One of the worst things about your home being burgled is the inconvenience; this comes after the feeling of violation and the trauma. It is a horrible feeling to walk through your home and see treasured belongings missing; sometimes it takes days to discover your loss fully. This in itself is traumatic; you relieve the episode daily as you discover missing items.



There are a number of steps that have to be taken after a loss incurred by burglary, these include, but are not limited to:

* Who is going to deal with repairs such as broken locks and windows or whatever other damage has been caused. Sometimes burglars enjoy indulging a little vandalism too!

* You have to be able to prove what has been stolen, so for instance if your grandmother's Cameo was taken, you won't have a receipt of proof of purchase, but still need to prove that you had it and it was taken in the burglary.

* How you are going to calculate the loss and who is going to arrange valuations and estimates on your behalf.

* Are you going to be the one who is going to deal with all the tribulations of presenting your claim as well as dealing with meetings and daily calls to the suppliers, insurance company and loss adjuster? Or will someone co-ordinate this for you?

* How long is all this going to take and how drawn out will the process be?

It is possible to by-pass all of these tedious details by appointing a claims consultant or loss assessor. The loss adjustor works together with the insurance company and is looking after their best interests, not yours. Although you are a client, the insurance company will try everything to not have to pay out more than they have to.

A loss assessor will prepare your claim and take care of everything pertinent to that claim. They will also represent you to the insurance company and loss adjuster to ensure that you are not going to be handed the short end of the stick by them.

Even though the insurance company's loss adjuster might appear friendly and helpful, he is compelled by his employer, the insurance company, to settle the claim as economically as possible. Whatever he tells you, you will be unable to assess whether this is the truth or not, or if you will be on the receiving end of what you are actually entitled to.

It is also increasingly common for insurance companies to reject the recommendations of loss adjusters and they try to adjust some claims even lower. By using the services of a loss assessor, you can ensure that his communications with the loss adjuster and insurance company will work to your best possible benefit.

Insurance companies also try to insist that you make use of their supplier network; this is definitely not to your best benefit and doesn't suit everyone.

By engaging the services of a specialist loss assessor, your best interests will be served, allowing you the breathing space to get over the actual trauma of a burglary without additional worries.