TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — While Matt Collins is busy renovating his home, near Westshore Boulevard, after Hurricane Helene, he says “professionals” are routinely trying to get him to hire them.
“Almost every day somebody stops by,” Collins said. “We have most of it handled already so I just tell them to beat it.”
Collins has open claims with both flood insurance and property insurance. He even received some money to get started, but there was a problem with the check.
“There was a hiccup on me getting the cash advance,” Collins said. “They missed a zero in sending me the check, so I had to do a little back and forth with them there.”
So far, he’s dealing only with the insurance company’s assigned adjuster.
Still, there’s another option: a public adjuster you hire to represent your damages to the insurance company, but for those going that route beware.
Nancy Dominguez, of the Florida Association of Public Adjusters, says she’s receiving complaints of unlicensed public adjusting.
“When you have folks that are going out there and knocking on doors or telling people ‘sign here, I’m going to get you the sun, the moon, and the stars,’ and they’re not even a licensed individual, that is a huge concern,” Dominguez said.
“They’re going to get paid for work that they won’t do well, and the policyholder might not know,” she added.
Dominguez says they’re giving bad advice and asking for money upfront.
“If someone who is purporting to represent you doesn’t know these things, they’re not going to put you in a better position, so why pay somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing,” she asked.
Keep in mind that unlicensed public adjusting is against the law, so if you encounter someone who’s offering this service and does not have a license, you are asked to call local law enforcement.