Reason why a homeowner should hire a Broward County, Palm Beach County, Martin County or Miami Dade County public adjuster at the first sign of home damage.

When a hurricane or storm hits South Florida the results could be catastrophic.  High winds could cause a wide range of home damage ranging from broken windows, to floods and roof damage.  As a licensed Miami Dade public adjuster who has been in business for well over 25 years, we have seen it all.  In addition we are licensed in Palm Beach County, Broward County & Martin County. Given all our experience we are able to provide top notch advise that any homeowner should take to heart.     Much of the underhanded business practices we have seen stems from company insurance adjusters who are trying to save their company money by underpaying settlements, overlooking certain types of home damage & using a practice called managed repair, or by flat out denying claims that should have paid in the first place.  There is also the industry frauds and crooks that roam the streets after a storm or hurricane. This breed of contractor is usually looking for a homeowner who has a damaged home, and is willing to make a deal to get free service, or at least discounted service. More on this later.   Having previously worked as an insurance agent & in the home construction industry, We finally got tired of seeing homeowners getting taken advantage of time and time again.  That is when we started Fox Public Adjusters.

Working at a public insurance adjuster in South Florida and Miami Dade,  we are well aware that when a hurricane hits everyone who offers help is not well intentioned.   Some companies are just looking to make a fast buck by submitting a claim and then pocketing the money, while hiring out the work from a cheap roofer.  Others are pure scam artists.

Below is a news story that was recently aired on tv.   According to news reports two roofing contractors have been arrested for hatching a roof damage scam.   The scam is simple, after hurricane Irma, they knocked on homes door and made what sounded like a great offer. They asked to homeowner, how about a free roof without the need for the homeowner to pay the high deductible.   They did this by offering fake rebates or kickbacks to the homeowner.  The only catch is that the homeowner had to agree to turn over the insurance claim to the roofing company.   They also asked to homeowner to help promote their company by posting promotional signs in their yard and by promoting them through different types of advertising.

Here is how the homeowner with the damaged roof gets sucked into the scam.

Never allow anyone to handle your home insurance claim
Have you ever heard the saying you get what you pay for? Well if you have roof damage “FREE” is not a smart option. If you have roof damage call a Palm Beach County public adjuster, Martin County public adjuster , Broward County public adjuster or a Miami Dade public adjuster.

In a home damage situation most insurance policies require the homeowner to pay a deductible, which depending on the situation could be thousands of dollars. Of course homeowners aren’t thrilled with paying that high deductible.  So the roof repair scammers, tells the homeowner, there will be no deductible because they can offer a rebate that is more than the deductible.  Many of the victims fall for this scam and turn their insurance info over to the roofer.  What happens next, NOTHING!  Sure maybe the roofer will cover the roof with a tarp, or maybe they will start the work and not finish.  The bottom line is that once they get the insurance money, they are gone.

The roof doesn’t get repaired and the scam roofing company gets to collect the settlement money.

Don’t let a roofing company handle your insurance policy.   When you have home damage the smartest thing a homeowner could do is to call a public insurance adjuster such as us.  Our number at the Fox Public Adjuster office is (561) 789-4369

Public insurance adjusters are licensed to handle home damage insurance claims.  The money collected from the insurance company goes to the homeowner and not to the roofing company.     It’s the difference between keeping your money and managing your claim, vs. giving all the money to a roofer and loosing complete control of your home damage claim.

In this news story two South Florida roofers have been arrested and are facing 9 felonies counts for filing false and fraudulent insurance claims.  Each roofer is facing a sentence of up to $45,000 dollars and a possible 45-year prison term.

It’s unfortunate that these types of scams are common and that one of the results is increased home insurance costs, canceled policies, and a crop of company insurance adjusters who are more vigilant in their quest for homeowners who are trying to beat the insurance companies are their own game.  If you own a home and have roof damage, never, never let a contractor take control of your insurance policy and handle your claim.  Insurance situations should be handled my a licensed public adjuster who is respectful of the law and will make sure that you (the homeowner) remains in control of your insurance claim.  As a public adjuster we are licensed in as a Miami Dade Public Adjuster as well as a Palm Beach County Public Adjuster, a Martin County Public Adjuster and a Broward County Public Adjuster.

In a live interview the retired 77-year-old homeowner admits he made a mistake because he was thinking about the money savings.   Now, what could have been a manageable problem has exploded into a much larger problem because the rainwater that entered the homes attic has caused a mold problem.  When moisture sits in a place such as an attic if only takes 24 to 48 hours for the mold spores to germinate and start the mold growing process.

Given the fact that the homeowner is 77 years old, he is now suffering health issues, which have resulted from the mold growth.   Some of the rooms in his home have been closed off because he feels ill when entering the contaminated room.

This is a very serious problem, eventually he may be forced to vacate his home. As the mold expands the cost to remove the mold will become unmanageable.  This entire situation could have been avoided if he didn’t try to save money by falling for these underhanded roofers.  Once again, the bottom line is, Never, Never turn your insurance clam over to a roofing company.

Mold damage from a leaking roof
See all that black stuff on the photo to the right? That’s mold that is been hidden above a homeowners head. It’s mold such as this that could cause a wide range of health problems such as, breathing issues, headaches, watery eyes, even memory loss.

To watch the actual news story click here:  Insurance damage scam

Here is another story of homeowners being swindled by storm chasing roof damage companies.   Beware of insurance fraud storm chasers.

About Fox Public Adjusters:

If your home has suffered damage as the result of a broken roof, a plumbing problem, or a flood, fire or any other unexpected situation, you have two reasonable options.  One is to call your insurance agent, who will send out a company insurance adjuster.  What’s wrong with this?  There are several potential problems associated with going this route.  One is the obvious fact that the company insurance adjuster is just that, “a company adjuster.”  Basically the person who visits your home and determines the extent of the damage is the same person who works for the company who is responsible for paying for the repair.  It’s not too much of a stretch to realize it’s the insurance company that holds all the cards.   The insurance company sets the cost of insurance, they determine the amount of the deductible, they review the damage and then they decide the settlement amount, or if there is going to be a settlement at all.  While it’s sometimes true that an insurance company will handle the situation honestly,  it’s not always the case.  In some cases the will try to avoid paying a reasonable settlement or deny the claim entirely.

One way they may avoid providing the proper settlement is to say something like, it’s not worth putting in a claim, or they will determine that the claim is denied.   Does this sound fair to you?   Actually, the better way is to call a public adjuster such as us. In our case, we work for the homeowner not the insurance company.  You see, some where down the line, a law was passed that a homeowner, has to right to have an independent second party evaluate the home damage, and then determine how much the settlement should be.  We do this based on our experience as a mold expert, a home building contractor, a real estate agent and a former insurance agent.

Considering the fact that we have been serving Florida and South Florida homeowners for more than 25 years it only makes sense that you will receive a proper settlement with us on the job.   If you are looking for a Palm Beach County public adjuster, a Miami Dade public adjuster, a Martin County Public adjuster or a Broward County public adjuster call us at

You can learn more about Fox Public Adjusters by clicking the links below.