Public Adjuster

Do you need a public adjuster? Well this week, Roofing Insights is down in Panama City to interview someone who can give us an answer. Here in Florida, life has returned to normal. The beaches and restaurants are open, and you can even get a haircut if you so desire. 

With businesses back in swing, Dmitry and Roofing Insights are paying a visit to Bo Williamson, the founder of Noble Public Adjusting Group. The two of them have arranged to sit down and talk about the role of insurance companies in the roofing industry.

Both agree that preceding policy, business owners need to behave as people first.

“The number one thing is to have integrity. You always have to have integrity. You just can’t get around it,”

Williamson says.

This isn’t the only philosophy that Williamson and Roofing Insights share. They also are proponents of outsourcing different tasks, and the immense benefits that can have for a roofing company.

Williamson advises business owners to “try to outsource everything you can to great companies that you’ve personally vetted.”

Doing so will save on time and allow businesses to better focus on their respective expertise.

Where Dmitry and Williamson differ is in their interpretation of the role that insurance companies play in roofing.

“Most [roofing] jobs are insurance jobs,”

Williamson asserts, and also that

“the vast majority of claims I can find coverage for. You just have to know what you’re looking for and what’s going on.”

Roofing Insights has had different experiences. Dmitry estimates that only 50% of his jobs are paid for by insurance.

That’s because it all depends on a homeowner’s policy, and how amicable their insurance company is willing to be.

For as greedy as some insurance companies are, there is also the reality that insurance companies can’t honor every claim, or they would likely go out of business. It’s why they devise complicated contracts to protect themselves from ridiculous claims.

A great example of this is when shingles fail after a few years, even though they’re protected by a manufacturer’s 25-year warranty.

In that case, is insurance still liable, or does the responsibility fall on the shoulders of someone else (i.e. manufacturer or contractor)?

The question is a never-ending debate, and your answer will depend on whose side you are on: insurance companies or contractors/consumers.

But where Williamson admits that insurance companies scam homeowners is when it comes to retroactive damage before a policy goes into effect.

For example:

Say you purchase a policy to insure your home. You assume that your house is now insured. But what happens is that when you later make a claim, the insurance company may try to argue that the damage you’re seeking to fix occurred before the insurance policy went into effect.

This is where Williamson takes particular umbrage with the insurance companies.

“An insurance company can’t deny something that you’re not claiming,”

he says, offering situations where insurance companies will claim wear and tear on a property, even though a homeowner is making a claim for specific damages on their home.

These are just a few examples, but this battle will forever divide people in the roofing industry because insurance companies will never want to pay more than they have to, and nor will homeowners.

Where do you stand on this issue? Comment below with your thoughts and opinions, and feel free to share any of our articles on social media!