A public adjuster in Brooklyn works for you, not for the insurance company that’s supposed to pay your claim. Your insurer already has an adjuster on your file, and that difference in loyalty shows up directly in the settlement number.
Republic Claims Associates, also known as Adjusters On Call, has represented Brooklyn property owners for more than 35 years. Founder Frank Rivela holds the Senior Professional Public Adjuster designation, a credential held by roughly 100 adjusters worldwide, and brings 35-plus years of personal insurance industry experience to every claim we take on.
We handle homes, businesses, and commercial property across Brooklyn. Fire, water, wind, smoke, vandalism, burglary. If it’s a first-party property claim, it’s what we do. We don’t handle auto claims, and we never will. That focus is deliberate.
Why Hire a Public Adjuster in Brooklyn Before You Call Your Insurer?
Insurance companies are profitable partly because claims get underpaid. Not always through bad faith. Sometimes it’s an adjuster working sixty files at once who misses hidden damage, or a settlement calculated on outdated repair costs. A public adjuster’s entire job is closing that gap.
The National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters has documented for decades that policyholders represented by a licensed public adjuster tend to recover measurably higher settlements than those who negotiate directly with their carrier. We’re accredited members of NAPIA, which means we’re held to the organization’s ethics code and continuing education standards, not just a state license we renewed once and forgot about.
Property Claims We Handle in Brooklyn
Brooklyn’s housing stock runs from Park Slope brownstones to Sunset Park multi-families to Red Hook and Gowanus industrial buildings, and each one fails differently. We work claims for:
Fire and smoke damage. Building damage, smoke and soot infiltration into HVAC systems, contents loss, and the code upgrade costs that come with rebuilding to current standards. Our Brooklyn fire public adjuster page covers commercial, apartment, restaurant, and warehouse fire claims in detail.
Water and flood damage. Burst pipes, appliance failures, sewer backup, and the mold exposure that follows if a claim moves too slowly. Our Brooklyn water damage claim and burst pipe claim pages cover this in depth.
Wind and storm damage. Roof damage, facade damage, and the secondary water intrusion that follows a storm event. See our Brooklyn storm damage claim page.
Vandalism and burglary. Break-in damage and theft losses that carriers frequently undervalue on the contents side. See our Brooklyn burglary and vandalism claim page.
Commercial and multi-family losses. Business interruption, loss of rents, tenant relocation, and inventory valuation for restaurants, warehouses, and apartment buildings. If your loss falls into six or seven figures regardless of property type, our large loss public adjuster page covers what that process actually looks like.
Here’s what changes once you bring a public adjuster in before you give your insurer a statement:
- We review your policy line by line, including riders and endorsements most homeowners never read
- We document every category of loss, not just the obvious ones, before repairs or demolition erase the evidence
- We prepare the proof of loss and building estimate ourselves, rather than accepting your carrier’s number as the starting point
- We negotiate directly with the insurance company, so you’re not on the phone explaining your own damage to someone paid to minimize it
- We track every deadline in the claims process, because a missed proof-of-loss window can cost you the entire claim
What Makes Republic Claims Different From Other Brooklyn Adjusters
Most public adjusting firms hand off anything outside straight property damage to an outside vendor, which adds weeks to a claim. We keep attorneys, accountants, and a real estate broker on staff instead.
That matters most on the claims that aren’t just about the building. A restaurant fire has a business income component. An apartment fire has a loss of rents component and a tenant relocation problem. Our in-house accountants build those numbers directly, rather than us waiting on a subcontractor’s schedule.
We’ve represented Brooklyn property owners since well before most of today’s public adjusting firms existed. Founded in 1989, Republic Claims Associates has grown from a local operation into a firm licensed across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C., Vermont, and Florida, with affiliate catastrophe coverage nationwide.
New York’s Fee Cap Protects You
New York State caps public adjuster compensation at 12.5 percent of the claim recovery. We work on contingency, meaning you pay nothing upfront and nothing at all unless we recover money for you. The percentage we charge is disclosed in writing before you sign anything, and it typically runs lower on larger claims than smaller ones.
What Happens After You Call
- Free claim review. We look at your loss and your policy at no cost and no obligation, and tell you honestly whether hiring a public adjuster will make a real difference.
- Documentation. If you retain us, we inspect the property, document every category of damage, and start building the claim file before evidence disappears into demolition or repair.
- Claim preparation and filing. We prepare the proof of loss and submit a fully supported claim to your carrier, backed by our own estimates rather than theirs.
- Negotiation. We handle every conversation with the insurance company from that point forward, so you’re not the one arguing over your own damage.
- Settlement. We keep pushing until the number reflects the actual loss, not the first offer the carrier put on the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does hiring a public adjuster cost anything upfront? No. We work on contingency, and New York law caps the fee at 12.5 percent of whatever we recover. You pay nothing if we don’t get you a settlement.
Can I still hire a public adjuster after I’ve already filed my claim? Yes, though the earlier we’re involved, the more evidence is still intact. If your carrier has already made a low offer, we can review it and reopen negotiations.
Do you handle claims for businesses as well as homeowners? Yes. We represent homeowners, landlords, co-op and condo boards, and business owners across Brooklyn. Auto claims are the only property type we don’t handle.
How long does a public adjuster claim take in Brooklyn? It depends on the size and complexity of the loss. A straightforward water damage claim can settle in weeks. A large commercial fire with a business interruption component often takes several months to fully document and negotiate.
What’s the difference between a public adjuster and my insurance company’s adjuster? Your insurer’s adjuster works for the insurance company and is paid whether your claim is high or low. A public adjuster is licensed under New York Insurance Law to represent you, the policyholder, exclusively.
Republic Claims Associates has handled Brooklyn property claims for more than three decades. If you’ve had fire, water, storm, or other property damage, call our Brooklyn line at (718) 948-4308 for a free claim review, or request a free consultation online.
