Most states require that an insurance adjuster be licensed by the state in which the company operates. We receive numerous calls with policyholders unfamiliar with the difference between an independent insurance adjuster and a public insurance adjuster.
A person who holds a public insurance license works for policyholders only; they do not work for insurance companies, have no ties to insurance companies, and are not getting assignments from insurance companies. Public insurance adjusters assist policyholders with property insurance claims and are hired by the policyholders directly to present and handle the claim on their behalf.
Independent adjuster does not and cannot work on behalf of the policyholder. An independent adjuster has a different type of license that only allows him or her to work for an insurer not the insured. Some insurance companies have staff adjusters, and some contract independent adjusters to handle the claims.
Florida Statute § 626.855 defines independent adjuster:
An “independent adjuster” means a person licensed as an all-lines adjuster who is self-appointed or appointed and employed by an independent adjusting firm or other independent adjuster, and who undertakes on behalf of an insurer to ascertain and determine the amount of any claim, loss, or damage payable under an insurance contract or undertakes to effect settlement of such claim, loss, or damage.
In summary, a public adjuster exists to assist the homeowner and is contracted by the policy holder to adjust an insurance claim, and an independent adjuster is contracted by the insurer and works on behalf of the insurance company.
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