Denied, underpaid, or stalled

Your roof claim went wrong. Here are your options

Denials, underpayment, public adjusters, appraisal, complaints and the scams that follow every storm. Education only.

What this site is for

A denial is not the end of the process

Reinspection, appeal, appraisal and a complaint to your state regulator all sit between a denial and giving up.

Underpayment is more common than denial

It is also harder to spot, because the cheque arrives and looks like a result. The missing line items are where the money went.

The people knocking after a storm are not your friends

Deductible waiving is fraud, an assignment of benefits signs away your claim, and both arrive smiling.

AppraisalThe clause in most policies that settles a dispute without a lawyer
10%Typical public adjuster fee, on the whole claim, not the increase
O&POverhead and profit, the line item quietly left out of underpaid estimates
FreeWhat it costs to complain to your state department of insurance

About this reference

We cannot file your claim. We can tell you who can


Filing, negotiating or settling a claim for you requires a public adjuster licence, and we do not hold one. We take no fee from anyone we point you toward.

What we can do is explain the options, in order, so you spend money only where it is worth spending.

Nothing here is legal advice. Your policy and your state's rules decide your situation.

Read our methodology

The pillars

Where to start

Before you sign anything

Six things a contractor or adjuster may put in front of you after a storm, and what each one actually does.

Open it
  • Assignment of benefits
  • Contingency agreement
  • Deductible waiver
  • Direction to pay
  • Release of claim
  • Scope approval