How do you find a public adjuster in my area?
Short answer. Start with the license lookup on the Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire website to confirm anyone you consider holds an active Georgia public adjuster license, then interview two or three who regularly handle your type of claim. Ask for references from homeowners nearby, the fee in writing, and a copy of the Commissioner-approved contract before you sign.
Where names come from
- Referrals from neighbors who used one on a similar claim.
- Your attorney, if you already have one.
- Professional associations of public adjusters, which list members by state.
- Door hangers and mailers after big storms. Treat these like any storm-chaser pitch and verify everything.
How to compare them
- License. Look it up on the Commissioner's site and confirm it is a public adjuster license, not only an independent adjuster license, which is for people who work for insurers.
- Relevant experience. Ask how many Georgia hail or wind claims they handled in the past year and ask to see a redacted example of their documentation.
- Fee and scope. Get the percentage, what it applies to, and whether it includes recoverable depreciation.
- Contract approval. Georgia requires public adjuster contract forms to be approved by the Commissioner, and the Commissioner's office says you can confirm approval through an open records request.
- Exit terms. Ask what you owe if you cancel.
Do you need one at all?
Location matters less than you might think on a roof claim, because the evidence is on your roof and estimates are written in the same software statewide. Before you hire anyone, read public adjuster vs roofer in Georgia and look at what a roof supplement can recover on its own. Georgia contractors cannot act as your public adjuster, so be wary of a roofer who offers to play both roles.