How to Choose a Public Adjuster in Florida

First, decide whether you need a public adjuster

Your roof is leaking or your kitchen is gutted, and several people have already offered to “handle the insurance.” Before you compare them, ask whether you need any of them. Florida’s claim process disclosure form, which a public adjuster must give you before you sign, says it plainly: you are not required to hire a public adjuster, and you can talk directly with your insurer at any time.

You may not need one when:

• The damage is small and close to your deductible.
• The insurer has already paid what the damage is worth, and you agree with its estimate.
• The disagreement is narrow and fits the free DFS mediation program for residential claims. DFS says the insurer pays the mediation cost unless you miss the conference. Adjusterman is not affiliated with DFS.
• The question is a legal one, such as a coverage denial on legal grounds, a lawsuit, or a bodily injury claim. A public adjuster may not give legal advice or handle bodily injury claims (s. 626.854(3)). That is where an attorney’s role starts.

For a side-by-side look at handling a claim yourself, see filing it yourself vs hiring a public adjuster, and for the full decision, do you need a public adjuster.

Confirm the license, for the person and the firm

In Florida, only an attorney or a licensed and appointed public adjuster may, for pay, prepare or file your claim or negotiate its settlement (s. 626.854(20)). Acting as a public adjuster without a license and appointment is a third-degree felony (s. 626.8738).

Look up both names on the DFS licensee search: the individual adjuster and the public adjusting firm. DFS also suggests asking for the adjuster’s license number and comparing it with a government-issued photo ID. Our license check guide walks through the search screen by screen.

Pay attention to who will sign the contract. A public adjuster apprentice works under a supervising public adjuster but may not sign contracts for public adjusting services (s. 626.8651(3); Fla. Admin. Code R. 69B-220.051(5)). The contract must be executed by a licensed public adjuster.

Checks to run before you sign

Notice how the adjuster found you

How someone approaches you can tell you something about how they will handle your claim. On residential and condo unit owner policies, Florida limits public adjuster solicitation to Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., by any means (s. 626.854(5) and (19)). Only licensed public adjusters, or apprentices under direct supervision, may solicit. Unlicensed helpers may not, even under supervision (R. 69B-220.051(2)(a)).

The law also bans certain pitches. In an advertisement or solicitation, a public adjuster may not invite you to file when you do not have covered damage, offer money or other valuable inducements, say that filing is without risk to you, or suggest a government agency sent or endorsed the message (s. 626.854(8)(a)). Loans and advances to clients are banned outright (s. 626.854(9)).

The solicitation rules guide covers door-knocking in more detail.

Compare the contract, not only the percentage

Florida sets fee ceilings for residential and condo unit owner claims. Under s. 626.854(11), the fee may not exceed 10 percent of claim payments for claims based on an event under a Governor’s state of emergency declaration, for claims made during the year after the declaration. Otherwise the cap is 20 percent. Those are maximums, and a contract can set a lower rate.

Several limits matter as much as the rate. No fee is allowed on money the insurer paid or agreed in writing to pay before you signed. No fee may be based on your deductible. On a reopened or supplemental claim, the fee can apply only to new payments obtained after the contract.

The contract must print the fee percentage in at least 18-point bold type before your signature line (s. 626.8796(2)). For how fees work in practice, read what a public adjuster costs, and for each clause, see the contract guide.

Match the adjuster to your claim

A license tells you someone may do the work. It does not tell you whether they have handled a claim like yours. A condo association’s master policy claim, a business interruption claim and a single-family roof claim call for different documents and different conversations with the insurer.

Ask for the name of the adjuster who will inspect, write the estimate and negotiate, and look up that person too. Ask how they document damage. At Adjusterman, for example, we document losses with aerial drones, thermal imaging and 3D capture. Ask whether you can speak with past clients who had a similar claim, and listen for plain answers.

Check for conflicts. A public adjuster may not take part in repairing the property on a claim it adjusts or hold a financial interest in a salvage or repair business tied to that claim (s. 626.8795). It also may not take a contract or power of attorney that lets it choose who does your repairs (s. 626.854(18)).

For the interview itself, use the 12 questions to ask before hiring a public adjuster.

Red flags that should slow you down

• A gift, gift card, cash, deductible waiver or anything of value in exchange for a roof inspection or roof claim (s. 626.854(23)).
• Pressure to sign the same day, or a contract with blank spaces.
• No separate DFS claim process disclosure form before the contract (s. 626.8796(6)).
• Advice to keep the insurer away from you or your property. A public adjuster may not dissuade you from speaking privately with the insurer (R. 69B-220.201(4)(a)) and may not block the insurer’s reasonable access (s. 626.854(15)).
• Talk about a settlement amount before anyone has inspected the damage.

If you want to see how a licensed firm works a claim from inspection to settlement, our process page lays out each step.