What to do During the Insurance Company’s Inspection
Shortly after filing a claim with your Insurance Company, you’ll usually be contacted in order to
coordinate the inspection of your property in connection with the claim you’ve just filed. Often, these
inspections can take place even before Homeowners have the chance to contact our Office for
representation for a claim or even retain a contractor. It is standard practice, however, for almost
everything Homeowners state during often conversant and informal inspections to be reported
immediately back to the Insurance Company.
There are several important things to be aware of when an Insurance Company Inspection is being performed at your property and you do not have representation.
The individuals performing the inspection are often called “Field Adjusters” or “Independent
Adjusters.” Most insurers also retain “Desk Adjusters” to work on handling the claim itself and applying
the policy to the loss. Some Insurers however employ hybrid Desk/Field Adjusters who perform the
inspection and determine coverage, underscoring the importance of cautiousness while they are
performing their inspection. It is a widespread practice throughout the industry for the Field Adjusters
to be independent contractors retained by the Insurance Companies. These individuals frequently state
they’re not direct employees of the Insurance Companies, leading Homeowners to feel a false sense of
security. While they may not be traditional employees, these individuals have a business relationship
with the Insurance Companies and are often under contract to relay everything you may or may not
state directly back to the Insurer.
Additionally, these Field Adjusters are often compensated by the volume of work they perform.
To that end, the Field Adjusters have an interest in performing your property inspection as quickly as
possible. If you notice the Field Adjuster perhaps missing a certain area during their inspection, or not
spending an appropriate amount of time in a portion of the home affected by the loss, it is important to
make a note of this as the integrity of the inspection can often become a point of contention in
Homeowner Insurance litigation.
It is important not to become too at ease in front of these individuals. If the Field Adjusters
press you for why the claim was reported simply state you believe the loss may be covered. If the Field
Adjusters push you for an answer regarding causation state only that you are not an expert but are
reporting what you saw, and that you may be looking at retaining an expert or other Representation.
Additionally, answer only what you know – stating that you aren’t sure about something is often a better
answer than guessing. As conversant and pleasant as these individuals may appear, the Insurance
Companies have every incentive to deny your claim, and their employees or contractors will certainly be
aware of this during inspection. Following the Inspection, memorialize your observations and concerns
you may have had and be sure to contact our Office to speak with an Attorney about your claim.
Michael Melli, Esq.
Learn more about Michael here!
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