Working with Insurance Adjusters During Storm Restoration

The interaction between property owners, restoration contractors, and insurance adjusters determines how quickly and completely storm-damaged structures are repaired. This page covers the adjuster's role in the storm restoration process, how claims assessments work, the scenarios that most commonly arise after major weather events, and the boundaries that define when professional or legal escalation becomes appropriate. Understanding this process is fundamental to navigating storm damage restoration services without delays or underpayment.

Definition and scope

An insurance adjuster is a licensed professional who evaluates property damage claims on behalf of an insurance carrier (staff adjuster) or as an independent contractor retained by the carrier (independent adjuster). A third category — the public adjuster — is retained and paid by the policyholder, not the insurer. All three types operate under state-level licensing requirements administered by each state's department of insurance; the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) maintains model licensing laws that most states have adopted in some form.

The adjuster's function is to inspect damaged property, apply the terms of the insurance policy, and produce a loss estimate that the carrier uses to calculate the claim payment. In storm restoration contexts, the scope of an adjuster's assessment spans roofing, siding, windows, structural elements, interior finishes, and mechanical systems — any component the storm event may have affected. The specific perils covered (wind, hail, flooding, ice) are defined by the policy form, most commonly the ISO HO-3 or commercial equivalent, and types of storm damage that can be restored map directly onto those policy definitions.

How it works

The adjuster workflow in storm restoration follows a structured sequence:

  1. Claim filing and assignment. The policyholder reports damage to the carrier. The carrier assigns a staff or independent adjuster, typically within 24 to 72 hours of report receipt for active catastrophe zones, though timelines vary by state statute.
  2. Initial inspection. The adjuster conducts an on-site inspection, measuring affected areas, photographing damage, and comparing visible conditions to the policy's covered peril definitions. Storm damage assessment and inspection by the restoration contractor often runs parallel to this phase.
  3. Scope of loss development. Using industry estimating platforms — Xactimate is the most widely adopted in the US insurance repair market — the adjuster builds a line-item scope of loss document that prices each repair component at local market rates.
  4. Estimate delivery and negotiation. The scope is delivered to the policyholder and, where applicable, to the retained restoration contractor. Disputes over line items, unit costs, or excluded components are addressed at this stage.
  5. Depreciation and deductible application. The carrier applies recoverable or non-recoverable depreciation (depending on whether the policy is Actual Cash Value or Replacement Cost Value) and deducts the policy deductible from the gross estimate.
  6. Payment issuance. An initial payment (often called the ACV payment) is issued. Replacement Cost Value supplements are released after documented completion of repairs.

Thorough storm damage documentation for insurance — including time-stamped photographs, written inventories, and contractor estimates — directly affects the scope of loss the adjuster can approve.

Common scenarios

Underclosed scopes. Adjusters operating under catastrophe volume may miss secondary damage: attic insulation compression from hail impact, hidden water intrusion behind siding, or substrate rot beneath roofing. Roof damage restoration after storms frequently involves supplemental claims after roofers expose decking not visible during the initial inspection.

Coverage disputes over causation. Adjusters may attribute damage to pre-existing wear rather than the storm event. Contractors documenting hail or wind patterns using weather verification services (CoreLogic, DTN) can provide dated storm data that supports the policyholder's position without requiring the contractor to act as a claims advocate.

Disagreement between contractor estimate and adjuster scope. Restoration contractors using Xactimate and adjusters using the same platform may reach different totals due to profile selection, line item inclusion, or local pricing. This gap is a primary trigger for invoking the policy's appraisal clause.

Public adjuster involvement. When a policyholder retains a public adjuster, that party takes over claim negotiation. Public adjusters are compensated on a percentage of the final settlement — typically 5% to 15% of the claim amount, regulated by state statute — which creates a different negotiation dynamic than direct contractor-to-adjuster communication.

Flood versus wind causation splits. Properties affected by hurricanes or severe convective storms may have damage attributable to both wind (covered under homeowners or commercial property policy) and flood (covered only under a separate National Flood Insurance Program policy or private flood policy). Adjusters from two separate carriers may inspect the same property, as seen in flood and storm surge restoration claims following Gulf Coast events.

Decision boundaries

The adjuster process has defined escalation points that determine when additional parties must be engaged:

The restoration contractor's appropriate role is to document conditions accurately, provide a defensible scope of work, and cooperate with the adjuster's inspection — not to advocate for a particular claim outcome.

References

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