What Is Adjuster?
An adjuster is the person who inspects a roofing insurance claim and decides what the insurer will pay for, and the three types, field, desk, and public, differ in who they work for and how they inspect the damage.
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An adjuster is the person who inspects a roofing insurance claim and decides what the insurer will pay for, and the three types, field, desk, and public, differ in who they work for and how they inspect the damage.
Adjuster explained
A field adjuster works for the insurer and inspects the roof in person, building the scope of loss on site, typically using Xactimate-based estimating software. A desk adjuster also works for the insurer but reviews the claim remotely, from photos, reports, and data, rather than making an in-person visit, which can mean less direct visibility into damage a roofing contractor can see standing on the roof.
A public adjuster is different from both. The homeowner hires a public adjuster independently, not the insurer, to represent the homeowner's interests in the claim, typically for a percentage of the payout. A public adjuster's job is to advocate for the homeowner's side of the claim the same way the insurer's own field or desk adjuster represents the insurer's side.
All three build or respond to the same core document, the scope of loss, but from different sides of the table. Knowing which type of adjuster is on a given claim, and whose interests they represent, changes how a sales conversation with the homeowner should go.
Why it matters when you're buying
A field adjuster's in-person scope of loss is generally harder to dispute than a desk adjuster's remote one, since the field adjuster has actually seen the roof. A homeowner who has already hired a public adjuster has someone representing their side of the claim, which changes the contractor's role in the conversation from advocate to technical partner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a field adjuster and a desk adjuster?
Who does a public adjuster work for?
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