After your Florida home sustains damage from a hurricane, fire, plumbing failure, or other covered event, the insurance adjuster is the first person from your insurance company you will meet in any meaningful way. That meeting often determines how your claim is handled, how much you are paid, and whether the process goes smoothly or turns into a dispute. Most homeowners have never dealt with an adjuster before, and the lack of familiarity puts them at a disadvantage from the moment the adjuster arrives.
This guide explains what the adjuster does, what to expect during and after the inspection, what Florida law requires, and how to protect your interests when your property has been damaged and you are relying on the insurer to make you whole.
Who the adjuster actually works for
The most important thing to understand about the insurance adjuster is who pays their salary. Company adjusters are direct employees of the insurance company. Independent adjusters work for adjusting firms that contract with insurers to handle claims. In either case, the adjuster’s responsibility is to the insurance company, not to you. Their job is to investigate your claim, determine what is covered under your policy, and recommend a payment amount to the insurer.
A fair adjuster will do that job honestly. But even an honest adjuster is using the insurance company’s estimating software, the insurance company’s pricing databases, and the insurance company’s guidelines for applying depreciation. The structural bias of the process favors the insurer, which is why homeowners who rely entirely on the adjuster’s assessment often end up with less than their claim is worth.
Public adjusters are a separate category. They are licensed through the Florida Department of Financial Services and work for the policyholder rather than the insurance company. A public adjuster charges a percentage of the settlement, typically 10-20% depending on when they are hired and the complexity of the claim. Public adjusters can be useful on substantial claims, but the industry has its own fraud issues, so verify any public adjuster’s license and reputation before hiring one.
The initial claim call and what follows
After you file a claim with your insurance company, the insurer is required to acknowledge the claim within seven days under Florida Statute §627.70131. You will typically receive a claim number and a request for preliminary information about the loss. Shortly after, an adjuster will be assigned to your claim and will contact you to schedule an inspection.
The adjuster will ask you to describe what happened, when it happened, and what damage you have observed. Answer honestly and specifically, but do not speculate about causes you are not certain of. If you know a pipe burst behind the wall, say so. If you suspect wind damage to your roof but have not been up there to confirm, say what you have observed without claiming knowledge you do not have. Speculative or inaccurate answers early in the process can create problems later.
The adjuster will schedule an inspection. For most property damage claims, the inspection should occur within a reasonable time after the claim is filed. For catastrophic events like hurricanes that affect thousands of homes simultaneously, delays of weeks or even months have become common. If the delay is extending beyond what is reasonable for your situation, document every communication and consider filing a complaint with the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Consumer Services.
Preparing for the adjuster’s inspection
What you do before the adjuster arrives matters as much as what you do during the inspection. Three things need to happen.
Document the damage yourself. Before any repairs or cleanup, photograph and video every affected area. Wide shots showing the room from multiple angles, close-ups of specific damage, and video walkthroughs create a contemporaneous record that the adjuster cannot dispute. Include photos of items that may not be immediately obvious, such as water stains on ceilings, warped flooring, cracked walls, damaged electronics, and affected personal property. Date-stamp your photos if possible, and save them in multiple locations.
Make a damage list. Write down every damaged item, every affected room, and every specific problem you have identified. For personal property, include approximate age, condition, and replacement cost. The adjuster will compile their own list, but your list serves as a cross-reference and ensures nothing is missed. If you forget to mention a damaged item during the inspection and the adjuster does not catch it, that damage may not be included in the initial estimate.
Mitigate further damage. Your policy requires you to take reasonable steps to prevent additional damage after the loss. Tarp a damaged roof, shut off water to a ruptured pipe, remove wet materials that will grow mold, board up broken windows. Keep receipts for any materials or services used in mitigation. The insurer is responsible for reasonable mitigation expenses, and failure to mitigate can itself be a basis for reducing your claim.
Do not start permanent repairs before the adjuster has inspected the property. Once major repairs are underway, the adjuster cannot evaluate the original damage and may require additional documentation to process the claim. Emergency mitigation is expected. Permanent repair before inspection usually is not.
During the inspection
When the adjuster arrives, be professional but advocate for yourself. Walk through the property with the adjuster and point out every damaged area on your list. Ask the adjuster what they are documenting and what their process is. Take notes on what the adjuster says, what photos they take, and what areas they examine.
If the adjuster misses an area, point it out. If the adjuster classifies damage as pre-existing without explanation, ask for the basis of that classification. If the adjuster uses terminology you do not understand, ask for clarification. You are not obligated to accept the adjuster’s characterization of the damage in real time, and asking questions establishes a record that you raised concerns during the inspection.
Some adjusters are thorough and walk every room. Others conduct drive-by inspections of the exterior and spend minimal time inside. If the inspection feels cursory relative to the scope of your damage, note the duration, what the adjuster looked at, and what they did not. A perfunctory inspection may be followed by a perfunctory estimate, and the record of the inspection itself becomes relevant if the estimate undervalues your loss.
Do not volunteer information that is not directly relevant to the damage. Stick to the facts of the loss and the damage you have observed. Adjusters are trained to elicit information, and conversational statements about maintenance history, prior claims, or other topics can appear in the claim file and later affect the adjuster’s recommendations.
After the inspection: the estimate and what to do with it
Within a reasonable time after the inspection, usually a few weeks for standard claims, the insurer will issue a written estimate and settlement offer. Under Florida Statute §627.70131, the insurer must pay or deny the claim within 60 days of receiving a complete proof of loss. Whether the estimate you receive meets your actual repair needs is another matter.
Request the full line-item estimate, not just the summary. The line-item estimate shows every component of the damage, the unit pricing the insurer used, the quantity, and any depreciation applied. Compare the line-item pricing against independent quotes from licensed contractors for the same work. If the insurer’s estimate uses pricing that is significantly below market rates, that gap is the foundation of any dispute you will pursue.
Common issues in adjuster estimates include outdated pricing from software databases that have not kept pace with current costs, aggressive depreciation on items that should have been paid at replacement cost, classification of covered damage as excluded or pre-existing, missed damage that the adjuster did not include, and recommendations for repair methods that will not restore the property to pre-loss condition. If you see these patterns in your estimate, document the specific problems in writing and submit them to the insurer with independent supporting estimates.
The settlement check and what to watch for
The insurer may issue a settlement check before the dispute is resolved, particularly for claims where at least some portion of the damage is clearly covered. Look carefully at any check and accompanying paperwork.
Some checks arrive with release language printed on or attached to the check. Endorsing or cashing a check that includes a release may waive your right to pursue additional compensation on the claim. If the check covers the undisputed portion of your claim but does not address items you are still contesting, request a written statement from the insurer confirming that cashing the check does not affect your right to pursue the disputed items.
For replacement cost policies, the initial check is typically the actual cash value portion, with the depreciation holdback released after repairs are completed. Understanding the difference between the initial payment and the full replacement cost is essential. Our guide to actual cash value versus replacement cost covers this in more detail, but the short version is that the first check may not be the last check, and submitting the holdback claim after repairs is a separate process with its own deadline.
If the settlement offer is dramatically lower than independent contractor quotes, do not cash the check without first consulting with an attorney. Florida law provides mechanisms for disputing settlement amounts, including the appraisal process for disputes over the amount of loss and litigation for coverage disputes or breach of contract. An attorney who handles underpaid insurance claims can evaluate which remedy is appropriate for your situation.
When the adjuster says something is not covered
Adjusters sometimes tell homeowners during or after inspection that specific damage is not covered under the policy. Do not accept that determination without verification. Coverage decisions should come in writing, with citation to specific policy provisions, and you have the right to see and challenge those provisions.
Common situations where adjusters incorrectly claim lack of coverage include wind damage classified as flood damage, gradual damage classified as maintenance, damage attributed to pre-existing conditions without evidence, and damage attributed to excluded causes that did not actually cause the damage. If the adjuster’s verbal explanation differs from the written denial letter, the written letter controls. If the written denial cites policy language that does not actually apply to your situation, the denial may be subject to challenge.
Florida law requires insurers to provide written denials that identify the specific policy provisions being relied on and the factual basis for the decision. A vague denial letter that does not meet these requirements is itself evidence of inadequate claim handling, and may support a regulatory complaint or legal action. Our guide to denied insurance claims in Florida walks through what to do when the denial does not match the policy language.
Timelines and deadlines that affect what you do next
Florida law imposes specific timelines on both insurers and policyholders during the claims process. Missing any of these deadlines can limit or eliminate your rights.
For policyholders, the most important deadlines are the one-year deadline for submitting initial notice of a claim under Florida Statute §627.70132, the 18-month deadline for submitting supplemental claims under the same statute, and the five-year statute of limitations for filing a breach of contract lawsuit under Florida Statute §95.11. The five-year window runs from the date of loss, not the date of denial, under current Florida law.
For insurers, the most important deadlines are the seven-day acknowledgment requirement, the seven-day investigation start requirement, and the 60-day pay-or-deny requirement. When an insurer misses these deadlines, the policyholder has options including interest accrual on the unpaid claim, regulatory complaints, and in some cases, bad faith exposure under Florida Statute §624.155.
When to bring in an attorney
Not every claim requires legal representation, and not every disagreement with an adjuster justifies the cost of hiring a lawyer. But several patterns strongly suggest that legal counsel is appropriate. The adjuster’s estimate is dramatically below independent quotes. The insurer has denied coverage based on policy language that does not clearly apply. The insurer has requested an Examination Under Oath. The insurer has missed statutory timelines repeatedly. The amount in dispute is substantial relative to your financial situation.
Under the 2022 reforms, attorney fee recovery in property insurance disputes is governed by the offer of judgment framework rather than Florida’s former one-way fee shifting rule. This changes the economics of litigation and makes early case evaluation important. An experienced attorney can tell you honestly whether your dispute is worth pursuing, what the realistic costs and timeline look like, and whether alternative remedies like appraisal or a regulatory complaint might resolve the matter without litigation.
Talk to a Florida property damage attorney
The adjuster’s visit is the beginning of the claims process, not the end. How you prepare, what you document, and what you do with the estimate you receive all affect your final recovery. Ilabaca Law, PLLC represents Florida homeowners in property insurance disputes where the adjuster’s handling of the claim has resulted in denial, underpayment, or unreasonable delay.
If you have questions about your adjuster’s inspection, the estimate you received, or the next steps in your claim, call (407) 917-2087 or schedule a consultation. The first conversation is free, and the assessment is honest. Florida’s compressed statutory deadlines make early action important, and waiting often costs more than calling.
Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about insurance adjusters and the property damage claims process in Florida. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case depends on its specific facts and the language of the individual insurance policy. If you need legal advice about your insurance claim, contact a licensed Florida attorney.