Published 2026-09-14 by Unified Public Advocacy · Part of the Fire Loss Resource Hub
The short version
Plenty of fire claims are handled by the household alone and settle correctly. Whether yours is one of them depends less on the size of the fire than on three things: how complete the documentation is, whether the scope of loss is agreed, and how much capacity you actually have while displaced.
There are three kinds of adjuster. A company adjuster works for your insurer. An independent adjuster does the same work under contract to the insurer. You do not pay either. A public adjuster is someone you hire and pay, who works for you.
Before hiring anyone, note two facts from the NAIC: many states require public adjusters to be licensed, and some states prohibit public adjusters from negotiating claims at all, so that only a licensed attorney can represent you. What is possible depends on where your property is.
- Company and independent adjusters work for the insurer. You do not pay them.
- A public adjuster works for you. You do pay them.
- Licensing rules and fee caps vary by state — some states prohibit public adjusters entirely.
- A public adjuster should give you a written contract stating services and fee.
- Your state insurance department will answer questions about any of this for free.
Signals that a claim has outgrown one household
None of these is a verdict. Each is a reason to at least get a second opinion before accepting where the claim has landed.
- The estimate is missing whole rooms or areas, and asking about them has not changed it.
- You and the insurer cannot agree a scope of loss after several rounds.
- Part of the claim has been denied and you do not understand the basis.
- The contents inventory is beyond you — thousands of items, no records, no time.
- The loss is total or near-total, which multiplies every part of the process at once.
- You are displaced, working, and caring for a household, and the claim is a second job you cannot do.
- The claim has stalled for weeks with no explanation you can get in writing.
- There are complications: a business run from the home, a rental unit, code upgrade requirements, or a disputed cause of loss.
Things worth trying before hiring anyone
Several of the most common problems have free routes, and they are often faster than they look.
Ask the insurer for the specific basis of a decision in writing. If part of the claim is denied, the NAIC advice is to get the denial in writing and keep all of the paperwork. If an offer seems unfair, call and explain specifically why — which line items, which omissions, which quantities — and if that does not resolve it, contact your state insurance department.
State insurance departments help consumers free of charge. Some states also run a mediation process for exactly this situation. If the problem is that a mortgage servicer is holding funds rather than that the insurer is underpaying, the route is different again — that goes to the banking regulators.
What a public adjuster is
A public adjuster is a professional you hire to handle your insurance claim. They have no ties to the insurance company. They estimate the damage to your home and property, review your coverage, and negotiate a settlement of the claim on your behalf.
Two honest limits, both from NAIC guidance. Hiring one does not remove the insurer adjuster: the company will typically still send its own company or independent adjuster to assess the damage. And the insurance company does not have to accept your public adjuster estimates — the estimate is an argument supported by evidence, not a determination.
How public adjusters are paid, and what varies
If you hire a public adjuster, paying their fee is your responsibility. Depending on your state law, they may charge a flat fee or a percentage of the settlement you receive. In some states the maximum fee is set by law, and that maximum may itself differ where a widespread catastrophe caused the loss.
A public adjuster should give you a contract, and it should explain what services they will provide and how much you will pay. If you hire one after the insurer has already made an initial offer, ask specifically whether the fee is based on the total the insurer pays or only on the amount the public adjuster negotiates above it. That distinction can be large.
Ask for routine status updates as part of the arrangement rather than as a favor later.
Questions to ask anyone before you sign
Fire losses attract people who are practiced at approaching households in the first weeks. Good help exists; so do bad contracts. These questions separate them quickly.
- Are you licensed in this state, and what is your license number?
- What exactly will you do, and what remains my responsibility?
- How are you paid — flat fee or percentage — and what is the number?
- Is the fee calculated on the total settlement or only on the increase you negotiate?
- What happens to your fee if I cancel, and what is the cancellation period?
- Am I assigning you any rights under my policy? Show me that clause.
- Who is my day-to-day contact, and how often will I get updates?
- Can I see the contract in full before I sign anything?
Attorneys, and when the question changes
Some situations are legal rather than technical: a coverage denial you believe is wrong, an allegation about the cause of the fire, a bad-faith question, or a state where only a licensed attorney may represent a policyholder on a claim.
The NAIC notes that where the insurer will not reverse a denial, arbitration or a lawsuit are the routes — but that contacting your state insurance department first is worth doing before either. And note the appraisal wrinkle: if your policy has an appraisal clause, you generally must go through appraisal before you can sue your insurer.
Where UPA fits, stated plainly
Unified Public Advocacy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public adjusting firm. We represent policyholders, not insurers.
The NAIC point above is the general rule, and it is accurate: hiring a public adjuster normally means paying their fee, and in most cases that fee comes out of what you recover. Our model is different, and it is fair to ask how. With UPA, we never take a penny out of a property or business owner’s pocket. Our fee is covered by the overhead and profit built into the insurance settlement itself — not paid by you — and the recovered funds stay in your control.
Whether we are able to represent you depends on where your property is located, because public adjusting is licensed state by state. Ask us about your state before assuming either way.
And the honest version of the advice: if your claim is documented, the scope is agreed, and the numbers make sense to you, you may not need anyone. The pages in this hub exist to help you get there on your own.
What goes wrong when people get help
- Signing at the door in the first week, before reading the contract.
- Not checking whether the person is licensed in the state where the property is.
- Not asking whether the fee applies to the whole settlement or only to the increase.
- Assigning claim rights without understanding what has been signed away.
- Assuming a public adjuster estimate binds the insurer. It does not.
- Never contacting the state insurance department, which is free and often enough.
Related on this site
Sources
The factual statements on this page about insurance claim practice, fire recovery and mortgage handling come from the primary sources below. Where something depends on your specific policy or on the law in your state, this page says so rather than generalizing.
- Post-Disaster Claims Guide
National Association of Insurance Commissioners - What You Should Know About Settling a Homeowners Insurance Claim
National Association of Insurance Commissioners - Insurance Departments — directory of all 56 jurisdictions
National Association of Insurance Commissioners