What Happens After You Hire a Public Adjuster

The first few days: the contract and the notice

You should leave the signing with paper in hand. Florida law requires the public adjuster to give you an unaltered copy of the signed contract at the time you sign, and to send a copy to the insurer within 7 days. The adjuster cannot be paid for any work done before you receive your copy or the insurer receives its copy (Fla. Stat. s. 626.8796(2), (3)).

You also sign a separate disclosure form that explains the types of adjusters, that you were not required to hire one, and that you can still talk directly with your insurer (s. 626.8796(6)). Keep both documents with your policy.

On residential and condo unit owner claims, the public adjuster must make sure the insurer gets prompt notice of the claim and a copy of the contract, and that the property is available for the insurer to inspect (s. 626.854(15), (19)). The law also gives you a short window to cancel without penalty. Our guide on cancelling a public adjuster contract explains the days and how to send notice.

Inspection and documentation

Next comes the detailed inspection. Most public adjusters walk the property with you, check the roof, and look in the places damage hides: attic, ceilings, wall cavities, cabinets and floors. At Adjusterman we use aerial drones, thermal imaging and 3D capture to record what we find. Our five-step process shows how that documentation is built.

The insurer will usually inspect too. On a residential claim, anyone inspecting for the insurer must give at least 48 hours’ notice to you or your public adjuster before an onsite inspection, though you may waive that notice (s. 626.854(14)). The insurer may not keep your public adjuster out of its in-person meetings with you. Your adjuster, in turn, may not block or delay the insurer’s inspection (s. 626.854(15)(a)-(c)). To get ready for that visit, see how to prepare for a claim inspection.

The estimate and the claim package

For residential claims, Florida requires the public adjuster to give you a written estimate of the loss within 60 days after the contract. It must be itemized per unit, with equipment, materials, labor and supplies listed, and the adjuster must keep it for at least 5 years and show it to you on request (s. 626.854(12)(a)). If the estimate is not sent to the insurer within 60 days, you may cancel, unless the delay was outside the adjuster’s control (s. 626.8796(4)).

The estimate supports your sworn proof of loss. Under the standard homeowners policy form, you must send it within 60 days after the insurer asks for it, and it covers the time and cause of loss, repair estimates and a contents inventory. Your policy may use a different period. Our post on proof of loss deadlines covers what goes in it.

Who usually does what after you sign

What you still do yourself

Hiring a public adjuster does not hand the whole claim to someone else. The standard homeowners policy lists duties after a loss, and many of them stay personal to you:

• Protect the property from further damage, make reasonable and necessary repairs to protect it, and keep an accurate record of what you spent.
• Cooperate with the insurer’s investigation.
• Show the damaged property and provide records and documents the insurer reasonably asks for.
• Sit for an examination under oath if asked, apart from any other insured, and sign it.
• Read and sign your own sworn proof of loss. It is your statement, so check every number.
• Answer the insurer’s questions about the loss. Florida law gives the insurer the chance to interview you directly (s. 626.854(15)).

Your public adjuster can help you prepare for each of these and attend with you. What they cannot do is answer under oath for you. Also send requested documents quickly. When a policyholder or their representative does not provide material information the insurer asked for within 10 days, the insurer’s deadlines can pause until it arrives (s. 627.70131(8)(b)).

Keeping track while the claim moves

You have a right to updates. A public adjuster or public adjusting firm must respond with specific information to a written or electronic status request from you within 14 days (s. 626.854(24)). Asking by email gives you a dated record.

The insurer runs on its own clocks. It must acknowledge communications within 7 calendar days and pay or deny the claim, or part of it, within 60 days after notice, unless factors beyond its control apply (s. 627.70131(1), (7)). Our process page lists those deadlines. Keep one folder with every letter, estimate and receipt, even if your adjuster keeps one too.

How payments usually arrive

Under the standard homeowners form, the insurer pays you unless someone else is named in the policy or is legally entitled to payment. If a mortgage lender is named, payments for the dwelling and other structures go to the lender and you “as interests appear.” In practice that often means a check with more than one name on it. Ask your mortgage servicer early how it handles repair funds.

Payments may come in stages. On a replacement cost policy, insurers commonly pay actual cash value first and hold back depreciation until repairs are done. Our post on recoverable depreciation explains how to claim it.

Your contract says how the fee is paid. Under Florida law, a public adjuster’s fee on a residential claim may not be based on the deductible, on payments made before the contract, or on additional living expenses unless you signed a separate agreement for that (s. 626.854(11)). Read that part of the contract before the first check arrives.