Q: What exactly do you do?

A: We help homeowner’s recover money for the clean up of smoke, soot, and ash after a wildfire

Q: Do your adjusters also work for the insurance company?

A: No. We represent the insured (you) only.

Q: I cannot see any damage. How do you know I have damage/I am in the affected area?

A: We are able to determine the affected areas from satellite maps showing the fire and smoke patterns during the incident. The particulate matter or debris can be 1/30th the size of a human hair and often are sub-visual. The only way to determine the full extent of the damage is by having a professional inspector conduct a few brief tests sometime at your convenience.

Q: What is the money for?

A: The money is technically itemized for things in your home that need to be cleaned or replaced.

Q: How do you know I am covered for damage?

A: All homeowner’s are required by their lenders to have fire insurance. This fire insurance protects you, and covers the expense of any damage done (including smoke, soot, and ash removal).

Q: Why would the insurance company pay?

A: Smoke, soot, and ash particles are caustic and have asthmatic principles. These caustic particles are bad for your health and should not be breathed in. Smoke, soot, and ash are also acidic in nature, this contamination can stain and corrode your home and property. Insurance companies are legally required to act in good faith and compensate you so you can clean up your home.

Q: How much does this cost?

A: We work on contingency only, meaning that if you recover nothing, we make nothing. Our fee is simply 1/3 (33.3333%) of what we recover for you.

Q: Why wouldn’t I just file the claim myself?

A: An average individual does not know how to go about adequately building a case (complete with evidence, reports, etc.) before filing an insurance claim for soot and ash damage. In addition having a licensed public adjuster or attorney assigned to your claim will help to maximize the recovery. We are experts and specialize in these fields.

Insurance companies have dealt with us before and know that we are experts. We do all of the work including having a professional inspector out to the property, create an itemized report of damage to your property, create write demand letters signed and reviewed by our licensed Public Adjusters, etc

With us, the process is much quicker. You will recover more money filing the claim with us and you do not pay anything up front. In addition, our 33.3333% in many cases is much less than the expense of filing a claim alone (third party inspectors, costs of non-contingent public adjusters, attorneys fees, etc. can become very expensive).

Q: What is a public adjuster?

A: Public adjusters are experts in recognizing and assessing damage. They assist the public in the preparation, investigation, presentation, and negotiation of their insurance claim with their carriers to maximize each recovery.

Q: How much money will I get?

A: Our average recovery is $8-$10 per square foot.

Q: What do I do to sign up?

A: You sign our representation letter and Public Adjusters contract. This discloses the 33.3333% and allows us to negotiate on your behalf with your insurance carrier.

Q: How long will it be until I receive the money?

A: We refrain from giving a time frame because every claim is different nor is a settlement guaranteed. The average time to receive a check is approximately 3 months from the time we process your claim.

Q: What do I do after I have signed the paperwork?

A: You simply wait to be contacted by us and we will schedule an appointment at your convenience to come run the tests for damage.

Q: How long do the inspections take?

A: 30 minutes or less.

Q: What do I do if my insurance company contacts me?

A: You should not do any negotiating with the insurance company. If they contact you, you should politely tell them that you believe you have damage and Loss Recovery Services is handling all negotiations.

Q: What if I have already cleaned up?

A: You are still entitled to money to reimburse you. In order to properly and adequately remove all residue from the fires, your property needs to be professionally cleaned.

Q: Why haven’t I heard of this before?/Why isn’t everyone doing this already?

A: Most people do not realize they have damage. Moreover, people do not know how to gather enough information to go about filing a solid insurance claim. We have thousands of clients that have been through this process and the more people educate themselves, the more they realize this cleaning is imperative.