A commercial insurance adjuster handles the same perils as a residential one and almost none of the same arguments. A commercial adjuster, commercial claims adjuster or commercial insurance claim adjuster on a business loss is dealing with a policy that pays for lost income as well as for damaged building, with tenants and landlords who each hold part of the risk, and with a scope that has to be phased around keeping the business trading. That is why commercial public adjusters exist as a distinct specialism.
What makes a commercial claim different
Three things. The policy usually contains business interruption cover, which is measured from accounts rather than from the building. The lease decides who claims for what, and landlord and tenant policies frequently both respond in part. And the restoration scope has to be phased so that trading continues where possible, which means containment, out of hours working and temporary arrangements that are themselves claimable. None of that appears on a homeowners claim.
Business interruption is an accounting exercise
The indemnity is normally the income the business would have earned during the period of restoration, less costs that were saved, plus reasonable expenses incurred to keep trading. Proving it means management accounts, comparable trading periods, and a defensible view of what the business would have done absent the loss. It is the part of a commercial claim most often under settled, because the building damage is visible and the lost income is not.
Where the commercial insurance claim adjuster argues the scope
Contamination boundaries, mostly. On a commercial mould or water loss the question of which areas need containment, negative pressure and clearance testing decides most of the cost, and the guidance the industry works to treats a large affected area very differently from a small one. Add ductwork serving multiple tenancies, stock and raw materials that may be unsalvageable on hygiene grounds, and equipment where the manufacturer rather than the restorer decides what is recoverable.
When commercial public adjusters are worth it
When business interruption is in the claim, almost always, because that is where the money is and where the evidence has to be built rather than photographed. Also where multiple policies respond, where the lease allocation is unclear, or where the carrier's scope treats a trading building as if it were a house. On a small single occupier property loss with no interruption element, the carrier's own adjuster and a good contractor are frequently enough.
Questions people ask about commercial insurance adjuster
Who is the commercial adjuster working for?
The carrier, unless they are a public adjuster you retained. The titles commercial claims adjuster and commercial insurance claim adjuster normally describe the insurer's adjuster or its independent contractor.
Does the landlord or the tenant claim?
Usually both, for different things. The lease and the two policies decide which of them insures the building, the fit out, the stock and the loss of income. Read the lease before the first conversation with either carrier.
How is business interruption proved?
From accounts. Management accounts, prior trading periods, forward orders and a reasoned view of what the business would have earned, set against costs saved and extra costs incurred to keep trading.
Do commercial public adjusters charge differently?
The structure is the same, a share of the proceeds under a written agreement, and the state rules that cap residential fees generally apply. The negotiation is over the base and the scope of the engagement.
Is a commercial claims adjuster different from a residential one?
Usually a different person with different training, because the policy is different: business interruption, stock, plant, lease obligations and code work do not appear on a homeowners claim. On a large commercial loss the carrier may also bring an accountant, which is the signal to have your own figures ready.