What is a Content Specialist?
Insurance Property Specialists and Public Adjusters Overview
Content specialists (also known as personal property specialists) are the new sheriffs in town, and they've come to adjust your homeowners insurance claim.
A new claims trend has emerged- the advent of the content specialist or personal property specialist- also known as the public adjuster. In the old days, insurance claims adjusters employed directly or contracted for employment by an insurance carrier were the only option for adjusting insurance claims. Now, you have another option after a loss. What you need to know about content specialists:
How Public Adjusters Can Help You after a Loss
Contracted by homeowners, or parties representing homeowners, public adjusters arrive on-scene after a loss and rapidly begin appraising the amounts and extent of damage, item by item. I first became aware of content specialists when a neighbor experienced a horrific fire. In the midst of the clean up, a personal property specialist arrived, laptop in hand, and began going through the mountain of unrecognizable debris left from the fire. The public adjuster worked closely with my neighbors, forcing them to recall specifics about each and every item in the home for the homeowner’s insurance appraisal. The final list of items for the homeowners insurance company numbered in the 1,000's!
Should You Use a Personal Property Specialist after a Loss?
If you have a choice, personal property specialists have a lot going for them. Typically freelancers or employed by a 3rd party company, homeowners contract with content specialists in the event of an insurance claim. In other words, they're impartial. Experienced with many types of homeowner’s insurance appraisals, content Specialists have extensive product knowledge. They're also very research-savvy, which comes in handy when determining your property's market value.
Content Specialists Don’t Have to Worry about Company Claims Goals
Content specialists don't have to keep claims payouts or claims services to a minimum to meet certain department-wide or company goals. Claims adjusters employed by homeowner’s insurance companies do have to worry about goals. In addition, public adjusters focus on faster insurance claims settlements. Content specialists put together a thorough and accurate inventory of your contents, so your insurance claims adjuster can focus on settling your claim.
Make Sure You Only Work with Professional Public Adjusters
Unfortunately, there are people who pose as public adjusters who are just shysters. Typically, personal property specialists are not going door to door trying to drum up business. So if someone shows up at your door after a disaster, make sure you check their qualifications with the state department of insurance or the National Association of Public Adjusters before you hire them to work for you.
The new breed of public adjusters? I think they're worth asking for.
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