Who will inspect your Triad roof claim?

Three kinds of adjusters

• Staff adjuster: employed by your insurance company.
• Independent adjuster: a contractor your insurer hires, often in large numbers after a storm such as the March 16, 2025 hail in Guilford County. Works for the insurer.
• Public adjuster: hired by you to prepare and negotiate the claim for a percentage of the payment.

Public adjuster rules in North Carolina

North Carolina public adjusters must be licensed by the NC Department of Insurance (G.S. 58, Article 33A). After a catastrophic incident declared by the President or the Governor, a public adjuster may not charge more than 10% of the settlement, and may not take any fee, retainer or deposit before the claim settles (G.S. 58-33A-60). According to the department's consumer guide, you can rescind a public adjuster contract in writing within three business days of signing, and if the insurer offers the full policy limits within 72 hours of the loss report, the adjuster cannot take a percentage commission.

What the inspection involves

Expect the adjuster to measure the roof, check each slope for hail hits (often in a 10-by-10-foot test square), look at gutters, vents and the heat pump, photograph wind damage and inspect inside. Some insurers use drones or ask you to upload photos first. The written estimate usually comes days to weeks later.

Getting ready

• Have your photos, storm date and NOAA or NWS report from the Storm Center.
• Ask your roofer to be there. In North Carolina, a roofer can show damage but should not negotiate the claim for you unless licensed as a public adjuster.
• Point out slate, older materials or discontinued shingles that may affect matching.
• Ask when the estimate will come and how to request reinspection.

See questions to ask your adjuster.

If the findings seem wrong

Send more evidence and ask for reinspection, use appraisal if the dispute is about the amount, consider a licensed public adjuster or attorney, and contact the NC Department of Insurance at 855-408-1212 if the insurer isn't responding. North Carolina's unfair claim practices law bars insurers from failing to act reasonably promptly on claim communications as a general practice.