Your Insurance Claim Questions, Answered

Public adjusters work on contingency — $0 upfront, ever. You pay nothing out of pocket. CARE Claims earns a percentage of the final settlement amount only after you receive payment.

If we don't win, you don't owe us anything. This aligns our incentives completely: we only get paid when you get paid, and we get paid more when you get paid more.

An insurance adjuster works for your insurance company. Their job is to process your claim at the lowest defensible settlement.

A public adjuster works for you, the policyholder. Their job is to maximize your settlement. These are fundamentally opposing roles.

When you file a claim without a public adjuster, you are negotiating against a professional — alone. A public adjuster levels the playing field.

Hire a public adjuster as soon as damage occurs — ideally before you file the claim. The earlier you involve one, the better your documentation and the stronger your negotiating position.

You can also hire a public adjuster if you've already filed and received a settlement you believe is too low. CARE Claims handles both new claims and denied or underpaid claims in Florida, Texas, Utah, Nevada, Oklahoma, Colorado, Idaho, and Illinois.

Step 1: Document all damage immediately with photos and video before any cleanup or repairs.

Step 2: Contact your insurance company to open a claim — but do not accept their first settlement offer without having an expert review it. Insurance companies often undercount damage on first inspection.

Step 3: Contact a public adjuster for a free review. We'll inspect the damage independently, assess your policy, and negotiate to ensure you receive every dollar you're entitled to.

CARE Claims is licensed and actively handles claims in Florida, Texas, Utah, Nevada, Oklahoma, Colorado, Idaho, and Illinois — the eight states most affected by hurricane and severe storm damage.

Our team has 25+ years of combined experience navigating the specific policy language, local building codes, and insurer practices in each of these states.

Yes — and this is one of the most valuable things a public adjuster does. Insurance companies deny claims for many reasons, some valid, many not.

CARE Claims reviews denied claims, identifies the basis for denial, and builds the case to challenge it. A denial is not the final word. With the right documentation and a licensed advocate representing you, many denied claims are successfully reopened and paid.

Most Florida homeowners insurance claims are resolved within 30 days of the carrier receiving complete documentation. Complex claims involving hurricane damage, multiple inspections, or disputed settlements can take 90 days or longer.

Florida Statute 627.70131 requires insurers to acknowledge claims within 14 days and make a decision within 90 days of proof-of-loss submission — but this clock restarts every time the carrier requests additional information, which is why thorough initial documentation is critical. Once you receive a settlement offer, you have 90 days to accept or dispute it.

Fighting a low offer doesn't restart the 90-day clock — it triggers a separate negotiation and appraisal process. CARE Claims helps homeowners compress this timeline by submitting complete, carrier-ready documentation upfront and keeping pressure on carriers to meet statutory deadlines.

Hurricane Ian caused over $11 billion in insured losses in Florida. Despite this scale, many homeowners saw their Ian claims denied or severely underpaid.

Common reasons for Ian denials:

• Alleged pre-existing damage (carrier claims the damage existed before the storm)
• Carrier disputes over flood vs. wind causation (flood damage is excluded from standard policies)
• Policy exclusions the carrier claims apply to your property type or loss
• Missed filing deadlines

If your Ian claim was denied or underpaid, act now: request your full claim file and all denial documentation from your carrier, obtain an independent inspection from a licensed public adjuster, and file a formal written dispute with the insurer. If the carrier still refuses fair payment, you can escalate to the Florida Department of Financial Services or initiate Appraisal under your policy's terms.

Fighting a denied claim starts by getting the full denial in writing and reading every word — carriers must cite specific policy provisions. Common denial reasons include:

• Pre-existing damage — carrier claims the damage existed before the loss
• Exclusion for flood damage — carrier reclassifies wind/water damage as flood
• Failure to maintain — carrier claims deferred maintenance contributed to the loss
• Inadequate documentation — carrier claims you didn't prove enough damage

Your first step: request a copy of your complete claim file from the carrier — you're entitled to it under Florida Statute 627.411. Next, get an independent inspection: your insurer's adjuster has an incentive to minimize damage. A licensed public adjuster inspects on your behalf and documents every qualifying item.

Once you have independent documentation, file a written dispute with the carrier's internal review department. If that fails, Florida homeowners can escalate to the Florida Department of Financial Services, invoke the Appraisal clause in their policy, or file suit. Most disputed claims are resolved before litigation — but only if you contest them.

Actual Cash Value (ACV) pays you the replacement cost minus depreciation — what the item was worth before it broke, not what it costs to fix. Replacement Cost Value (RCV) pays the full amount to repair or replace with no depreciation deduction.

Example: a 15-year-old roof that costs $15,000 to replace might be worth $5,000 in ACV after depreciation — leaving you $10,000 short if you only have ACV coverage. With RCV coverage, the carrier pays the full $15,000 minus your deductible, then releases any depreciation hold after you complete repairs.

Florida homeowners in hurricane-prone areas should verify they have RCV coverage — ACV policies often leave policyholders with massive out-of-pocket gaps after a major storm. Check your declarations page: look for "RCV," "replacement cost," or "functional replacement cost." If it says "ACV" or "actual cash value," you're likely underinsured for hurricane season.

See our hurricane prep guide for a full checklist on reviewing your coverage before the season hits.

Lowballing is a documented industry practice. Insurers use Xactimate pricing software and regional cost databases to generate estimates — but these tools systematically undercount in disaster zones due to outdated labor rates and material costs.

Common lowball tactics to watch for:

• Applying depreciation to items that shouldn't be depreciated
• Comparing your home to code-compliant homes to justify lower ACV estimates
• Underestimating material quantities by bundling line items
• Excluding code upgrade requirements from estimates
• Neglecting to include additional living expense (ALE) coverage for temporary housing

Your first step: request the carrier's full line-item estimate in writing. You have the right to a detailed breakdown. Next, get your own estimate from a licensed Florida contractor — this creates documentation showing the actual cost of repairs. A public adjuster reviews the insurer's estimate line-by-line, identifies every undercounted item, and submits a professional counter-estimate with photos, contractor bids, and building code citations.

If the carrier still won't negotiate, your policy allows you to invoke the Appraisal clause — two certified appraisers (one from each side) agree on the amount, binding on both parties.

Florida Statute 627.70132 establishes a one-year deadline to file a property insurance claim after a loss — but hurricane emergency orders can extend this. For Hurricane Ian specifically, Governor DeSantis issued emergency orders and the Florida Legislature passed HB 1 in May 2022 to extend claim-filing deadlines. Many Ian policyholders had 1–3 years to file depending on their specific circumstances and carrier-granted extensions.

The practical deadline that catches homeowners off guard is different from the statutory one: most policies require you to give notice of loss "as soon as practicable" — which carriers argue means within days, not months after the storm. Don't assume delay is acceptable simply because a year hasn't passed.

Separate from the initial claim deadline is the deadline to file suit against your carrier, which in Florida is generally three years from the date of loss. If your claim was partially denied or your carrier failed to respond within 90 days, the statute of limitations for litigation may still be open. Don't rely on memory — pull your policy and check the deadlines listed in the "Conditions" section.

Florida Statute 626.8543 caps public adjuster fees as a percentage of the claim settlement:

• 20% on claims under $5,000
• 15% on claims between $5,001 and $50,000
• 10% on claims over $50,000

Reopened or supplemental claims filed within three years of the original loss date are capped at 10% regardless of amount. These are maximums — some public adjusters charge lower rates for complex claims or large-scale disasters.

There is no upfront cost. The fee comes directly from your settlement — it is deducted from the check the insurance company issues to you. Florida law also requires a written agreement before work begins, detailing the scope of services, fee structure, and any additional costs.

If a public adjuster asks for money upfront — walk away. CARE Claims works on contingency. We earn nothing until you receive payment.