Does a private insurance adjuster for a roof claim need a license in Georgia?
Short answer. Yes. A private adjuster you hire to work your claim is a public adjuster, and Georgia requires public adjusters to be licensed by the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner and to use a contract form the Commissioner has approved. A roofer cannot act as your public adjuster, so anyone offering to negotiate your claim for a fee should be able to show a Georgia public adjuster license.
Private adjuster means public adjuster
People say private adjuster because the person works for the homeowner instead of the insurer. The legal title in Georgia is public adjuster. The insurer's own adjusters, whether staff or independent, are a separate category.
What Georgia requires
- A license issued by the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which also takes complaints against licensees.
- An approved contract. Public adjusters must use a contract form approved by the Commissioner, with the fee stated in writing.
- A right to cancel. Georgia law lets you rescind a public adjuster contract in writing within three business days after signing.
How to verify a license
- Ask for the adjuster's full name and Georgia license number.
- Look it up with the Commissioner's online license search and confirm it is active and covers public adjusting.
- Make sure the person you are dealing with is the licensee, not a salesperson using someone else's number.
Red flags
- A roofer who offers to be your adjuster or to negotiate the claim for a percentage. See public adjuster vs roofer.
- A request to sign over your insurance proceeds. Georgia makes it an unfair practice for a contractor to take an assignment of proceeds within one year of a declared natural disaster; see assignment of benefits in Georgia.
- Pressure to sign the same day, or vague fee terms.
Many roof-only claims never need a public adjuster. A roofer who documents damage well and supplements the estimate often gets the scope right without a fee coming out of your settlement. More warning signs are in storm chaser scams in Georgia.