Like a guard standing watch in the night, we are there to make sure that your claim is adjusted as agreed to in your policy language. While there are good and bad actors in every industry, the Insurance industry is especially fraught with negative stories about Insured’s claim treatment. With the wide range of conditions of loss, varying age and condition of the damaged materials, and most significantly the variable interpretation by humans of what constitutes damage or not, there lies a lot of room for errors to be made. We are there to make sure your claim is adjusted correctly.

Public Adjuster Adjustment vs, Contractor Assisted Claim – In the past, your local general, roofing or siding contractor had a lot of freedom to work with the Insurance company adjuster regarding your claim details. They were often allowed to talk about the cause of loss, date of loss, policy provisions, policy limits, deadlines, RCV vs ACV and many other aspects of the claim. It is important for you to know that those days are long gone. As the losses incurred by all major insurance carriers seem to be getting worse every year due to increased frequency of wildfires, hurricanes, huge rain events, construction defects, etc., the Insurance companies are looking for every possible avenue they can to minimize their policy exposure. If you engage a general contractor/trade contractor to help you with a claim and the insurance company issues a partial of full denial to anything relating to the claim/coverage you have under your policy, it is ILLEGAL for your contractor to have any conversation with the insurance company regarding that denial – period!

Many state departments of insurance are now seeking criminal prosecutions against contractors for crossing this line of being a claim adjuster without a license. As the Insurance companies become emboldened by this new claim defense, it is imperative that you are represented by someone who is licensed by the Insurance Agency of your state to legally engage with the insurance company to evaluate these claim conditions.

BAD FAITH -When Insurance companies act in a certain manner when adjusting your claim that is not in alignment with your policy terms, those actions are considered “Bad Faith”. The legal definition of what does and does not constitute bad faith in insurance, sometimes referred to as unfair claims practices, varies by state, as do the types of monetary damage that an insured may seek if an Insurance Company has been found to have acted in Bad Faith. An insurer can be said to be acting in bad faith by purposely failing to investigate a claim, concealing contractual language, slow-walking settlement negotiations, or other actions not in compliance with policy terms and conditions. The term “bad faith” is derived from the principle behind insurance contracts in which both the insured and the insurance company must act in “good faith” by not concealing or misrepresenting information and by abiding to the terms of the agreement.

While most Insurance claims are evaluated, estimated, and the repairs completed in good faith under a normal schedule, the value that Sentinel Claim Services provides is most valuable in those situations where things do not proceed as “normal”. We are your advocate, providing expertise for policy conditions/claim conditions that you are not aware of, but are critical in getting you the insurance coverage benefits you have paid for.

The President of Sentinel Claim Services Inc – John Eral has been in the construction trades for over 30 years. 20 + years of that time as a licensed Commercial and Residential General Contractor. This hands-on construction experience, along with significant time estimating Commercial Building and HVAC storm damage, is what differentiates Sentinel Claim Services from the other public adjusters who are more focused on Insurance Claim experience and may not understand the “nuts and bolts” of what the damage to your property really takes to get repaired the right way according to current Building Codes.