12 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Public Adjuster

Published by Adjusterman LLC, a licensed Florida public adjusting firm. We don’t sell or earn commissions on anything listed here.

Updated September 23, 2026

A public adjuster works for you, not your insurer, and is paid out of your claim. That makes the hiring decision worth a short interview. Florida regulates public adjusters closely: the contract format, the fee, when you can cancel and what the adjuster may not do are all set by statute, mostly in s. 626.854 and s. 626.8796.

Use the twelve questions below as a checklist. A good adjuster will answer each one plainly and put the answers in writing. Where the law already sets the answer, we quote it, so you can tell whether what you are hearing matches.

How we put this list together

We built this list from the Florida statutes that govern public adjuster contracts and conduct (2026 Florida Statutes, read on flsenate.gov) and from the questions owners most often ask us before signing. Each question notes what the law requires, so the answer you get can be checked.

Nothing here is legal advice. Public adjusters cannot give legal advice or handle bodily injury claims (s. 626.854(3)); for litigation questions, talk to a Florida attorney.

The list

1. 1. Are you and your firm licensed in Florida, and can I verify it?

   Best for: License check

   Where to check

   DFS licensee search

   License type

   Public Adjuster

   Bond

   $50,000 surety bond (s. 626.865)

   Search the adjuster’s name or license number on the Florida DFS licensee search, which lets you filter by license type, including Public Adjuster and Public Adjuster Apprentice. Check that the license is active. Florida also requires a licensed public adjuster to file and maintain a $50,000 surety bond in favor of the Department (s. 626.865).

   Under s. 626.854(20), no one except an attorney or a licensed and appointed public adjuster may, for pay, prepare or file your claim or negotiate its settlement. Section 626.854(16) specifically bars a licensed contractor from performing public adjuster services unless also licensed as a public adjuster.

   Consider walking away from anyone who offers to “handle the insurance” for a fee but cannot give you a public adjuster license number.

   licenseesearch.fldfs.com

2. 2. Who will actually work my claim?

   Best for: Staffing

   Contract must name

   Adjuster, firm and both license numbers (s. 626.8796(2))

   The person who signs you up is not always the person who inspects, writes the estimate and negotiates. Ask who will do each of those jobs, whether any of them is an apprentice, and who your day-to-day contact will be. Look up each name you are given.

   Florida requires the contract to state the full name, business address, phone, e-mail and license number of the public adjuster, and the full name and license number of the public adjusting firm (s. 626.8796(2)). If the names on the contract differ from the people you met, ask why.

   Consider asking for the direct phone number and e-mail of the adjuster assigned to your file.

3. 3. What percentage do you charge, and is it within the legal cap?

   Best for: Fees

   Declared emergency

   Max 10% during the year after the declaration

   Other claims

   Max 20%

   Contract

   Percentage in 18-point bold type (s. 626.8796(2))

   Section 626.854(11)(b) caps the fee at 10% of claim payments for claims based on events that are the subject of a Governor’s state of emergency declaration, for claims made during the year after the declaration. After that year, and for claims not tied to a declared emergency, the cap is 20%. The contract must state the percentage in at least 18-point bold type before your signature line.

   Those are maximums, not standard rates. Ask what percentage this adjuster charges for your type of claim, and get it in the contract. The statute also says the rate may not be increased “based solely on the fact that the claim is litigated” (s. 626.854(11)(e)).

   Consider comparing the quoted percentage and the services included, not just the number.

   flsenate.gov

4. 4. What will the fee be calculated on, and what is excluded?

   Best for: Fees

   Paid before you signed

   0% (s. 626.854(11)(b)4.)

   Deductible

   No fee (s. 626.854(11)(c))

   Reopened or supplemental claim

   New money only, max 20%

   Florida limits what the fee can touch. It is 0% on any coverage part where the insurer paid, or agreed in writing to pay, before the contract was signed. Payments do not include the deductible, and the fee “may not be based on the deductible portion of a claim.” On a reopened or supplemental claim, the fee can be based only on payments obtained through the adjuster’s work after the contract, capped at 20%.

   Two more rules are worth asking about. A fee on additional living expenses requires a separate signed agreement (s. 626.854(11)(d)). And if the insurer pays or agrees to pay the full policy limit for a coverage part within 14 days of the loss or 10 days of the contract, whichever is later, the fee on that part is capped at 1%.

   For how fees work in practice, see what does a public adjuster cost.

   Consider asking the adjuster to walk through the fee on a sample payment, including your deductible and any earlier check.

5. 5. How do I cancel, and until when?

   Best for: Cancellation

   Standard

   10 days after signing

   Declared emergency

   30 days after loss or 10 days after signing, whichever is longer

   How

   In writing, by certified mail or other proof of mailing

   Under s. 626.854(7), you may cancel “without penalty or obligation within 10 days after the date on which the contract is executed.” If the contract is based on events that are the subject of a Governor’s state of emergency declaration, you may cancel within 30 days after the date of loss or 10 days after the contract is executed, whichever is longer.

   The contract must print this cancellation language in at least 18-point bold type right before your signature. Notice of cancellation must be in writing and sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, or another mailing method that provides proof, to the address in the contract.

   Consider confirming the cancellation address in the contract before you sign.

   flsenate.gov

6. 6. When will I receive your written estimate?

   Best for: Deliverables

   Deadline

   60 days after the contract (s. 626.854(12))

   Content

   Itemized, per-unit: equipment, materials, labor, supplies

   If late

   You may cancel (s. 626.8796(4))

   A Florida public adjuster must provide a written estimate of the loss within 60 days after the date of the contract. It must be “an itemized, per-unit estimate of the repairs, including itemized information on equipment, materials, labor, and supplies,” and the adjuster must keep it for at least 5 years.

   If the estimate is not provided within 60 days, you may cancel the contract with no additional penalties or fees, unless the delay is caused by factors beyond the adjuster’s control. That right ends on the date the estimate is provided.

   Consider asking to see a redacted sample estimate from a past claim of the same type.

7. 7. Do you have any ties to contractors, restoration or salvage companies?

   Best for: Conflicts

   Statute

   s. 626.8795

   Also

   s. 626.854(13), (17), (18)

   Section 626.8795 says a public adjuster “may not participate, directly or indirectly, in the reconstruction, repair, or restoration of damaged property” on a claim it adjusts, and may not have a financial interest in any salvage, repair or other business that gets work from that claim.

   Related rules: the adjuster cannot take a contract or power of attorney that lets it choose who does your repairs (s. 626.854(18)); cannot acquire an interest in salvaged property without your signed affidavit (s. 626.854(17)); and cannot pay or be paid for referrals, except that a public adjuster may compensate another public adjuster (s. 626.854(13)). Ask directly how the adjuster found you and whether anyone was paid for the introduction.

   Consider choosing your own contractor, independent of the adjuster.

   flsenate.gov

8. 8. Will I pay for engineers, estimators or other experts?

   Best for: Costs

   Statute

   s. 626.854(6)(b) and (c)

   Large or disputed claims sometimes need an engineer, a leak detection specialist or a contents inventory service. Florida says an adjuster may not contract for third-party services at your expense unless you agree in writing, and that agreement must come after the adjusting contract is signed. If the adjuster hires a third party without your written consent, the adjuster pays and may not charge it back to you.

   Ask which outside experts the adjuster expects to need on your claim, who pays, and whether you will be asked to approve each one in writing.

   Consider asking for any third-party cost estimate in writing before approving it.

9. 9. Will you give me the contract and the DFS disclosure form before I sign?

   Best for: Paperwork

   Statute

   s. 626.8796

   Copy to insurer

   Within 7 days of signing

   Every Florida public adjuster contract must be titled “Public Adjuster Contract,” be in at least 12-point type, carry the statutory fraud statement, list the type of claim, and bear your initials on each page you do not sign. Before signing, the adjuster must give you a separate disclosure document, on a DFS form, that explains the kinds of adjusters, that you are not required to hire a public adjuster, and that you have the right to communicate directly with your insurer.

   You must receive an unaltered copy of the signed contract at signing, and the insurer must get one within 7 days. The adjuster cannot be paid for services before you receive that copy or before it is submitted to the insurer, and a contract that does not comply with s. 626.8796 “is invalid and unenforceable.”

   Consider taking the contract home overnight rather than signing on the spot.

   flsenate.gov

10. 10. How will you keep me updated?

    Best for: Communication

    Statute

    s. 626.854(24)

    Response time

    Within 14 days of a written or electronic request

    Florida requires a public adjuster, apprentice or firm to respond “with specific information” to a written or electronic claim status request within 14 days and to document the response in the file. That is a floor. Ask how often you will hear from the adjuster without asking, and in what form.

    Also ask how you will see what is sent to the insurer. Copies of the estimate, photos, correspondence and any proof of loss belong in your records too.

    Consider sending status requests by e-mail so the 14-day clock and the answer are both documented.

11. 11. How will you document the loss, and how will you work with the insurer’s adjuster?

    Best for: Method

    Statute

    s. 626.854(15)

    Insurer notice

    48 hours before an inspection (s. 626.854(14))

    Ask what tools the adjuster uses (moisture mapping, thermal imaging, drone or roof inspection, measured sketches) and what the finished claim package will include. The quality of the documentation is often what separates a paid claim from a disputed one.

    Florida also requires cooperation. The adjuster must make sure the insurer gets prompt notice and a copy of the contract, can inspect the property, and can interview you directly (s. 626.854(15)). The insurer, in turn, may not exclude the adjuster from its in-person meetings with you and must give at least 48 hours’ notice before scheduling an inspection. An adjuster who suggests keeping the insurer away from the property is describing a violation.

    Consider asking whether the adjuster will be present at the insurer’s inspection.

12. 12. What happens if the insurer still disputes the claim?

    Best for: Disputes

    No legal advice

    s. 626.854(3)

    Fee if litigated

    Cannot rise solely because of litigation (s. 626.854(11)(e))

    Ask how the adjuster handles a denial or a low offer on a claim like yours (for example, homeowners claims): re-inspection and supplemental documentation, DFS mediation for residential claims, or appraisal if your policy has an appraisal clause. Ask who pays the appraiser and umpire under your policy, and whether the adjuster’s fee applies to an appraisal award.

    A public adjuster “may not give legal advice,” so if the claim heads toward a lawsuit you will need an attorney. Ask how the adjuster works alongside counsel, and read public adjuster vs attorney for how the roles differ.

    Consider getting the adjuster’s plan for a disputed outcome in writing before you sign.

Red flags that end the conversation

• Any gift, cash, gift card, loan or advance offered to get you to sign. Florida bars loans and advances outright (s. 626.854(9)) and caps promotional merchandise at $25 (s. 626.854(10)).
• An offer to waive your deductible or give you something of value for a roof inspection or roof claim (s. 626.854(23)).
• A pitch that filing a claim cannot hurt you, or an invitation to file for damage that is not covered. Florida lists both kinds of statement as deceptive in a public adjuster’s advertising or solicitation (s. 626.854(8)(a)).
• Door-knocking or calls on a Sunday, or before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. Solicitation is limited to Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (s. 626.854(5)).
• Material that looks like it comes from a government agency. Implying government endorsement is deceptive under s. 626.854(8)(a)4.

Next steps

Run each candidate through these questions, then verify the license yourself. Our ranked guides compare licensed firms on the same criteria: the best public adjusters in Florida and the best hurricane claim public adjusters in Florida. If you want to put these questions to a licensed adjuster, Adjusterman LLC offers a free claim review. For how the job differs from the insurer’s adjuster, see public adjuster vs insurance adjuster.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Sources

1. Fla. Stat. s. 626.854 (2026), “Public adjuster” defined; prohibitions
2. Fla. Stat. s. 626.8796 (2026), Public adjuster contracts; disclosure statement; fraud statement
3. Fla. Stat. s. 626.8795 (2026), Public adjusters; prohibition of conflict of interest
4. Fla. Stat. s. 626.865 (2026), Public adjuster’s qualifications, bond
5. Florida DFS licensee search
6. Florida DFS, Mediation and Neutral Evaluation

Adjusterman LLC, FL DFS Public Adjusting Firm License #W913130 · Michael Klavan, FL DFS Public Adjuster License #P151443. Public adjusters do not provide legal advice.