Three jobs
A public adjuster works for you from the start of a claim. They document the loss, prepare the claim, submit it, and negotiate with the carrier's adjuster. They are licensed in most states and are usually paid a percentage of what the carrier pays, commonly ten percent and capped by statute in some states. A public adjuster is an advocate: that is the job, and it is a legitimate one.
An attorney handles disputes the claim process cannot resolve: a denial, a coverage question, a carrier that has acted in bad faith, a suit-limitation deadline that is about to run. Attorneys are usually paid on contingency in property cases, often a third of the recovery, and litigation commonly takes a year or more.
An appraiser does one thing: values the loss under the policy's appraisal clause, as one of a panel of three, when you and the carrier have agreed the loss is covered but not what it costs. An appraiser is appointed by you but is required by the policy to be competent and impartial. The best way to think about it is that an appraiser is not on your side; an appraiser is on the side of the correct number, which is usually a good deal higher than the carrier's.
Side by side
| Appraiser | Public adjuster | Attorney | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | A covered claim where the amount is disputed | Preparing and negotiating a claim from the start | Denials, coverage disputes, bad faith, deadlines |
| Role | Impartial valuer on a three-person panel | Your advocate with the carrier | Your advocate in court |
| Typical fee | Flat or hourly. Ours is $2,500 residential | Percentage of what is paid, often ten percent | Contingency, often a third of recovery, plus costs |
| Typical time | One to three months, longer with an umpire | The life of the claim | A year or more |
| Decides coverage | No | No | Argues it; a court decides |
| Result | A binding award on the amount of loss | A negotiated settlement | A judgment or settlement |
Which one you need
Start from what the carrier has done, not from how you feel about it.
- The carrier accepted the claim and paid, but the estimate does not cover the repair.
- This is an amount dispute. Appraisal is the direct route, and an appraiser is the person you need. You can invoke the clause yourself, without a public adjuster or an attorney.
- You have not filed yet, or the claim is early and you want help building it.
- A public adjuster does this well. Appraisal comes later, if the number ends up in dispute. Be aware that in many states the public adjuster on your claim cannot then serve as your appraiser.
- The carrier denied the claim, or says the cause of the damage is excluded.
- This is a coverage dispute. Appraisal generally cannot resolve it and in some states the carrier can refuse to participate. Talk to an attorney, and check whether your state's Department of Insurance offers mediation.
- The carrier accepted part of the loss and denied part.
- A mixed case. Appraisal can value the accepted part and, in many states, the disputed part with the coverage question reserved. It is worth a conversation with us and, if the denied part is large, with an attorney as well.
- The deadline to sue is weeks away.
- An attorney, today. Appraisal does not pause the suit clock in most states, and a lawsuit can be filed and stayed while appraisal proceeds.
Working together
These roles are not exclusive. Attorneys appoint us as the policyholder's appraiser in cases where the amount is the live issue, because an award resolves it faster than discovery. Public adjusters refer claims to us when negotiation has stalled, because a public adjuster on contingency generally cannot serve as a disinterested appraiser on their own file. We are glad to work alongside either, and we stay inside our role when we do.
When we are not the right fit
We will tell you if we are not, before you pay us. That includes when the claim has been denied in full, when the gap between the carrier's number and a fair one is smaller than our fee, when the disagreement is really about a policy exclusion, or when the claim is still in active adjustment and a supplement with good documentation would likely resolve it. Appraisal is a good tool. It is not the only one, and it is not always the first one.