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When people ask me what I do for a living I know that I can’t just say “public adjuster” the same way that an accountant or attorney could state their job title without having to go in to description. After I say “public adjuster” and then go in to my prepared elevator speech, most people are already tuned out assuming they know what it means. Most people immediately assume that when they hear adjuster I work for an insurance company in some capacity. This could be as an independent contractor or employee of the insurance company. Over time I have found certain phrases to explain what I do so that people can tune back in. The following is my go to speech:

I am a public insurance adjuster. What that means is that I work for the insured not the insurance company. I am licensed by the state to be able to work on behalf of the insured to make sure that they get a fair settlement in a fair amount of time. This can be confusing because when a person has a loss and they file their claim the insurance company tells them that “your adjuster” will contact you for next steps. This is not accurate because the adjuster that is calling from the insurance company is an employee of the insurance company, which means that they are working as a paid employee for the insurance company. Therefore a person who has a loss has one of two choice. Work on their own behalf to adjust their claim and negotiate with the insurance company or hire a public adjuster to adjust the claim for them. As a public adjuster we typically receive at least 30% more insurance proceeds than an insured would be able to recover without the help of an expert advocate on their side.

So what is a public adjuster?

An adjuster that works as an advocate for the insured.
An adjuster that is licensed by the state they are in to be able to work on behalf of the insured.
An adjuster who measures and documents the claim to submit for consideration and payment on the claim.

So what is a public adjuster not?

A contractor or roofer.
A contract or company employee of the insurance company.

The sole duty of a public adjuster is to advocate on behalf of their client. A public adjuster has no obligation to an insurance company and is not financially invested in the construction or restoration resulting from the claim.