Has Your Business Been Damaged By Fire? A Professional Loss Assessor Will Maximise Your Insurance Claim

We think of insurance as something which provides assistance and reassurance, but making a claim can be extremely stressful - when you're already stressed enough.

In the shadow of calamity such as a fire, many people end up settling for a sum way below the true cost of the damage. The reason comes in the shape of the professional loss adjustors employed by your insurance company, whose job it is to save the company money - by giving you as little as possible. If you have a business fire, it is wise to consider engaging someone to handle your claim for you, a loss assessor who also has a thorough knowledge of insurance law but who, unlike his counterpart, is working for you not against you.

Your insurance loss assessor will visit your premises and cast an expert eye over the your home or business as well examining the terms of your insurance to ensure your insurance claim covers everything to which you are entitled. They look for smoke damage and other after effects that you might not notice at the start. The claims assessor should be the first call you make (after the fire brigade of course!) but even further down the line the call can help make the difference between an offer which leaves you to flounder and one which gets you up and running again. Naturally the loss assessor's time is not free but the fee schedule is worked out as a small percentage of your final settlement and is almost always absorbed by the increase the assessor will negotiate on your behalf.

'Ours was only a small fire, but what we didn't appreciate was how much damage the smoke had caused,' says shopkeeper Bob T who called in loss assessors Truman Associates, 'if we had listened to our insurance company we would never have had enough money to repair the damage properly'. Managing Director Ray Truman, a pioneer in the field, says he was motivated to level things up. 'We started the business because we could see that the insurance claim was not a fair fight. It was David against Goliath.'

Insurance is a technical business with lots of jargon. When you're world seems to have collapsed around you, it's difficult to think straight, let alone understand the complex nature of a claim The new breed of aggressive loss adjustor knows how to exploit your weakness and settle favourably to the insurance company.

With a business fire insurance claim, employing a loss assessor is especially prudent. This is because the full extent of your loss is not immediately apparent due to the overlooked effects of smoke damage. A loss assessor is practised at seeing (and claiming for) all aspects of the loss, including loss of trade, relocation expenses, or simply replacing stock.

Truman says that helping fellow business people recover makes his 'a very rewarding line of work.' Their attention can help alleviate their clients' distress and get his or her business back on its feet with their experienced business insurance claim advice.

If you have suffered fire damage in your business, or if you have had a fire in your home, call Truman Associates as soon as possible. They can get you what you need to be up and running again.