Your insurance company has a number.Your contractor has a number.Who is building yours?
The insurance company estimates what it believes is owed on the claim. Your contractor estimates what it believes the repairs will cost.
The missing role
What a public adjuster actually does for you.
A repair estimate only answers the repair cost, not everything that's owed under your policy.
A public adjuster looks at the damage, the policy, the documentation and the carrier's claim position, and builds the number from your side.
Most homeowners don't know that role exists until they need it.
What is a public adjuster?
The only insurance professional licensed to represent you, the policyholder, in your claim.
A public adjuster is a Texas-licensed insurance professional who works for the policyholder, not the insurance company. We prepare, present, and negotiate property insurance claims on your behalf, from first notice of loss through settlement.
Under Texas law, the public adjuster is the only party, aside from a licensed attorney, permitted to negotiate a property insurance claim on your behalf. Roofers, restoration companies, and other contractors are valuable partners on the repair side, but they are not licensed to interpret your policy or negotiate your settlement with the carrier. When that line gets crossed, claims and homeowners can get hurt.
Our work starts a step earlier than most people expect: figuring out what your dispute is actually about. Then we apply the policy to the documented loss, value the damage, and develop and negotiate your claim position.
The part nobody tells you
An estimate is not a claim.
A claim is a file, and the repair estimate is only one page of it. Underneath every underpaid claim is a specific dispute. Sometimes it really is about the amount. Just as often it's about coverage, scope, causation, code requirements, depreciation, or documentation. Each of those is a different problem, with different evidence, a different deadline, and a different place where it gets resolved.
Get the diagnosis wrong and the strongest estimate in Texas won't save the claim. Demand appraisal on a dispute about what caused the damage, and you've priced a loss the carrier still says isn't covered. Argue the scope when the real issue is a gap in the file, and the carrier just says no more slowly.
So that's where we start, on every claim: name the dispute, build the file to win that specific dispute, protect the deadlines, and choose the right path to resolution.
The estimate matters. It's just never the whole claim.
The line Texas draws
Who's actually allowed to negotiate your claim.
Texas law is not vague about this. Only three parties can negotiate a property insurance claim: you, a licensed attorney, or a Texas-licensed public adjuster. That's the whole list.
For roofers, the law goes further. Texas Insurance Code §4102.163 prohibits a contractor from acting as an adjuster or advising you on your claim for any property they're repairing, even if they hold an adjuster license. The Texas Supreme Court upheld that law in 2024. It's settled.
Here's why you should care, and it's not about the roofer. When an unlicensed party negotiates your claim, you carry all the risk. There's no license behind the advice, no bond, no errors and omissions insurance, and no TDI accountability if it goes wrong. A repair contract built on illegal claim handling can be voided. And if the claim gets underpaid because someone who sells roofs was doing the negotiating, the underpayment is yours to live with. Their downside is a warning letter. Yours is the difference between what the policy owed and what you got.
To be clear: the best contractors in DFW know exactly where this line is and stay on the right side of it. They scope damage, estimate their work, and build great roofs. The repair estimate is legitimate and necessary work, and it is the page of the file they are licensed and equipped to build. Those are the contractors we coordinate with on every claim, and the ones you want on your project. The problem is the pitch that starts with "we'll handle the insurance for you."
That's not a repair offer. That's an unlicensed adjusting offer.
Every claim walks in the door looking like the same problem: the carrier's number is too low. Underneath, the reasons diverge. Sometimes the estimate really is the fight. Just as often, the carrier is disputing what caused the damage, whether the policy covers it, what the code requires, how depreciation was applied, or whether the file proves any of it.
So before we argue anything, we name the dispute. That diagnosis decides everything downstream: what evidence the file needs, which deadlines matter, and whether the right road is negotiation, appraisal, or an honest referral to counsel,
so the claim is built to win the dispute you actually have.
Policy fluency
We determine how the policy applies to your loss.
A Texas property policy can run sixty pages, but locating the relevant language is only the beginning. The outcome depends on identifying which provisions govern the loss and applying them correctly to the damage, evidence, claim history, and benefits at issue.
We identify the provisions, endorsements, conditions, limitations, and benefits that affect your loss, then apply them to the documented facts and the carrier's position. You receive a plain-English explanation of the claim position, including the provisions that support it, the limitations that may work against it, and what evidence is still needed,
so nothing the policy owes you is left on the table.
Damage expertise
Property losses are our daily work.
Most underpayments start in the field. Slopes get measured short, code items get omitted, soft metals get missed, interior damage gets attributed to wear. By the time a desk reviewer sees the file, the loss has already been undervalued.
We document the property the way an adjuster trained to look will document it. Photos, measurements, moisture readings, and a line-item estimate. The same software, the same price list, the same standards the carrier uses on its own side of the file,
so the estimate reflects the real cost to make you whole.
The claim, handled
We take over the back and forth.
Once you sign with us, we become the point of contact. We file the claim. We meet the carrier's adjuster on site. We respond to letters and emails. We answer the engineer if one is sent. We exchange estimates, work through reinspections, and negotiate the settlement line by line.
You stay informed at every meaningful step, without having to manage the file yourself,
so you can focus on your home and your family while we work to recover what your policy owes.
What this looks like in practice
First, the real problem. Then, three jobs.
First, we find the real problem: whether your dispute is about amount, coverage, scope, cause, code, depreciation, or documentation. Then, three jobs: apply the policy, value the damage, handle the claim.
Apply the policy.
Determine which coverages, endorsements, conditions, limitations, sublimits, and benefits govern the loss.
So the claim position is grounded in the actual contract.
Value the damage.
Document the complete loss and calculate the amount required to repair or replace it.
So the number is supported by evidence.
Handle the claim.
Present, support, and negotiate the policyholder's complete claim position.
So the carrier must address the substance of the claim.
Honestly, though
When hiring a public adjuster does not add value.
If your loss is small and undisputed, the carrier's scope matches your contractor's estimate, and the check covers the work, you do not need us. A public adjuster's fee comes out of the recovery, and adding a fee to a claim that is already being paid correctly is not in your interest.
Where we add value is on claims that are denied, underpaid, partially approved, or large and complex enough that the policy language and the documentation will decide what actually gets paid.
If hiring us will not get you a better claim payment, we will tell you.
FAQ
Public adjusters and licensing
Common questions about what a public adjuster does, who is permitted to negotiate a claim in Texas, and how we fit alongside contractors and attorneys.
What is a public adjuster, in one sentence?
A Texas-licensed insurance professional who represents the policyholder, not the insurance company, in preparing, presenting, and negotiating a property insurance claim.
Who is licensed to negotiate a property insurance claim in Texas?
Under Texas law, only the policyholder, a Texas-licensed public adjuster, or a licensed attorney may negotiate a property insurance claim with the carrier. Roofers, restoration companies, and other contractors are not licensed to interpret your policy or negotiate your settlement, even when they offer to handle the claim as part of the job.
How is a public adjuster different from the insurance company's adjuster?
The carrier's adjuster, whether staff or independent, works for the insurance company and represents its interests. A public adjuster works for you. We document the loss, build the estimate, and negotiate the claim on the policyholder's side of the file.
How is a public adjuster different from a contractor?
Contractors estimate and perform repairs. That is valuable work, and we coordinate with contractors regularly. What contractors cannot do, under Texas law, is interpret your policy or negotiate your claim with the carrier. When that line gets crossed, the homeowner is often the one left exposed. A contractor can tell you what the repair costs. Diagnosing why the carrier isn't paying it, and what to do about it, is a different profession.
How is a public adjuster different from an attorney?
An attorney is needed when a claim moves into litigation. A public adjuster handles the claim itself: documentation, valuation, and negotiation. Most claims resolve without litigation. If a carrier refuses to negotiate in good faith, we will tell you honestly when bringing in an attorney is the right next step.
How are public adjusters licensed in Texas?
Public adjusters are licensed and regulated by the Texas Department of Insurance and are required to carry a surety bond. You can verify any Texas public adjuster's license at tdi.texas.gov.
When does hiring a public adjuster make sense?
Most often on claims that are denied, underpaid, partially approved, or large and complex enough that the policy language and the documentation will decide what actually gets paid. If your loss is small and the carrier's payment matches the real cost of repair, you may not need us, and we will say so.
My policy includes appraisal now. Why would I need a public adjuster?
Appraisal is a valuable tool, and Texas policies issued or renewed after January 1, 2026 must include it. But appraisal resolves exactly one kind of dispute: how much the loss is worth. It cannot decide whether damage is covered, what caused it, or whether the file proves any of it, and the window to demand it is limited. Before invoking appraisal, you need to know which dispute you actually have. That diagnosis, and building the file to match, is the core of what a public adjuster does. When appraisal is the right path, we prepare you for it properly. When it isn't, we save you from spending your one demand on the wrong fight.
Need help understanding your estimate?
Upload the estimate from your insurance company and we'll explain it. Or if your claim is new, tell us what happened. Either way, we'll tell you straight whether a public adjuster will add value.
