FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an NDA Advocate?
An NDA Advocate is an insurance claims professional who works solely for you and will work directly with your insurance company’s adjuster to settle your claim. Your Advocate will be a licensed Public Adjuster or an insurance claims professional who has years of experience in dealing with natural disaster property claims. Your Advocate will make sense of highly complicated property insurance policies so that you, the insured, have the best chance of obtaining the optimal result under the terms of your policy.
What is a public insurance adjuster?
A Public Insurance Adjuster sometimes referred to as PA or PIA, represents you, the policyholder. Your PA prepares, presents and settles a home (or business) property insurance claim. A qualified PA has specialized expertise that can simplify and speed up the complicated, time-consuming process of settling a claim for property damage from wildfire, windstorm, hail, floods, hurricanes, and other disasters covered under the terms of your policy. Of course, you are the final authority. Your claim is never settled without your approval.
Who does the public insurance adjuster work for?
An NDA Advocate (PA) works only for you—not an insurance company, not a roofing company, not a repair company, or general contractor. Public Adjusters are licensed by each state to represent policyholders as their claims advocate.
Why should I use an NDA Advocate?
When handling your claim for property loss, insurance companies use their own licensed claims adjusters or sometimes contract with licensed Independent Adjusters. Their job is to represent the insurance company’s interests. Insurance policies require the policyholder (YOU) to document and prove your loss to the insurance company. Few people have the necessary expertise or experience to meet that burden. An NDA Advocate understands insurance policies. They know about things like current replacement costs, property repair, business income loss, and other elements of property loss that are critical to getting a fair and proper settlement. Now for the first time ever there is an affordable option and you no longer have to share 10% to 20% of your settlement amount.
What should I expect my NDA Advocate to do?
Your NDA Advocate will carefully review your insurance policy – insurance policies can be long, detailed and difficult to understand. Policies can change from year to year and often require that insurance claims meet specific conditions. Not meeting the conditions can result in your claim being denied or reduced payments for the property loss. Our Advocate makes sure that a claim meets all the requirements of your policy. Your NDA Advocate will also thoroughly document your loss. The Advocate will assist in preparing your claim, including all estimates, inventories, photographs, and other factual information that is required to prove the extent of your loss. They can inspect your property loss (virtually/remote or in-person) and submit proof of loss to your insurance company. (S)he will work with the insurance company’s adjuster to agree on the proper amount owed to you. Usually, the Advocate and company adjuster settle the claim without the need for litigation.
How much do public adjusters charge?
A responsible public adjuster usually bases his or her fee on a percentage of the final settlement—based on the time, energy, and expertise required to effectively represent you. Important: In Texas, a PA’s fee is capped at 10% of the settlement of the claim. Fees are negotiable but are consistently set towards 10%. They are usually based on the size, location, and complexity of the property loss. Some public adjusters charge flat or hourly rates, but the total fee may not exceed 10% of the settlement you receive from the insurance company. NDA’s model allows you to keep 100% of your settlement
How much does NDA charge?
NDA charges our members an affordable, monthly subscription of $9.95 for access to the best advocates to assist your unique claims needs and allows you to keep 100% of your settlement. Example: $100,000 settlement you keep $100,000 instead of paying a public adjuster $10,000.
Are there any other fees?
For the Advocate, no – $9.95/mo is all you pay. You do not pay any other fees and you keep 100% of your settlement amount. For services outside of the advocate like engineers, subcontractors, attorneys there could be other charges, but these are rarely needed. These are not covered by the subscription and may or may not be covered by your policy.
What if my contractor offers to handle my insurance claim?
It is against the law for contractors – including roofing and restoration contractors – to negotiate your claim with your insurance company. Contractors may not hire adjusters to handle your claim. Insurance adjusting requires special training and in most states a special license issued by the Department Of Insurance, a highly regulated industry.
How quickly can I be covered?
It takes 15 days from the date of purchase of the membership until the services become available.
What is considered a natural disaster?
NDA considers all of the following to be natural disasters: hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning strikes, flooding, windstorms, earthquakes, damaging hail and wildfires. See What We Cover. It is important to note that while NDA considers all of the above to be natural disasters. However, if your policy does not cover the specific cause of damage your insurance company, in most cases, is not liable.
How frequent are natural disasters?
Natural disasters are 3x more frequent in the United States today than in the 1970s. Estimates suggest that more than 50% of American homes will suffer from a natural disaster during their lifetime. Different parts of the US suffer different natural disasters, and some states (particularly the Midwest) are at risk from most natural disasters throughout the year.
How will NDA work with my broker?
During your time of stress, we work for you, the homeowner. As part of that, we will gladly liaise with any other relevant stakeholders – insurance carriers, their adjusters, mortgage lenders, broker/agent, tenants, etc.
How do I know I can trust NDA?
Natural Disaster Advocates is licensed by each individual state to ensure we are able to operate effectively, efficiently, and ethically. Each member of our team has decades of insurance experience. Each advocate is individually licensed with the state also – having passed a rigorous exam, provided fingerprints, etc.
Will I get more money by using NDA?
We cannot promise that you will, but most claims handled by a public advocate receive substantially more in settlement that those handled by the homeowner themselves. Florida has done some of the most comprehensive research on this topic (https://www.advocateclaims.com/wp-content/uploads/OPPAGA-STUDY.pdf p7 exhibit 6)
What does NDA provide?
NDA will provide free of charge, public adjusting services whenever you require them due to a filed natural disaster claim on your home. Those services include, but are not limited to, support during the filing process, education about your policy, support documenting your claim, negotiation with the carrier, advice on other topics.
Why don't you cover fire/theft/pipe-based flood?
For right now, we are focused on claims that arise from natural disasters. In the future we may enhance the product to include all large homeowner claims. If this happens, we will make you aware.
If my insurance company denies my claim, will NDA help me argue my case?
Yes, but we cannot perform legal services if the carrier/you take the claim to court.
Will my advocate come out to my house to inspect damage?
Depending on the damage, much documentation can be done remotely. However in certain circumstances, a public adjuster will be required to come to your home and perform an in-person evaluation and inspection.
Which insurance carriers do you work with?
We work with all insurance carriers.
How does NDA work with my mortgage lender, since they own part of my home?
During your time of stress, we work for you, the homeowner. As part of that, we will gladly liaise with any other relevant stakeholders – insurance carriers, their adjusters, mortgage lenders, broker/agent, tenants, etc.
Will NDA help me find contractors/builders to help fix/repair my home?
No. Of course, we will be glad to discuss the issue and may be able to suggest reputable sources, but we do not matchmake or source contractor services to repair the damage.
What's the typical length of time before I can get paid by my insurance company?
All claims payment timelines vary. Claims payments are typically first-in, first-out which means that during a catastrophe or natural disaster where many homeowners are affected, it is important to file your claim quickly and fully. This is where NDA provides value – making sure that your insurance carrier is working on your claim immediately, rather than waiting for additional information that you didn’t know you needed to provide.
Does NDA cover businesses as well?
At this time, we do not cover businesses. At some point, we may expand to do so. If/when we do, we will make you aware.
I rent my home, do I need NDA?
NDA focuses on large claims. If you have Renters insurance, and have contents that are particularly valuable, we would be happy to provide advocacy services for you. You are also welcome to share Natural Disaster Advocates information with your landlord and suggest that they purchase our service. If you would like to purchase this service on behalf of your landlord, please contact us directly for a discussion.
I own multiple properties, does NDA cover them?
Yes, NDA can absolutely cover all of your properties. However, a separate membership subscription is required for each one. If you have more than 5 properties, please reach out to us directly at info@ndamember.com.
I own rental property, is that okay for NDA?
Yes, covering a rental property with an NDA subscription is 100% ok. We will work with your tenant (to the extent you would like us to do so) to perform all of the important advocacy and adjusting work during a claim.
Can I buy NDA's service for a claim that I am in the middle of with my insurance company?
No. NDA provides advocacy services for natural disaster and claims that happen while you are already a member, including a 15-day binding period after sign-up.
What if I switch brokers or insurance companies, is that OK?
Yes, just let us know so we can keep our records up to date. That is not a problem at all.
What if I sell my home?
We can only cover claims related to the property you have on file with us. If you sell your home or buy a new one, just let us know. We will work with you to understand any changes to your membership.
Can I cancel my NDA membership subscription?
Yes. The contract period is one year, and we currently have two billing plans – monthly and annual. If you cancel in the middle of a contract, we will refund any remaining balance pro-rata after a 30-day cancellation period. NDA contracts automatically renew.
What if I need to change the credit card for my payments?
No problem, just let us know and we can work to make that change. If your card is declined at renewal, we will reach out to you and let you know.
Can I pay by automatic debit from my checking account?
We currently accept all major forms or credit cards and debit cards. Signing up enrolls you in automatic renewal based on your plans selection (Monthly/Annually).
Can I put this payment into my escrow account for my mortgage?
As of now, we do not offer escrow payment, but we are working to make that possible. If this changes, we will make you aware.