Ally Public Adjusting

What is the most useful photo you can take of your house this week?

Probably the boring one. A slow walk around the outside, phone in hand, before anything happens.

After a storm the question is rarely "is there damage" — it is "was that already there?" That question is much easier to answer when there is a dated set of photos showing the roofline, the gutters, the fence and the trees on an ordinary afternoon.

Worth capturing while everything is intact:

- All four elevations from the ground, including the roofline and gutters
- Fences, outbuildings, and any tree that already leans
- Interior ceilings in the rooms below the roof

Ten minutes now is a lot easier than reconstructing a timeline later.

Thirty days of claim basics come down to a few habits: document early, keep the record organized, put questions in writing, and understand who represents whom. A public adjuster works for the policyholder, reviews the policy and the loss, and presents the claim with supporting documentation. If you have a property loss in Georgia and want a licensed professional to review your file, call 404-424-9477. Ally represents policyholders - not the insurance carrier, and Ally is not an insurance carrier, contractor, law firm, or emergency service.

There is an envelope that arrives once a year and goes straight into the filing tray, unread, in almost every house in Georgia.

The renewal packet deserves ten minutes, because renewal is when a policy can change — and when changes are easiest to deal with.

The short version:

- Put this year's declarations page next to last year's and compare the numbers
- Scan the enclosed notices — renewals can arrive with updated terms
- If anything reads differently than you expected, ask about it now

A question asked at renewal is a simple phone call. The same question asked for the first time mid-claim is a much harder conversation.

If additional damage is discovered after a claim has been settled, a supplement may be possible. That process is document-driven: dated photographs of the newly found condition, an itemized scope for the additional work, and a clear explanation of why it was not visible during the original inspection. Keep the original claim number and correspondence filed together with the new material. Ally represents policyholders - not the insurance carrier. Questions? 404-424-9477.

Have you ever actually read the first page of your policy?

Most people haven't — and it is the one page written to be read. The declarations page is the summary: who is insured, what property, for what amounts, over what dates.

It is also where errors sit in plain sight. A misspelled name, an old address, a limit that predates the renovation — each one is a small correction today and a genuine problem mid-claim.

Worth checking, in plain English:

- Who and where: the named insured and the property address, exactly right
- The limits: the headline numbers for the structure and the contents
- The dates: the policy period that is actually in force

Ten minutes, once a year. This is the week for it.

A property claim usually involves more than one professional: a contractor who prices the repairs, a carrier adjuster who evaluates the file, and a public adjuster who represents the policyholder. The work goes smoother when everyone is looking at the same scope, the same photographs, and the same dates. Ask each party to put findings in writing so the record stays consistent. Ally represents policyholders - not the insurance carrier, and Ally is not an insurance carrier, contractor, law firm, or emergency service. Questions? 404-424-9477.

Before you hire a public adjuster, ask direct questions: Are you licensed in Georgia, and what is your license number? Have you handled losses like mine? Who will actually work my file day to day? How and when will I get updates? A licensed professional should answer all of that plainly and in writing. Ally represents policyholders - not the insurance carrier. Questions? 404-424-9477.

Digital organization is part of claim documentation. A simple structure works: one folder for the policy, one for photographs by date, one for estimates and scopes, one for carrier correspondence, and one for your timeline. Use file names that include the date and the subject. Keep a second copy somewhere safe. None of this guarantees an outcome — it makes the record complete and reviewable, which is what a licensed professional needs to evaluate the claim.

The house was built in 1987. The repair crew arrives, opens the roof, and suddenly the conversation includes phrases nobody used in 1987.

This surprises almost everyone the first time. A house built to the standards and required building codes of its day was fine when built — but once repair work reaches a certain extent, the work itself can need to meet today's requirements and updated codes, not the originals. Wiring, decking, ventilation, fastening — the list depends on the work and the local rules.

It is not anyone moving the goalposts. It is how building standards interact with repair work, and it is worth understanding early, because it can change both the scope and the conversation about the claim.

The useful move: when a contractor mentions current requirements, get it in writing — what is required, and what triggers it. Specific paperwork beats general surprise.

Additionally, you will need to check your policy to make sure you have the correct coverage for these items.

A reminder about privacy during a property claim: keep claim numbers, policy documents, full addresses, and carrier letters off social media and out of public comment threads. Public posts are a reasonable place for general process questions. They are not a safe place for the details of your individual file. Ally Public Adjusting will identify a secure path for any sensitive information needed for a licensed review. Call 404-424-9477 to arrange that conversation.