Frequently Asked Questions About Public Adjusters & Insurance Claims

A public adjuster is a licensed insurance professional who represents property owners, not insurance companies, in preparing, filing, and negotiating property damage insurance claims. Unlike the adjuster sent by your insurance company, a public adjuster works exclusively for you and is legally authorized to act on your behalf throughout the entire claims process. Public adjusters are licensed by each state and work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they only get paid when you receive a settlement. Learn more about our licensed public adjusters or how our claims process works.

An insurance adjuster works for your insurance company and is paid to evaluate your claim on the insurer's behalf. Their financial incentive is to minimize your payout. A public adjuster works exclusively for you, the policyholder, and is paid a percentage of what they recover for you. Their incentive is to maximize your settlement. This conflict of interest is built into every claim: the insurance company's adjuster is not on your side and is not required to find every dollar you're owed.

You don't legally need one, but statistically you're likely to receive significantly more with one. Studies consistently show that policyholders represented by a public adjuster receive higher settlements than those who handle claims on their own, often substantially so. A public adjuster is especially valuable when your claim is large, complex, involves multiple damage types, has been denied, or when the insurance company's offer feels far below what repairs actually cost.

For most property damage claims, yes, decisively. Public adjusters earn their fee by finding damage the insurance company's adjuster missed, challenging low valuations, and negotiating settlements that reflect the true cost of your loss. The net recovery after a public adjuster's fee is typically higher than what policyholders receive on their own. The cases where a public adjuster adds the least value are very small, straightforward claims where the insurer's first offer is already fair, which is relatively rare.

A public adjuster reviews your insurance policy to identify all coverages that apply to your loss, conducts an independent inspection and documents every item of damage, prepares a professional scope of loss with repair or replacement estimates, files your claim or supplements an existing one, and negotiates directly with the insurance company on your behalf until the maximum settlement is reached. You don't speak to the insurance company — your public adjuster handles every call, document request, and negotiation. See our full 5-step process.

A contractor repairs the damage. They have no authority to negotiate your insurance settlement and have a financial interest in maximizing the scope of repairs regardless of what your policy covers. A lawyer can represent you in litigation against your insurer but is typically engaged only after a claim dispute escalates to a legal matter. A public adjuster sits between the two: they are the specialist in the insurance claim process itself, reading your policy, documenting your loss, and negotiating your settlement before litigation is ever necessary.

Public adjusters work on a contingency fee basis, meaning there is no upfront cost and no fee unless they recover money for you. The fee is a percentage of the total settlement, agreed upon in writing before any work begins. In most cases, even after the public adjuster's fee, the net recovery is higher than what the policyholder would have received handling the claim on their own. Get your free claim review and we'll explain exactly how our fee structure works.

No. Aware Owner works exclusively on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront, nothing during the process, and nothing at all if we do not recover money for you. Our fee is collected as a percentage of the final settlement at the time it is paid. There are no retainers, no hourly rates, and no out-of-pocket expenses.

Public adjuster fees are regulated by each state's insurance department and vary based on the state, the complexity of the claim, and the size of the loss. At Aware Owner, our fee is discussed and agreed upon in writing before we begin any work — there are never hidden charges or surprise deductions. Contact us for a free review and we'll explain our fee structure in detail for your specific situation.

It depends on the size of the claim relative to the fee. For very small claims, typically under $5,000, the math may not favor hiring a public adjuster. For most claims above that threshold, particularly those involving roof damage, water damage, or fire, a public adjuster's documentation and negotiation typically recovers enough additional settlement to more than cover their fee. If you're unsure, call us for a free assessment and we'll tell you honestly whether bringing us in makes financial sense for your specific situation.

No. Hiring a public adjuster does not affect your insurance premiums. Premiums are based on your claims history and policy type, not on whether you used a public adjuster to handle a claim. Filing a legitimate claim for covered damage is your right under the policy you pay for. Using a professional to ensure you receive a fair settlement for that claim has no bearing on your future premiums.

After property damage occurs, you notify your insurance company and they assign one of their adjusters to inspect the damage and determine what they will pay. That adjuster prepares a scope of loss and issues a settlement offer. Most policyholders accept this offer without knowing they can dispute it, supplement it, or hire their own adjuster to produce an independent assessment. A public adjuster steps in at any point in this process, produces a counter-scope of loss, and negotiates until the settlement reflects the true cost of the damage. See our full 5-step process.

Timeline varies significantly by claim type and insurer responsiveness. Straightforward claims, such as a single hail event or a burst pipe, typically resolve in 4 to 8 weeks from filing. Complex claims involving large-scale structural damage, fire losses with full contents inventories, or disputed causation can take 3 to 6 months. Hurricane and catastrophe-zone claims can take longer due to carrier backlogs after major storm events. Aware Owner actively manages your timeline and pushes back on insurer delays throughout the process.

Yes, at any stage. You can bring in a public adjuster after you have filed, after you have received a settlement offer, and even after a claim has been denied. If you have received a settlement that feels too low, a public adjuster can review the insurer's scope of loss, produce an independent assessment, and file a supplemental claim for the difference. It is never too late to bring in Aware Owner.

A supplemental claim is filed when additional damage is discovered after an initial settlement has been reached, or when the initial settlement did not reflect the full scope of the original damage. Supplemental claims are legal and common, particularly after storm events where hidden damage emerges over time. Aware Owner files supplemental claims on behalf of clients whenever new or previously undocumented damage is identified.

The appraisal process is a dispute resolution mechanism written into most homeowners insurance policies. When you and your insurer cannot agree on the value of a loss, either party can invoke appraisal. Each side selects an independent appraiser, and those two appraisers select a neutral umpire. The three parties evaluate the loss and the umpire's decision is binding. Aware Owner can represent you through the appraisal process and select a qualified appraiser on your behalf.

The most important documentation is evidence of the damage itself: photographs and video taken immediately after the event, from every angle, before any cleanup or temporary repairs. You will also need your insurance policy and declarations page, any prior inspection or maintenance records relevant to the damaged area, and receipts or documentation for any personal property that was damaged or destroyed. Aware Owner handles all professional documentation — scope of loss, measurements, contractor estimates — as part of our standard process. Your job is to photograph the damage before anything is touched.

You are required to cooperate with your insurance company's investigation, but you are not required to do so without representation. Anything you say to an insurance adjuster can be used to minimize your claim. Characterizing damage as minor, admitting to deferred maintenance, or speculating about causes can all be used against you. Aware Owner strongly recommends engaging a public adjuster before or immediately after any conversation with the insurance company's adjuster. Once Aware Owner is engaged, we handle all communication so you don't have to.

A denial is not the end of your claim — it is the beginning of a dispute. You have the right to appeal the denial in writing, request a reinspection, invoke the appraisal clause in your policy, or file a complaint with your state insurance commissioner. Aware Owner reviews denied claims, identifies the basis for the denial, conducts an independent inspection, and files a formal appeal with documentation the insurer cannot ignore. Many of our most successful recoveries began as denied claims. Get a free review of your denial.

Insurance companies deny claims for a range of reasons, some legitimate and some not. Common denial bases include: the damage is characterized as pre-existing or caused by wear and tear rather than a covered event; the damage type is excluded under the policy; the claim was filed outside the policy's notice period; or the insurer disputes the cause of loss. Many denials are wrongful or based on an incomplete investigation. A public adjuster can identify whether a denial is legitimate or challengeable and take the appropriate action.

An underpaid claim is one where the insurance company's settlement offer does not cover the actual cost of repairing or replacing the damaged property. This happens when the insurer's adjuster documents less damage than actually exists, values repairs at below-market rates, applies excessive depreciation, or excludes damage categories that are covered under the policy. If your settlement doesn't cover your actual repair costs, you have the right to dispute it — and Aware Owner can help you do so. See all the claim types we handle.

The appeals process begins with a written letter to your insurance company formally disputing the denial and stating the basis for your dispute. You should include independent evidence — a new inspection, photographs, contractor estimates, and expert opinions — that contradicts the insurer's denial basis. If the internal appeal fails, you can invoke the appraisal clause, file a complaint with your state insurance commissioner, or pursue litigation. Aware Owner manages the entire appeal process on your behalf, starting with an independent reinspection and professional counter-documentation.

In Arizona, the statute of limitations on property insurance claims is two years from the date of loss. However, your specific policy may have a shorter internal notice or dispute period, and some states have different statutes. The sooner you act, the better — evidence deteriorates, witnesses become unavailable, and insurers use delay as an argument against you. If you believe your claim was denied or underpaid, contact Aware Owner for a free review as soon as possible.

In many cases, yes. If the statute of limitations has not expired and new damage is discovered, or if the original settlement did not reflect the full scope of the covered loss, a supplemental claim can be filed to reopen the matter. Some states have specific provisions for reopening claims after major catastrophe events. Aware Owner reviews closed claims and advises on whether reopening is viable based on the specific policy language, state law, and the facts of your loss.

Yes — hail damage is a covered peril under standard homeowners insurance policies. The most common issue is not coverage but documentation: insurance adjusters frequently miss functional damage to roofing materials, gutters, HVAC units, and siding because the most significant hail damage is not visible from the ground. Aware Owner conducts calibrated on-site inspections that find damage the insurance company's adjuster documents incompletely or not at all. See our full hail damage claims page for more.

Yes — wind damage from a storm event is a covered peril under most standard homeowners policies. The key challenge is establishing that the damage was caused by a specific wind event rather than gradual deterioration, which is the most common tactic insurers use to reduce wind claims. Aware Owner uses certified weather verification reports and professional documentation to prove storm causation for every wind damage claim.

A standard homeowners policy covers the dwelling structure, personal property, and additional living expenses for fire damage caused by a sudden and accidental event. Fire claims are among the most complex in the industry because they involve structural assessment, a full contents inventory, code upgrade requirements, smoke and soot damage throughout the structure, and additional living expenses for temporary housing. Aware Owner manages every component of a fire damage claim from the first call through final settlement.

Sudden and accidental water damage from a plumbing failure, such as a burst pipe, is a covered peril under standard homeowners policies. What is typically not covered is gradual leaking over time, which insurers characterize as a maintenance issue rather than a sudden event. The critical factor is how the cause of loss is documented and characterized. Aware Owner establishes the sudden and accidental nature of every water loss with evidence that defeats the gradual damage exclusion. See our water damage claims page.

Standard homeowners policies cover wind damage from hurricanes but typically exclude storm surge and flooding, which requires a separate flood insurance policy. The most contentious issue in hurricane claims is causation: insurers are motivated to characterize damage as flood (excluded) rather than wind (covered) to reduce their liability. Aware Owner specializes in documenting wind causation in hurricane claims and is licensed in Florida and Texas, where this issue is most frequently disputed. See our hurricane damage claims page.

Yes — vandalism and malicious mischief are covered perils under standard homeowners policies. The primary exceptions are vacancy exclusions, which can apply if a property has been unoccupied for a specified period, and intentional acts by the insured. Vandalism claims are highly time-sensitive because evidence deteriorates quickly after the event. Aware Owner responds immediately to document all damage before emergency repairs obscure what occurred. See our vandalism claims page.

Aware Owner handles all major property damage claim types: wind damage, hail damage, fire and smoke damage, water and plumbing damage, hurricane damage, lightning damage, vandalism, and denied or underpaid claims of any type. We serve both residential homeowners and commercial property owners across Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Nebraska, and West Virginia. If your property sustained damage and your insurer's response doesn't feel right, contact us for a free review.

Same day, every time. Every inquiry received during business hours is responded to on the day it comes in. A licensed Aware Owner adjuster will contact you by phone or email the same day you reach out. For active damage situations — ongoing water damage, a fire event, or an impending claim deadline — we prioritize immediately. No wait lists, no callbacks in 48 hours. Book your free consultation now.

Aware Owner is licensed to practice as a public adjuster in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Nebraska, and West Virginia. Our adjusters have specific expertise in the regional claim types most common to each market — monsoon and hail damage in Arizona and Colorado, hurricane and wind damage in Florida and Texas, and storm damage across Nebraska and West Virginia. If your property is located in one of these states and sustained damage, we can help. Meet our licensed public adjusters.

Yes. Aware Owner represents homeowners, landlords, business owners, and property managers. Commercial property claims — particularly those involving business interruption losses, large-scale structural damage, and complex multi-peril events — are among the highest-value and most contested claims we manage. If you own or manage commercial property and have sustained damage, contact us to discuss your specific situation.

Getting started takes less than five minutes. Call us at 1-800-396-AWARE for a same-day conversation, or submit the short form at awareowner.com/book-now and a licensed adjuster will call you today. Tell us what happened — what was damaged, when, and what your insurer has said so far. We'll give you an honest assessment of your claim and tell you exactly what we can do for you. There's no obligation and no cost for the initial review.