What a Public Adjuster Costs, and Whether It's Worth It

It's the question everyone asks first and almost nobody asks straight out. So here's the answer without the dance.

We're Insurance Claims Consultants. This page explains how public adjusters get paid, when it's worth it, and when it honestly isn't.

Call (864) 497-2151. First conversation is free.

How Public Adjusters Get Paid

On a contingency basis. The fee is a percentage of what you recover, agreed in writing before any work starts.

What that means in practice:

• Nothing upfront. No retainer, no deposit.
• No hourly billing. However long the claim takes, the fee doesn't change.
• No recovery, no fee. If the claim produces nothing, you owe nothing.
• The fee comes from the settlement, not from your pocket separately.

The percentage varies with the size and complexity of the claim, and several states regulate the maximum. Any public adjuster should tell you the figure before you sign, and the contract should state it plainly.

Be cautious of anyone who won't quote a figure until after an inspection, or whose contract is vague about what the percentage applies to.

Questions Worth Asking Before You Sign

Contingency arrangements are simple in principle and vary in detail. Worth clarifying:

• Does the fee apply to the whole settlement, or only to the increase? If the carrier has already offered something, some adjusters charge only on what they add. That's a material difference and it's a fair question.
• What happens if I've already been paid? Money already received before you engaged anyone shouldn't usually attract a fee.
• Are expenses separate? Engineers, industrial hygienists and specialist reports sometimes are.
• Can I cancel? Most states require a cancellation period. Know what yours is.
• Who actually handles the claim? The person selling and the person working it aren't always the same.

When It's Worth It — and When It Isn't

Usually worth it:

• The loss is substantial and the estimate looks low
• The claim has been denied or partly denied
• The damage is complex — smoke, water inside the structure, contamination, code upgrades
• It's a commercial loss with business interruption involved
• You don't have the time to run it while running a household or a business
• You've been going back and forth with an adjuster and getting nowhere

Often not worth it:

• Small, simple claims where the settlement barely exceeds the deductible
• Losses the carrier has already scoped fully and fairly — it does happen
• Claims where the dispute is purely legal rather than about scope or value

We'd rather tell you at the first conversation that you don't need us than take a fee on a claim we can't improve. That conversation costs nothing.

The Other Questions People Ask

Will hiring one annoy my insurance company?
You're entitled to representation and using it isn't a hostile act. Carriers deal with public adjusters routinely.

Can't my contractor just handle it?
No. Only a licensed public adjuster can negotiate a claim on your behalf. In South Carolina that's explicit in state law. A contractor can give you a repair estimate, which is useful, but they cannot represent you to the carrier.

Do I need a lawyer instead?
Different tool. A public adjuster works the claim — documenting, estimating, negotiating. A lawyer is right when the dispute is about the contract itself, when there's a bad-faith question, or when a legal deadline is approaching. They often work alongside each other.

Is it too late if my claim is already open?
No. You can bring one in at any stage, though earlier is better — the scope is largely set at the first inspection.

What if my claim was closed?
Closed claims can often be reopened, particularly where damage surfaced afterwards or the original scope missed something.

How We Work

The first conversation is free and carries no obligation. We'll look at what happened, what your policy says, and where the claim stands — and tell you straight whether we can improve your position.

If we can, we take the claim off your hands. If we can't, we'll say so and you'll have lost nothing but twenty minutes.

Anywhere in North Carolina, South Carolina or Georgia, call (864) 497-2151.