HARD KNOCKSCONSULTING
01 — Public Adjusting
Full representation on your claim
We take the file over. Policy review, field inspection, photo and moisture documentation, a line-item Xactimate estimate, and every conversation with the carrier from that point forward.
Contingency-based — a percentage of what we recover, and nothing if we recover nothing.
What a Michigan public adjuster actually does
A public adjuster is a licensed insurance professional who represents the policyholder rather than the insurer. The carrier’s adjuster works for the carrier; an independent adjuster hired by the carrier also works for the carrier. Only a public adjuster — in Michigan, licensed as an Adjuster for the Insured — owes their duty to you. The work is reading the policy, documenting the loss, writing the scope, and negotiating the settlement.
Right for you when
What you get
A documented claim file, a defensible estimate, statutory appraisal invoked when warranted, and one adjuster who knows your file start to finish.
02 — Appraisal Services
Named appraiser under MCL 500.2833
When you and the carrier can't agree on the amount of loss, either side can demand appraisal. Each party names an appraiser; the two of them attempt to agree, and an umpire decides what's left.
Retained as party appraiser by policyholders and, on other files, by carriers — the standard is the same either way.
How insurance appraisal works in Michigan
Appraisal is a contractual dispute-resolution process built into most property policies and reinforced by Michigan statute. It resolves the amount of loss — not whether coverage exists. Either party demands it in writing, each names a competent and disinterested appraiser, and the two appraisers select an umpire. Any two of the three signing an award makes it binding on the amount. It is the most underused remedy in a policyholder’s hands.
Right for you when
Typical timeline
Weeks, not years. Appraisal is generally faster and materially cheaper than suit — and the award is binding on the amount of loss.
03 — Umpire Services
Neutral umpire on deadlocked panels
When two party appraisers can't reconcile their differences, an umpire reviews both positions and resolves the items still in dispute. Neutrality is the whole product.
Appointed by agreement of the appraisers or by the court. Flat or hourly fee, disclosed in writing before appointment.
When an umpire is appointed
The umpire enters only after the two party appraisers have exchanged positions and failed to agree on some or all items. A good umpire narrows the dispute to what is genuinely contested, reviews the support behind each side, inspects where the disagreement is physical rather than clerical, and issues a written award item by item so both parties can see what was decided and why.
How the appointment works
Conflict policy
We do not umpire a file where either party is a current or recent client. Any prior relationship is disclosed before appointment.
04 — Xactimate Estimating
The estimate, built to hold up
Line-item ESX scopes on current local price lists, with the sketch, the photo report, and the supporting notes a reviewer can actually follow. Standalone engagement for contractors, attorneys, and property owners.
Delivered as ESX and PDF. Priced per assignment by scope and square footage.
Why the estimating platform matters
Carriers scope losses in Xactimate on regional price lists. An estimate written in the same platform, on the same current price list, can be compared to theirs line by line — which is a completely different conversation from handing over a contractor’s lump-sum bid and being told it is too high. The point is not the software; it is producing a document the other side has to answer in its own language.
Commonly requested for
Turnaround
Most residential assignments return within five business days of inspection; large-loss and commercial scopes are quoted individually.
Before You Call
What people ask first
Straight answers, including the ones that are not in our commercial interest.
What does a public adjuster cost?
Representation is contingency-based — a percentage of what is recovered, agreed in writing before any work begins, and nothing if nothing is recovered. Michigan regulates public adjuster contracts and fees, and the agreement is a document you keep. Appraisal, umpire, and standalone estimating work are billed differently, because a contingency has no place in a neutral or fixed-scope engagement.
Do I need a public adjuster or a lawyer?
If the dispute is the amount of the loss, a public adjuster is usually the right and far cheaper tool, and appraisal resolves it without suit. If the carrier is denying coverage outright, alleging fraud, or acting in bad faith, that is legal territory and you want an attorney. Many files need one and not the other, and part of a free review is telling you which one you are looking at.
My claim is already closed. Is it too late?
Usually not. Closed is an administrative status, not a legal bar. Claims get reopened routinely when new documentation is produced, and supplemental claims for scope discovered during repair are ordinary practice. What does run out is time under your policy’s notice and suit provisions, so the answer is to move rather than to assume.
How long does this take?
A review takes days. A negotiated resolution on a documented residential file commonly takes weeks to a few months, depending on how the carrier responds and how much reinspection is required. Appraisal adds weeks rather than years. Large fire and commercial losses run longer because the rebuild scope itself takes time to develop.
Which losses do you handle?
Residential and commercial property claims across Michigan — principally hail, wind and storm, water and sewer backup, fire and smoke, ice dams and frozen pipes, and roof claims. Each of those pages sets out how the specific loss gets underpaid and what a defensible file requires.
Not Sure Which You Need
Start with the free review
Send the policy and the carrier's estimate. We'll tell you which engagement fits — or that the offer is fair and you don't need us.
IF COVERAGE IS DISPUTED
Public adjusting — the argument is about what the policy owes.
IF ONLY THE NUMBER IS DISPUTED
Appraisal — two appraisers, one umpire, a binding amount.
IF A PANEL IS DEADLOCKED
Umpire — a neutral read of both positions.
IF YOU JUST NEED THE SCOPE
Xactimate estimating — the document, on its own.
Get Started
Send us the carrier's estimate
We'll tell you — free, and with no obligation — whether it holds up.
Request a free claim review
HARD KNOCKS CONSULTING
220 South Main Street
Royal Oak, MI 48067
(947) 241-2950
stanley@hardknocksconsulting.com
State of Michigan — statewideNPN 20573993