Roof Claim Answers

How does a public adjuster handle an insurance claim, step by step?

Short answer. A public adjuster signs a contract with you, inspects and documents the loss, writes their own estimate, submits it to your insurer, negotiates the difference, and is paid a percentage when the insurer pays. Throughout, the insurer still sends its own adjuster and still decides what it owes, and checks usually list the public adjuster as a payee.

The usual sequence

  1. Contract. You sign the public adjuster's agreement, which in Georgia must be on a form approved by the Commissioner. Read the fee, whether it applies to money already offered, and your right to rescind.
  2. Notice to the insurer. The public adjuster sends a letter of representation, and the insurer starts copying them on communication.
  3. Inspection and documentation. Photos, measurements, moisture readings inside, and for roofs a slope by slope damage count.
  4. Estimate. Usually written in Xactimate so it lines up with the insurer's format. See how Xactimate estimates work.
  5. Submission and proof of loss. Many policies let the insurer request a sworn proof of loss within a set time.
  6. Negotiation. Back and forth with the insurer's adjuster, reinspections, and sometimes an appraisal demand.
  7. Payment. Checks usually list you, your mortgage company and the public adjuster. The fee comes out before you receive your share.

What it does not include

The public adjuster does not do the repair. You still hire a roofer, and the roofer still needs its own scope and pricing that match what will actually be built. Gaps between a public adjuster's estimate and a contractor's real costs are common, so get them talking early.

How long it takes

Simple claims can settle in weeks. Disputed claims that go to appraisal can take months, and the policy's deadline to sue keeps running in the background, so ask the public adjuster how they track it.

Before you sign

Verify the license with the Commissioner's online lookup and read every page of the contract. Compare the role with what a roofer can do for you in public adjuster vs roofer.

In depth

Why did my insurance company send an engineer to inspect my roof?Why insurers hire engineers on roof claims, what the reports address (cause, timing, functional damage, wear) How should you prepare for the insurance adjuster's roof inspection?What to gather before the roof adjuster arrives, who should be there, what to say and not say, and what not toWhat is a hail test square, and how many hits does a roof need?How adjusters use 10 by 10 test squares to count hail hits per slope, why 8 to 10 hits is a carrier guideline,

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