Religious Organization Property Damage Claims
Your religious organization just suffered property damage from a natural or man-made disaster. You need to prioritize the needs of your congregation, the value of religious or historical items that may have been damaged, and find a place to meet temporarily. This is not a time to worry about how to handle an insurance claim. Since 1946, our licensed public adjusters have lifted the burden of managing insurance claims on your own. We evaluate and document not only the physical damage to your property, but also losses incurred from stalled operations.
In those first days, we felt comfortable that the expertise within our congregation along with the assurances from our insurance company’s adjuster were all that was needed to put the destruction behind us and allow us to rebuild. I believe this was the single biggest mistake we made in the process of our crises. Moving through the process, we became mired in a protracted disappointing, difficult negotiation with our insurance company. When Adjusters International got involved, the insurance company’s offer was a little over two million dollars. When all was said and done, our negotiated settlement was just short of three and a half million dollars, over 60% increase! Drew and Adjusters International earned every penny they charged. If I were to go back in time or had another claim of any kind the first call after 911 would be to Adjusters International. They are worth it. We cannot recommend them highly enough.
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You just suffered serious damage to your religious organization and are wondering what to do next.
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You call your insurance company and wait for an adjuster to come out, hoping they will have your best interests at heart.
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You move from the asset side of your insurance company's ledger to the liability side.
We Can Help
Knowing everything you possibly can about the "fine print" of your insurance policy before you have any substantive dialogue with your insurer is an absolute necessity. Know what you are covered for and how to claim it. What you say to your insurance company's adjuster and how you say it can make a dramatic difference in how much you get paid. The more you know, the better the results.
Religious Organization Property Damage Claim Factors To Consider
Be sure to understand each of the following factors before engaging with the insurance company. Knowledge is the key to a successful claim outcome.
- What is my broker's/agent’s role?
- Does the adjuster work for us or the insurance company? Why they can't work for both. Conflict.
- Does the insurance company pay for professionals necessary to evaluate my claim? Are they working for us or them?
- How quickly can we get started rebuilding?
- Is there coinsurance in our policy? What does it mean?
- How does the event affect volunteers?
- How does the event affect donations?
- Continuing services to the congregation or the communities serviced. Best practices to continue.
- Items of religious and/or historical significance. How do we deal with them?
- Utilizing extra expense coverage to secure "E-Space" for classrooms off-campus.
- How to quantify long-term effects of less effective community outreach?
- Can we compensate employees or volunteers who help with cleaning or restoration?
- Is the insurance company using an independent building or equipment consultant to prepare a bid? Who are these consultants? Who are they working for? Do they only work for insurance companies?
- How does our policy address increased costs due to new codes? If our coverage is limited, what can we do about it?
- Will the insurance company pay for a construction manager?
- Temporary facilities. Portables. Hardscape. Temporary or permanent? How presenting our story can affect our recovery. Do we know our policy provisions?
The Difference Public Adjusters Make
We work exclusively for YOU, not the insurance company. Our insurance professionals have managed and negotiated thousands of claims for nearly every type of natural and man-made disaster. Local in our approach, we have over forty offices across the U.S. and Canada, and an unmatched network of expert resources to efficiently mobilize and be at your side.