Your Questions. Straight Answers.
When Is It Too Late to Hire a Public Adjuster?
When is it too late to hire a public adjuster? Usually only once you’ve signed a final release, or once a deadline in your policy or state law has passed. Until then, we can step in after an offer, a partial payment or a denial. The earlier we start, the more of the loss is still there to measure.
- No upfront cost
- You always have final say on any settlement
- CA DOI License No. 6015234
When Is It Too Late to Hire a Public Adjuster in California?
After a fire or a flood, deadlines are the last thing on anyone’s mind. They still run. Find where your claim stands.
| Where your claim stands | Too late? |
|---|---|
| Damage happened, no claim filed yet | No. This is the best time to call. |
| Claim open, no offer yet | No. |
| Offer in hand, not accepted | Usually not. We can reopen scope before you accept. |
| Payment received or check cashed | Usually not, unless you signed a release. |
| Claim denied | Often not. We read the denial against the whole policy. |
| Final release signed | Usually yes, for that claim. Speak with an attorney. |
Damage happened, no claim filed yet
No. This is the best time to call.
Claim open, no offer yet
No.
Offer in hand, not accepted
Usually not. We can reopen scope before you accept.
Payment received or check cashed
Usually not, unless you signed a release.
Claim denied
Often not. We read the denial against the whole policy.
Final release signed
Usually yes, for that claim. Speak with an attorney.
Two California deadlines run no matter who handles the claim:
- Time to sue. The standard fire policy in Cal. Ins. Code 2071 allows 12 months from the start of the loss to file suit, or 24 months when the loss is tied to a declared state of emergency.
- Held back depreciation. Cal. Ins. Code 2051.5 gives you at least 12 months from the first actual cash value payment to collect full replacement cost, or 36 months after a state of emergency. Insurers must grant six month extensions for good cause, such as permit delays or a shortage of contractors.
Your policy may give you more time than these minimums. Hiring a public adjuster doesn’t extend any of them.
An offer is not the end of a claim. A Los Angeles house fire, full strip out: Offered $38,000. Settled at $276,000.
Results reflect specific losses and policies. Past results don’t guarantee a similar outcome.
About Public Adjusters
A licensed professional who prepares, presents and negotiates your claim, working only for you. The insurer’s adjuster works for the insurer.
On a large, complex or disputed claim, it often is. On a small loss, or when the carrier’s offer is already fair, our fee may outweigh what we add. We’ll tell you so at the free review, before you sign anything.
The fee comes out of your recovery, and the claim may take longer to settle. Be wary of anyone who pushes a contract at you while the fire trucks are still there. California bars public adjusters from soliciting while the loss is still under way, and between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. unless you ask them to call.
Hire a public adjuster to prove what the loss is worth, and an attorney when the dispute turns legal. We don’t give legal advice. We work alongside counsel when a claim needs one.
Ask whether they’re licensed in your state, who will handle your claim personally, how the fee is calculated and whether you can still talk to your insurer. Get every answer in the written contract. Take your time. Nobody should need your signature on the day of the loss.
Look the license number up on your state insurance department’s website before you sign. In California, use the License Number Search on the Department of Insurance website. Ours is CA DOI License No. 6015234.
Cost
No upfront cost. We’re paid a percentage of what we recover. The terms are set in writing before we start.
It depends on the firm and the claim, so get the percentage in writing before you sign. In California, the fee can’t leave you with less than your insurer paid before you hired the adjuster. We walk you through our terms at the free review.
No. It’s a review of your claim at no cost or obligation. Bring whatever you have: the policy, the carrier’s letters, photos. If we can’t add value, we’ll say so.
Your Claim
Usually not. We can reopen scope before you accept. In California, our fee can never leave you with less than your insurer had already paid before you hired us.
Usually not. A check can be a partial payment, not a final settlement. What matters is whether you signed a release. Send us the letter that came with the check, and we’ll read it for release wording.
Often, yes. We read the denial letter against the whole policy, endorsements included, and measure what the carrier never scoped. Some denials hold up, and we’ll tell you if yours does.
If you signed a final release, usually not for that claim. If you didn’t, damage the settlement missed may still support a supplemental claim. Bring the settlement letter and anything you signed to the free review.
We’ll tell you at the free review, before you sign anything. If the policy clearly excludes the loss, no adjuster can change that.
Both, from single family homes to commercial properties. We handle fire and smoke, wildfire, water and wind and hail claims, plus the contents, living expenses and code upgrades inside them.
Working With Us
It can. A 2010 Florida state study of Citizens Property Insurance claims filed in 2008 and 2009 (OPPAGA Report 10-06) found that claims with a public adjuster took longer to settle, and paid more before fees. Outside a catastrophe, the median was 115 days with a public adjuster and 41 days without. Catastrophe claims typically took 132 to 296 days longer.
Carriers work with public adjusters every day. The difference is what gets measured.
You can. Most clients prefer we handle it. California’s required contract disclosure says you may communicate with your insurance company at any time.
A senior adjuster leads every claim, from the first call to the final settlement. Ask for that adjuster’s name at the free review.
You always have final say on any settlement. We negotiate. You decide on every offer.
No. We measure and negotiate. Your contractor builds. Arizona law requires this, and it’s our practice everywhere.
Yes. In California, within three business days of signing and receiving the contract, or five calendar days in a declared catastrophic disaster area.
Six, by firm license: California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Colorado. Our offices are in Santa Monica, Sacramento, San Francisco, Reno, Portland, Seattle and Scottsdale, plus Utah, Hawaii and Colorado. License numbers: California 6015234, Nevada 4263596, Oregon 3004448214, Colorado 969283, Washington 1382428, Arizona 3004469742.
Call Before the Carrier Sets the Narrative.
Your insurance company has an adjuster protecting their interests. You have the right to one too.