What Is an Insurance Adjuster on a Roof Claim?

What an insurance adjuster does

After you report a claim, your insurer sends someone to look at the damage. That person is the adjuster. The Texas Department of Insurance puts the job in one line: the adjuster will decide how much damage you have and estimate the cost to repair or replace your property ¹.

On a roof, that usually means climbing up or using a drone, checking shingles, flashing, vents and gutters, and taking photos. The adjuster also looks inside for leaks and stains. Then the adjuster writes an estimate, line by line, of the work needed to put the roof back the way it was before the storm.

The estimate is not the same as the check. The insurer takes that estimate, applies the rules in your policy, such as depreciation and your deductible, and pays what is left.

So the adjuster's notes and numbers matter a great deal. If a damaged area is missed, it is not in the estimate, and it is not paid unless you raise it.

How the adjuster's estimate turns into a payment

The adjuster's report goes to the insurance company, which uses it to decide the claim settlement ³. The estimate starts with the cost to repair or replace the roof at today's prices. What happens next depends on your policy.

If the roof is covered at replacement cost, many insurers pay in two parts: a first check that subtracts an amount for wear and age, and a second check for that amount once they get the bill for the finished job ¹.

If the roof is covered at actual cash value, the depreciation is taken off and not paid back. Either way, your deductible comes off the total.

Texas also sets clocks for the insurer once a claim is filed.

The company must acknowledge the claim within 15 days, accept or deny it within 15 business days after it has all the information it needs, and pay within 5 business days after it approves the claim ¹.

Other states have their own rules, so ask your state insurance department if a claim seems stuck.

Types: staff, independent and public adjusters

Staff and independent adjusters, in plain words

A staff adjuster, also called a company adjuster, is a direct employee of the insurer. In most cases a company adjuster is the first person to look at the damage to your home ³. They do not charge you for the visit.

An independent adjuster does the same job, but as an outside contractor the insurer hires.

After a large hail or wind storm, insurers often bring in many independent adjusters at once, because they have more claims than staff can handle.

To you, they act just like a company adjuster: they inspect, they write the estimate, and they report to the insurer.

You do not choose either one. The insurer assigns the adjuster, and that person becomes your main contact on the claim. Ask for their name, phone number, email and the claim number, and keep them in one place.

Public adjusters: hired by you, licensed by the state

A public adjuster is the one kind of adjuster who works for the policyholder. Texas says it plainly: public adjusters work for you, not the insurance company ¹. You can hire one to negotiate with your insurer to settle your claim ².

Public adjusters are licensed. In Texas, all public insurance adjusters must be licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance ². Other states license them through their own insurance departments, and the rules on fees, contracts and conduct differ from state to state.

They are paid from your claim. The Idaho Department of Insurance explains that public adjusters are paid from the proceeds of your claim settlement, typically as a percentage of the total amount you receive ³.

Delaware's insurance department gives the same description ⁴. That fee comes out of the money you would otherwise spend on the roof, so it is worth weighing before you sign.

Worked example: what a public adjuster's fee takes from a claim

Illustrative numbers, to show the arithmetic only. They are not a price, a typical fee or a typical settlement. A homeowner in Texas hires a public adjuster at 10%, the most Texas allows ². The final claim payment is $20,000.

Texas notes the fee can be based on the total settlement, not just the part you were disputing ².

So if the insurer had already offered most of that amount, the fee still applies to the whole. Compare that with what you expect the public adjuster to add before you sign.

Our claim estimator shows how depreciation and your deductible change the payment.

Sources: [2]

Where adjusters show up in a roof claim

You meet the company adjuster at the inspection, usually days or weeks after you report the claim. After a big storm it can take longer, because many homes are waiting. The adjuster may want to see the outside of the house, the roof and the attic ³.

You see the adjuster's work again in the estimate and the letter that comes with the first check. That paperwork lists each line item, the depreciation, the deductible and what was paid.

If you hire a public adjuster, their name goes on your claim and the insurer deals with them. If more damage is found once work starts, the adjuster and the roofer may meet at the house to look at it ³.

Why a good adjuster visit helps you

• A careful inspection catches all the damage the first time, so it is in the estimate.
• The more information you give the adjuster about the loss, the faster the claim can be settled, according to the Idaho Department of Insurance ³.
• The company adjuster's visit costs you nothing ³.
• A public adjuster can take over the paperwork and the back-and-forth if you do not have the time or the patience.
• Having your own roofer at the inspection lets the two compare notes on the spot ³.

Limits of what an adjuster can do

• Staff and independent adjusters report to the insurer, not to you.
• An adjuster can only include what they see. Hidden damage found later needs a new review ³.
• A public adjuster cannot give legal advice and, in Texas, cannot take part in repairing your property ¹.
• Hiring a public adjuster does not guarantee a bigger payment, and the fee comes out of what you receive.
• No adjuster can change what your policy covers. If the roof is excluded or limited, the estimate cannot fix that.

What it costs: who pays which adjuster

The insurer pays its own staff and independent adjusters. You pay nothing for that visit ³. The cost that lands on you comes from the public adjuster, if you hire one, and from how the estimate is written.

A public adjuster's fee is set in the contract, usually as a percentage of the claim ³. Texas caps it at 10% of the total the company pays on your claim ².

Other states set their own limits, and some do not use a simple cap, so read your own state insurance department's rules. Ask whether the fee applies to money the insurer already offered before you signed.

The bigger cost drivers on any roof claim are the policy lines the adjuster applies: replacement cost or actual cash value, depreciation, and a dollar or percentage deductible. For what the roof work itself costs, see our roof cost guide.

How to work with the adjuster, step by step

1. Report the claim and write down the claim number. Make only temporary repairs, such as a tarp; Texas advises against permanent repairs before the claim is handled ¹.
2. Take dated photos and video of the damage before anything is moved or cleaned up ³.
3. When the adjuster calls, ask for their name, phone, email and whether they are staff or independent.
4. Be home for the inspection if you can. Ask your roofer to come too, so they can point out damage ³.
5. Ask for a written copy of the estimate, with every line item, the depreciation and the deductible.
6. Compare it with your roofer's estimate. If something is missing, send the insurer a written request with photos.
7. If you still disagree, ask the insurer about appraisal or other options in your policy, and call your state insurance department about mediation or complaints ³.

How roof records help with the adjuster

Adjusters have to tell storm damage apart from old wear. Wear and tear is often excluded, while sudden storm damage is usually covered. Records from before the storm make that easier to show.

Keep the invoice for your roof, any repair bills, and dated photos from inspections. Store copies outside the house or in the cloud. If the adjuster asks how old the roof is or whether a spot was already damaged, you can answer with paper instead of memory.

Red flags and risks to watch for

• Someone who says they will handle your claim but has no public adjuster license. In Texas, all public adjusters must be TDI-licensed ².
• A roofer who offers to deal with your insurer for you. Texas says contractors cannot advertise that they will handle your insurance claim ², and Minnesota bars it unless the contractor is licensed as a public adjuster ⁵.
• A public adjuster who also wants to do the repair. Under Texas law, a public adjuster on your claim cannot act as your contractor ².
• Pressure to sign a contract on the spot. Read it first; in Texas you have 72 hours after signing to cancel ².
• A fee on the whole claim when the insurer had already offered most of it ².

Who sets the rules: state licensing and conduct

Adjusters are regulated by the states, not by a federal agency. Texas is a clear example.

The Texas Department of Insurance licenses public adjusters, caps their fee at 10% of what the company pays, lets you cancel a contract within 72 hours, and bars a public adjuster on your claim from acting as your contractor.

Texas also says public adjusters cannot get referral fees from contractors, lawyers or others involved in the claim, and that contractors cannot advertise that they will handle your claim ².

Minnesota reaches the same issue from the contractor side. Minnesota Statutes section 325E.66 says a residential contractor may not interpret policy provisions, advise an insured about coverages or duties under the policy, or adjust a property insurance claim on the insured's behalf, unless the contractor has a public adjuster license under chapter 72B ⁵.

Other states have their own rules on fees, contracts, solicitation and conflicts of interest. This page uses Texas and Minnesota because we loaded their rules directly; it does not say what your state requires. Check with your state insurance department. This page is not legal or insurance advice.

Adjuster vs roofer vs agent: who does what

Common misconceptions

Myth The adjuster decides my claim on their own.

Reality The adjuster documents and estimates the loss; the insurer uses that report to decide the settlement under your policy ³.

Myth An independent adjuster is independent of the insurer.

Reality No. An independent adjuster is hired by the insurer for the claim and reports to the insurer. Only a public adjuster works for you.

Myth My roofer can handle the claim for me.

Reality In some states that is not allowed unless the roofer holds a public adjuster license ⁵, and Texas bars contractors from advertising that they will handle your claim ².

Myth A public adjuster is free because the insurer pays.

Reality A public adjuster is paid from your claim, usually as a percentage of what you receive ³.

Your state's rules

Whether you can hire a public adjuster, what they may charge, how long you have to cancel, and what a roofer may say about your claim all depend on your state.

Texas and Minnesota are covered above because we read their rules directly.

For any other state, look up your state insurance department's consumer page on public adjusters, or call its consumer help line, and ask how to check a license and complaint history.

Texas, for example, offers that check through its help line at 800-252-3439 ².

When to think about a public adjuster

• The claim is large or complex, such as a full roof plus interior damage, and you cannot manage the paperwork.
• You disagree with the company estimate and your own roofer's written bid backs you up.
• You have asked the insurer in writing to review missed damage and it has not moved.
• Before you sign, check the license with your state, read the fee and cancellation terms, and ask whether the fee covers money already offered.

Keep going

• Storm damage and insuranceHow a roof claim works from start to finish
• Hail claim estimatorSee how depreciation and the deductible change a payment
• Storm-chaser roofersWhat to watch for after a hail storm
• Find a rooferGet a local roofer to inspect and bid the work

Related terms

Actual Cash Value

Actual cash value (ACV) is the way a homeowners policy values damaged property at what it was worth just before the loss: the cost to replace it today minus depreciation for its age and condition.

Replacement Cost Value

Replacement cost value (RCV) is what it would take to repair or replace damaged property with materials of similar kind and quality at today's prices, without subtracting depreciation for age or wear.

Recoverable Depreciation

Recoverable depreciation is the part of a replacement cost claim that the insurer holds back at first and pays later, once the damaged property has been repaired or replaced and you send proof of the cost.

Roof Insurance Claim

A claim on a homeowners policy for roof damage from a covered event such as wind or hail.

Insurance Deductible

An insurance deductible is the part of a covered claim that you pay yourself before your homeowners policy pays the rest.

Roof Claim Documentation

The evidence for a roof claim: dated photos, the inspection report, the contractor estimate and the insurer's paperwork.

Hail Damage Insurance Claim

A homeowners claim for hail damage to a roof, often subject to a separate wind/hail deductible.

Also referenced from: Actual Cash Value, Replacement Cost Value, Recoverable Depreciation, Insurance Deductible