Your carrier’s adjuster works for the carrier. A public adjuster works for you and takes a percentage. That’s the whole product.
On a simple, well-photographed claim, you may not need one. On a fight, a commercial space, or a denial that feels wrong, they can be worth the math.
Don’t sign a contract you haven’t read because someone said FEMA is slow. Different systems. Different paperwork.
Do this now
- Read your policy’s duties after a loss. You still have to document and mitigate.
- If you talk to a public adjuster, ask for their Texas license and the fee in writing, including when it applies.
- Don’t sign away a huge percentage on day one while you’re still in shock.
- Keep your own photos and inventory even if you hire someone. You need a copy.
- You can file with the carrier yourself today and decide on help after you see the first estimate.
When they tend to help
Big interiors, commercial tenant improvements, missing inventories, or a carrier number that looks like it ignored half the house. A good public adjuster speaks estimate. A bad one just adds another person who wants you to stop talking to your own insurer. Ask how many Houston flood claims they’ve handled, not how many hurricanes in Florida.
The fee is real money
A percentage of the claim can be more than you expect once contents and dwelling both pay. Get the percent, whether it applies to the whole claim or the increase they win, and whether you owe if you fire them. If the pitch is “we’ll get you more and it costs you nothing,” that’s a line. It costs you the fee.
You still own the claim
You can still talk to your carrier. You should still save emails. If someone tells you to go dark and let them handle every call, that’s a control grab. Stay copied. If you already hired and it feels wrong, read the cancellation terms before you ghost them. Then keep documenting like you’re on your own, because in the end you are.
Verify live. Status changes hourly. Confirm any public adjuster license in Texas before you sign. Your carrier and FEMA are separate processes.
Do this next
- Door-to-door after Harvey-style events: patterns to refuse
- Checking licenses and references in Texas under pressure
- Commercial providers hub
More in Hiring help without getting scammed.