When disaster strikes, whether it’s fire, water, or storm damage, most property owners’ reaction is: “I need to hire a contractor.” That instinct makes sense. After all, it’s the general contractor (GC) who rebuilds walls, replaces windows, installs cabinets, and gets your life or business back on track. But here’s the catch: Your contractor can’t get your insurance company to pay for what you really need because that’s not their job. And you need that insurance settlement money to finance your property restoration. If you bring in a GC before a licensed Public Adjuster, you risk building on a property damage insurance claim that could possibly be denied and then having to bear the entire cost of your property restoration yourself. Here is the information United Public Adjusters & Appraisers, a leading public adjusters firm serving policyholders nationwide, wants you to consider when your home or business sustains damage/asset losses.
Where General Contractors Excel:
Let’s be clear: we’re not knocking contractors. They are essential to your home or business’ recovery, but only once your property damage claim has been fully processed. General Contractors rebuild your premises based on a defined scope as set by your insurer in the form of your settlement offer.
The problem is that the scope does not reflect your best interests, only theirs. Remember, United Public Adjusters & Appraisers, as your public adjuster, represents your best interests, not your insurance company’s. Let us explain why United Public Adjusters & Appraisers should be your first call before you contact a general contractor:
What General Contractors Can’t Do (And Often Don’t Know) vs What UPA as Your Public Adjuster Will Do
Most contractors are not trained to:
- Interpret your insurance policy or coverage endorsements.
HOWEVER: The UPA team includes insurance experts who can read, understand, and interpret your insurance policy/policies for you to determine the best course of action relative to your property damage insurance claim. - Identify hidden or contaminated damage (behind walls, in air ducts, etc.)
HOWEVER: The UPA team also includes construction experts who know where to look and what to look for to discover future/potential as well as hidden existing damage to bolster your claim to include every aspect of damage/loss relative to the event. - Determine code upgrade entitlements under local building laws.
HOWEVER: While your GC may be aware of regulation requirements, it is highly unlikely that the GC will also be familiar with code upgrade entitlements under local building laws. United Public Adjusters & Appraisers’ team is fully conversant with these entitlements and will apply them to your property damage insurance claim to support a full and just settlement offer from your carrier. - Prepare forensic repair scopes that reflect high-end finishes.
HOWEVER: The UPA team excels at providing true and accurate estimates based on your policy, that will reflect the high quality of the original materials used and property owned in your damaged premises to return your residence to its former state and value. - Submit documentation that meets insurer’s standards.
HOWEVER: This is simply not within the scope of your GC. It is well within the scope of UPA’s team, and we pride ourselves in assisting you to prepare and submit a full-documented claim to your insurance carrier that will not be rejected or denied outright for “missing documentation.” - Negotiate claim values or dispute insurer estimates.
HOWEVER: Most GCs accept whatever your insurer offers and then try to make it work. That’s how policyholders get short-changed without even realizing it. Hidden or reciprocal damages, such as mold, are not considerations. General contractors only repair or replace what they see, not damage that will occur because of your fire, flood, or other cause, at a later time. In addition, the GC’s “make the amount work” mentality, means that in lieu of high-quality finishes, you could end up with builder’s grade construction materials and finishes which will impact the value of your residence. As stated above, your UPA team, acting on your behalf, will submit repair scopes as supportive claim documentation to ensure that the quality of your home is considered by your carrier when the settlement is determined. Read the example below:
Avoid the Danger of “Bid to Budget”
Additional issues that occur when you hire a GC Before speaking with the United Public Adjusters & Appraisers’ team include:
- Owner suffers damage.
- Insurer sends their adjuster to inspect.
- Insurer issues a lowball estimate — say, $180K.
- Owner hires GC, who agrees to “make it work.”
- Project is rushed, corners are cut, scope is reduced.
Meanwhile, the real cost to restore the property correctly, with code compliance and full damage repair is $450K. But once demo starts and timelines move forward, the owner loses leverage to reopen their property damage claim. The damage is gone, the scope is fixed, and if incomplete work does not pass inspection, you, as the property owner, must bear the cost to “make it right”.
What to Do When You Need to File a Property Damage Insurance Claim
You wouldn’t pour concrete before designing your blueprint. Likewise, you shouldn’t rebuild before resolving your property damage claim. Here are the right steps to follow when you have property losses:
Step 1: Call United Public Adjusters & Appraisers. As your Licensed Public Adjuster, we act as your:
- Scope developer
- Damage investigator
- Policy interpreter
- Claim strategist
Your team will coordinate environmental testing (if needed), document structural and cosmetic damages, and fight to secure a maximum recovery, not just the “carrier estimate.”
Step 2: Bring in a GC to build what’s funded Once your claim is accurately scoped and funded:
- The contractor can price fairly
- They won’t be pressured to cut corners
- You can hold everyone accountable, including your insurer
Real Scenario: Custom Home, Custom Problems
A homeowner called United Public Adjusters & Appraisers after their upscale kitchen was damaged by a pipe burst. Their insurer approved $92K. The GC they initially called said: “We can try to work with that, but you’ll probably have to downgrade your materials.” Instead, the United team:
- Investigated moisture damage behind cabinetry
- Identified code-required electrical upgrades
- Documented loss of matching for high-end millwork
- Submitted a claim package with real scope and substantiation
Final result: $312K recovered
The same contractor then rebuilt using the same high-quality original fixtures and finishes as they were now properly funded and free to “do it right.”
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Task | General Contractor | Public Adjuster |
| Rebuilds the property | Yes | No |
| Works for the property owner | Usually | Always |
| Licensed to negotiate claims | No | Yes |
| Understands policy coverage | No | Yes |
| Documents damage before demo | Rarely | Yes |
| Paid a % of insurance recovery | No | Yes |
Final Thought: Don’t Build a Claim on a Weak Foundation
Your GC should rebuild walls, not your property damage insurance claim. Let them do what they do best after United Public Adjusters & Appraisers does what only we are licensed and trained to do.
Need a Property Damage Insurance Claim Review?
Before you sign with a contractor or accept the insurance estimate, let us take a look.
For an optimal outcome, a just settlement in as short a timeframe as possible, United Public Adjusters & Appraisers should be your first call, not your last resort.
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