What is a public adjuster?

A public adjuster is a claims professional you hire to handle your property insurance claim on your side of the table. In Texas, anyone doing this work must hold a public adjuster license from the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). The public adjuster inspects the damage, reads your policy, builds a line-by-line estimate, and negotiates with the insurer until the claim is paid. They are paid by you, usually as a percentage of what the insurer pays, and Texas caps that fee at 10%.

Your insurance company has its own adjusters. Their job is to measure the loss for the company that pays it. A public adjuster does the same measuring for the policyholder. That is the whole idea: two sides, each with someone who knows how claims are priced.

What a public adjuster does on a claim

The work follows the claim from the first phone call to the last check. Here is what that looks like on a typical Texas homeowners or commercial claim.

1. Reads the policy first. The declarations page, the endorsements and the exclusions decide what is payable. We look for the things that change the number: a percentage wind and hail deductible, an actual cash value (ACV) roof endorsement, a cosmetic damage exclusion on a metal roof, code upgrade coverage, additional living expenses.
2. Inspects and documents the damage. That means roof slopes photographed shingle by shingle, moisture readings behind wet drywall, a Matterport 3D scan of the interior, and drone or roof-level photos where a ladder is not enough. The goal is a record the insurer cannot argue is incomplete.
3. Writes an independent estimate. We price the repair in Xactimate, the same software most insurers use, so the two estimates can be compared line by line: tear-off, underlayment, drip edge, flashing, gutters, interior paint, contents.
4. Files and presents the claim. The estimate, photos, moisture logs and a contents inventory go to the insurer as one organized package, with the policy language that supports each item.
5. Attends the inspection or re-inspection. When the carrier's adjuster comes back out, we are on the roof with them pointing at the damage they missed.
6. Negotiates the amount. Most of the money in a disputed claim is in specific line items: whether a slope gets replaced or repaired, whether the matching siding on the next wall is included, what depreciation was taken. Each one gets argued with evidence.
7. Uses appraisal when talks stall. If the dispute is over the amount of loss, many policies let either side demand appraisal. We advise on when it makes sense and how it works.

Along the way, a public adjuster handles the paperwork you would otherwise be doing at night: proof of loss forms, requests for documents, follow-up on unanswered emails, and tracking the deadlines insurers have to meet under Chapter 542 of the Texas Insurance Code.

What a public adjuster cannot do

The limits matter as much as the job description. Texas law draws several hard lines.

• They cannot repair your property. A public adjuster may not take part in repairing or rebuilding property on a claim they are adjusting, or take money from a repair or salvage company on that claim (Tex. Ins. Code §4102.158).
• They cannot cash your check. You must be named on every claim payment, and a public adjuster may never sign or endorse a check for you (§4102.104).
• They cannot practice law. A public adjuster does not file lawsuits or give legal opinions on bad faith. When a claim needs an attorney, we say so and work alongside one.
• They cannot create coverage. If the policy excludes flood, no amount of documentation turns flood water into a covered loss. A good public adjuster tells you that at the start, before you sign anything.

The repair rule runs the other way too. A roofing or restoration contractor cannot act as your public adjuster, or advertise to adjust your claim, on property they are or may be repairing (§4102.163). We cover that in can a public adjuster work for a contractor.

How the relationship is set up

Texas regulates the contract itself. It must be on a form approved by TDI, it must state "WE REPRESENT THE INSURED ONLY," and you can cancel it within 72 hours of signing (§4102.103). The fee is a percentage of the claim payment, capped at 10% of the settlement. There is no upfront charge with our firm, and the first claim review is free.

For how the percentage works out in dollars, see public adjuster fees in Texas. For how to vet someone, see how to choose a public adjuster.

What it looks like in practice

Take a Bell County home with a hail-damaged roof. The insurer's adjuster inspects, approves repairs to two slopes and a few gutter sections, and sends an estimate. The homeowner's roofer says the whole roof needs to come off. Who is right?

A public adjuster answers that with evidence, not opinion. We test-square every slope, photograph the hits, check whether the shingles are still manufactured and whether a repair would match, and confirm what the policy says about the roof (replacement cost or an ACV schedule, and any cosmetic exclusion). Then we write the estimate and present it. If the carrier agrees, the claim gets revised. If not, the disagreement is now narrowed to specific slopes and line items, which is where a re-inspection or appraisal can actually settle it.

The same approach applies to a burst supply line in a kitchen, where the fight is usually over how far the water wicked and whether the cabinets can be dried or must be replaced, or to a fire, where smoke residue in rooms far from the flames is easy to leave out. Our claim services page breaks down each loss type.

The kinds of claims public adjusters handle

Public adjusters work first-party property claims: the claims you make on your own policy for damage to your own building and belongings. In Texas that mostly means:

• Roof and hail damage, from shingles and gutters to skylights and HVAC condenser fins.
• Water damage from plumbing failures, appliance leaks and freeze events like Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
• Fire and smoke damage, including contents and additional living expenses.
• Hurricane and windstorm damage, including TWIA claims on the coast.
• Commercial property claims for offices, apartments, churches, warehouses and other buildings.

Public adjusters do not handle auto claims, health claims or liability claims where someone is suing you. Those are different systems.

Public adjuster, insurance adjuster, or attorney

People mix up three roles. The adjuster the insurer sends, whether a staff employee or an independent adjuster on contract, works for the insurance company. A public adjuster works for you. An attorney handles legal disputes, lawsuits and bad-faith claims. We explain the first two side by side in public adjuster vs. independent adjuster.

Many claims never need any of this. If the damage is small, clearly covered and the first offer is fair, you can handle it yourself. The harder question, whether your claim is one that benefits from representation, gets its own honest treatment in should I use a public adjuster. And if you are wondering whether your claim is too far along, read when is it too late to hire a public adjuster.

What to have ready if you call one

You do not need to organize everything before a first conversation, but these make the free review faster:

• Your full policy, including the declarations page and every endorsement (not just the summary card).
• The claim number and the adjuster's name and contact information, if you have filed.
• Any estimate or denial letter the insurer has sent.
• Your own photos and videos, with dates.
• Receipts for emergency repairs, tarps, water extraction or hotel stays.

Our claim documentation checklist lists what to gather for each type of loss.

Written by

Joseph Dittman

Licensed Texas public adjuster · License #3356839 · Rise Public Adjusting LLC

Joseph inspects, documents and negotiates residential and commercial property claims across Texas, working only for policyholders.