10/05/2022
Florida Friends that have hurricane damage. This is my personal opinion: Please be very leery of contractors or public adjusters asking you to sign an "Assignment of Benefits" form!
An AOB contract gives your policyholder rights and benefits AWAY to the contractor (your assignee) for the purpose of repairing your property and resolving your claim with your insurance carrier. Under an AOB contract, your assignee can submit your claim, receive payments for your claim directly from your insurance company and even file a lawsuit on your behalf WITHOUT your knowledge.
The choice of whether or not to sign an AOB agreement is entirely your own. If you choose to sign an AOB contract, however, be aware of the following: • You still must allow your insurance carrier to inspect the damages. • You give up the right to manage your claim and ensure it is resolved timely and to your complete satisfaction. • You have limited recourse if your contractor misrepresents your claim. • In most cases, you cannot withhold payment of applicable deductibles if you are unhappy with the work performed. • If you rescind your AOB contract, you must pay for any contracted work that is performed before the agreement is rescinded. • You cannot comparison shop for better quality or price.
All I'm saying is BE CAREFUL. I understand finding contractors is tough right now. There are a lot of great contractors but we are seeing a lot of shady characters trying to take advantage of this catastrophe.
This was copied from another post but is great info.
