclusively for the public and are paid by the public, not the insurance company.
Public Adjusters are different in that it is a more extensive process to become a state licensed Public Adjuster than a standard staff adjuster or independent adjuster. One major difference is the apprenticeship. Staff and independent adjusters are not required to apprentice for any set amount of time as a trainee. The motive is different, the program is different, the testing is different, and of course the state license and regulation is different.
A staff or independent adjuster can become a Public Adjuster, but they have to concede to all of the requirements and relinquish their current license as a staff or independent adjuster.
A staff or independent adjuster cannot represent both the insurance company and the policyholder because that would be a major conflict of interest.
Staff and independent adjusters can often be one-sided, biased, and nit-picky, scrutinizing the damages to avoid awarding proper payment, or denying legitimate claims all together. The insurance company they work for keeps record of how much they’re paying out, and if it reaches a certain number, their job could be in jeopardy. They are essentially pressured to keep their claim payouts as low as possible to save the insurance company’s money.
Public Adjusters are there to tip the balance scale back the other way, to look out for the interest of the policyholder. No longer are you left at the mercy of a job-scared biased party.
A Public Adjuster can be hired by you, the policyholder, to assess the claim, negotiate* with the insurance company, and sometimes go to court as an expert witness to resolve your claim and get you the compensation you deserve for restoration of damages.