What’s up advocates!

Welcome to another one of our educational blog posts.

In this post, you will learn about eight questions you should ask your clients on absolutely every first inspection.

Here are some key takeaways if you don’t have the time for the whole thing:

👉 Every insurance adjuster will ask these questions on their first inspection of the property
👉 You want to ask these questions as well. So you know how to prepare to get the most out of the claim.
👉 You should always encourage your client that they call you first when a loss occurs!

With these takeaways in mind, let’s cover each question in more detail so you can understand why they are crucial to the claims process.

The times when the client first noticed the damages and when the loss finally occurred might be two different dates.

The insurance adjuster will want to know when your client first noticed something and how they acted.

When a loss occurs, most property owners want to repair their homes as soon as possible. 

But if they repair the damages before reporting it to the insurance company, the company could argue they cannot determine the costs of the repair anymore. 

If the client did repairs, they should answer honestly. 

But in that case, you will know there is a high chance that the insurance company won’t cover the claim unless you can provide effective arguments for the repair.

The policyholder must mitigate the damages as much as possible.

This question can kill the claim if the client hasn’t done anything since they first noticed the loss and the damages continued to spread.

The answer to this question can also be a red flag for yourself. If the client hasn’t done anything to mitigate the damages, then maybe the claim isn’t worth signing.

The insurance company will need this information for the check. It is usually a positive sign if they ask this question because it probably means your client is getting paid!

The insurance company will ask for inspection reports if your client claims a loss for a recently purchased property. 

They usually ask for inspection reports if the loss happens within the first year of property ownership.

The answer to this question can either immensely help or hurt the claim. 

If the report states the damages were already there and your client is trying to get coverage for that. Well, that is borderline fraud.

However, if the inspection report proves that the damages are new, the insurance company will likely cover the loss!

Photos or videos can only help your case because they can provide proof and a better understanding of what happened.

Also, if your client started the repairs before the insurance adjuster inspected the loss, a video proves what happened and gives an idea of the cost of repairs.

I probably say this in every video on our YouTube channel, but you should encourage your clients to take photos.

If there are strong winds ripping trees from the client’s garden, they can film that. Your client should take photos of the event happening at the time. That can help them tremendously.

As a public adjuster, you should ask your clients when the loss occurred.

Again, the date when the client noticed the first damages and the date of the actual loss might be two different dates. 

You need the correct date for each question so you can answer the insurance company’s question in a way most beneficial to the client.

Look, you are probably new to public adjusting.

So, you are focused on networking, finding clients, leaving a great impression, learning from our handbook, and all that.

Great, do it, but there’s more to do to succeed, and it starts when the client actually hires you.

You want to show them you understand:

👉 How to get the most out of their claim. 

👉 What the insurance company needs to proceed as fast as possible. 

👉 And what they will ask on the first inspection.

The client will trust you much more if you can exercise your expertise from the beginning of your workflow. And from then on, you will be a team.

If you and the client are a team, the process will move much faster, and you will gain an excellent referral that will boost your business.

Approach every claim with this mindset, and there is no doubt you will reach your goals as a public adjuster.

This is my advice to you if you want to succeed. 

Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below!