While adjusters play a vital role in the damage claiming process, some dishonest adjusters use secret tactics to deny homeowners a claim or devalue their damage, which may lead to little or no compensation for their losses. So, as a homeowner, it is important to know the common tactics used by these unprincipled adjusters so that you can deal with it outrightly and get compensated for your loss with ease.
The strategy used by some of these untrustworthy adjusters range from delay tactics, being overly friendly, requesting unnecessary documents, recording statements, etc. Hence, understanding these tactics and how they are used will help you get compensation that is equal to your losses.
Who is a Home Insurance Adjuster?
Home insurance adjusters are experts who carry out thorough investigations and evaluate claims in place of insurance companies. Their sole responsibility is to determine the exact amount of compensation that a policyholder will receive after an unexpected incident has occurred.
Unfortunately, some claim adjusters use tactics to reduce payouts, request irrelevant documents, and underestimate damages, which leads to a low payout to the policyholder. These secret tactics are designed to frustrate homeowners who are already passing through a lot and give up on pursuing their claim, which is aimed at benefiting the insurance company.
Top 10 Secret Tactics Used by Home Insurance Claim Adjusters
There are tactics that adjusters use to undervalue damages and reduce the compensation amount that a policyholder would receive. The commonly used tactics are enumerated below:
1. Delay Strategy
Some adjusters use delay tactics to elongate the claiming process. It is one of the most commonly used strategies by adjusters to get you frustrated along the way. This tactic may come in the form of requesting unnecessary documents or not responding to your emails, phone calls, or inquiries. So, if you are trying to fasten the claiming process as a homeowner, they will use this delay tactic to frustrate you, hence making the claiming process uncomfortable and unattractive to you.
2. Requesting Unnecessary Medical Records
Another secret tactic that adjusters use is requesting irrelevant medical records from the claimants. Sometimes, they even ask for medical records when the claim doesn’t involve medical reports. Adjusters use this tactic, especially if they don’t have any other strategy to discourage you from the claiming process.
3. Persuading Claimants to Accept the First Offer
Some adjusters may exert pressure on claimants to accept the first offer, which may not be equal to the loss they incurred. So, as a homeowner, don’t accept any kind of offer from adjusters without reaching out to the public adjuster to access the offer first to know if the compensation is equal to the damages incurred.
4. Enticing Claimant to Admit Fault
Another secret tactic used by adjusters is to undervalue claimant losses by pressuring them to admit fault.
The adjuster will suggest to the claimant that the cause of the loss is not under the insurance coverage; hence, the homeowner accepts that it will be difficult for such a person to receive compensation for the loss.
5. Recording Statements
Some adjusters may also record the claimant’s statements during the claiming process. Once they record the statement, the adjuster can use it against the homeowner, especially when they want to deny the claim without compensation.
6. Friendly Gestures
Another tactic they use is being super friendly. Some adjusters may disguise themselves as a close ally or be overly friendly during the claiming process to get information that could be used against homeowners during the claiming process. So, as a homeowner, guide your words strongly during the claiming process so that your statements and actions won’t be used against you.
7. Insisting that there is no Room for Negotiation
Some adjusters may also claim that they don’t have a chance to negotiate with the claimant on their various claims. As a homeowner, your interest should be to negotiate with the adjusters to get the best deal during compensation.
8. Claims Denial
Some adjusters may not even bother investigating the claim, but they would rather deny the claim outright without the homeowner’s presence. Once this happens, you should be proactive and report the denial to an experienced attorney who will appeal the denial and take up the claiming process on your behalf.
9. Requesting Tax Documents
Another secret tactic used by insurance adjusters is requesting tax documents. Some adjusters may request a tax document that is not even related to the damages. They do this to find fault in the homeowner so that they will lay their hands on it to either devalue the damage or deny it outrightly.
10. Low Initial Compensation
Adjusters may also offer low compensation to homeowners without fully investigating the claim; this is designed to compensate the claimant at a low cost to discourage them from continuing with the claiming process. So, don’t accept this initial low offer; rather, follow the claim process to the end to get full compensation for your loss.
How to Solve/Deal With Claim Adjuster Tactics
Having identified the secret tactics used by claim adjusters to deny claims or undervalue the damage, the next thing is to devise a means to deal with them. The means to deal with adjuster tactics as a homeowner include:
- Document all the damages by taking photos, making videos, and getting eyewitnesses from the scene of the incident.
- Properly document all the communications with the adjuster during the claiming process; if possible, maintain written communication.
- You can also hire a public adjuster to independently evaluate the damage and recommend compensation.
- You can also consider hiring a home attorney, especially in the presence of outright denial.
What should I avoid saying to my home insurance adjuster?
During the claiming process, you should not make comments or statements that could be used to deny your claim. Also, don’t admit fault of any sort, because if you do, you will be denied the claim outright. Additionally, don’t accept any settlement or compensation that is low; rather, you should seek the advice of a public adjuster to help with the best settlement that your damage is worth.
