Pasquale Cuccaro
FAPIA President 2011-12
Dear Floridians,
The storm has passed. The damage is done. Now who can help you salvage the life you once knew?
If you have ever experienced an insurance loss from hurricane, water damage, burglary, fire, vandalism or related causes, you know the maze ahead in trying to get full and fair compensation for that loss.
How do you prove losses when records have been destroyed? Can you professionally estimate replacement costs on your home or building? Are you familiar with salvage techniques?
This is where a FAPIA Public Adjuster can help you out. A public insurance adjuster represents you – the insured – in the adjustment and settlement of property insurance claims for your home, rental property or business. The insurance company has a company adjuster or hires an independent adjuster to represent their interests. But your interests and the interests of the insurance company are not necessarily the same.
When an insured loss occurs, the burden of proving the amount of loss lies with you. A public adjuster will survey and document the damages, estimate costs, assist in filing the claim and negotiate the settlement for your approval.
The public adjuster then is compensated after the claim is settled by receiving a percentage of the claim.
In fact, in a report released just this year (which you can view for yourself at http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/MonitorDocs/Reports/pdf/1006rpt.pdf), OPPAGA found that Citizens Property Insurance policyholders working with public adjusters on claims related to the 2005 hurricanes received 747 percent higher compensation than those working solely with their insurance company. That’s not a misprint. 747 percent.
Granted, for non-hurricane claims (such as water or fire damage), the number was less. Policyholders received only 574 percent higher compensation when working with public adjusters.
So on behalf of the nearly 500 members of FAPIA, let me reach out to you. If you suffer a loss, consider using a FAPIA Public Adjuster to help you in settling your claim.
Sincerely,
Pasquale Cuccaro
FAPIA President 2011-12
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