North Phoenix storm hail damage: How public adjusters help homeowners

PHOENIX - When storm damage hits home, what is your first move? It may be a good idea to contact a public adjuster. They can go over the dos and don'ts when it comes to dealing with contextual and insurance agents.

In north Phoenix near 35th and Dunlap avenues, several homes were hit hard by Wednesday's storm. The biggest issue is hail damage. But now that it has happened, what should a homeowner do? And who can they trust?

Local perspective:

It may be sunny skies now, but if you look closer, you can see storm damage everywhere. Like at Bart's house.

"It was bad. I’ve never been in one like this. It just beat the hell out of the top of the roof," said Bart, a storm victim.

This is where a public adjuster comes in. They represent the policyholder, not the insurance company, holding the homeowner's hand as they navigate the tricky world of claims and repairs.

"There’s gonna be a lot of roofers, a lot of contractors from out of state. They’re gonna come down here, stay in hotels and start knocking on doors. My biggest fear is what’s happened in previous years is when the homeowner gets that check, they just sign it off to him, and then they disappear in the work is not done," said public adjuster Galen Otis.

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Dig deeper:

Galen surveys the damage from the front fence to the shattered windows and dented screens, up to the roof and everything on it, from the air conditioning to the satellite dish. But Galen's job is just getting started as a kind of insurance cop.

"They will try to weasel their way out of claims and use every excuse in the book to get out of them. Our job is to hold them accountable. We're the insurance police and make sure that they do what you believe they were gonna do in good faith and make sure that they pay you," Galen said.

What you can do:

Galen says the policyholder typically has two weeks to report the damage. He cautions dealing with strange contractors who come calling and says never sign over a check before the work is done.

A public adjuster never takes money upfront and only gets paid when new money is retrieved from a claim. Public adjusters can be found by clicking here.