The insurance adjuster plays a decisive role in your compensation. This intervenes during natural disasters but also during major claims such as fire, water damage, explosion or burglary. What does an adjuster actually do and how do they determine the amount of your compensation? Also discover the remedies available to you in the event of disagreement with the expert’s conclusions.
Summary
What does the insurance adjuster do?
Appointed by the insurer, the adjuster is responsible for determining the causes of the loss and drawing up a complete inventory of the damaged property. It is he who also assesses the amount of the loss. The expert is also responsible for estimating the amount of the restoration work.
These insurance experts are specialists in their field. They fully master the legal context of insurance contracts.
The expert travels both in the context of damage guaranteed by multi-risk home insurance and car, motorcycle or individual insurance. In some cases, the expertise is not mandatory. It is the insurance company that decides whether or not an expert opinion is necessary.
What does the insurance adjuster’s expert report consist of?
The expert draws up an expert report including:
- the inventory of damaged, destroyed or stolen goods (keep all the supporting documents of purchase (invoices, receipts, etc.);
- the circumstances of the incident (what happened? who is responsible?);
- a description and an estimate of the damage caused by the incident;
- an assessment of the dilapidation of the assets;
- a recommendation of precautionary measures if necessary;
- the terms of rehabilitation. The expert considers whether it is better to repair or replace such an object).
The insurance is based on this expertise to offer compensation to the insured party. The amount of reimbursement is in accordance with the insurance contract taken out.
Who appoints the insurance adjuster?
The insurer is not the only one able to appoint an expert. As an insured, you can also call on a specialist, other than the one appointed by your insurance company. This other expert will be able to carry out a second opinion in the event of disagreement. Be aware, however, that this process may be at your expense depending on the contract taken out.
The judge is also empowered to appoint an expert when the dispute is brought before the court. The insurance adjuster will then be responsible for noting and assessing the damage caused by the claim.
Even mandated by an insurer, the insurance adjuster is totally independent. He must be impartial.
What documents to provide to an insurance adjuster?
During the visit of the expert, gather all the documents that can be used to estimate the damage (purchase invoices, warranty cards, photos, notarial deeds, etc.). Plan ahead, don’t wait for the arrival of a disaster to collect all the information necessary for an expert assessment. Take photos of your home. In the event of a disaster, the expert will be able to use your photos to determine the dilapidation of your home.
