Your Insurance Policy Is a Contract. We Work to Make Sure It Pays What It Promises.
We represent you, not the insurance company, in every aspect of your property insurance claim.
What a Public Adjuster Does and Why It Matters
When your property is damaged, you have an obligation to notify your insurer and cooperate with the claims process. But cooperation does not mean accepting whatever the insurance company offers. You can choose to be represented by a licensed professional who works exclusively in your interest.
A public adjuster reads your policy, identifies all applicable coverage, documents all damage, prepares the claim, and negotiates the settlement on your behalf. We know the policy language, the documentation standards, and the negotiation process. You do not have to navigate this alone.
DCS was founded by a former insurance carrier field adjuster and team lead with carrier-side claims handling experience from 2010 to 2017. That experience is what DCS brings to every claim handled for our policyholders. There is no substitute for knowing how the other side thinks.
Hiring a public adjuster is optional. When a loss is large or complex, a licensed public adjuster who knows the policy and the claim process can document, value, and present the claim for you.
Dependable Claims Specialists - Public Insurance AdjustersTX Firm #3134924 (Dependable Claims Specialists)FL Firm #W820363
What We Do for You
Policy Review and Coverage Analysis
We read your entire policy, identify all applicable coverages, and flag any endorsements or exclusions that affect your claim. Most policyholders have coverage they do not know about.
Thorough Property Inspection
We inspect every affected area of your property, including areas the insurance adjuster may not examine. We document all damage with photographs, measurements, and detailed written descriptions.
Detailed Damage Estimation
We prepare a comprehensive, line-item damage estimate using industry-standard estimating software. Our estimates account for all labor, materials, and code-required upgrades.
Claim Preparation and Submission
We help prepare and present the damage inventory, estimates and supporting evidence and track requested claim documents. The policyholder remains responsible for required signatures and sworn statements. Consult an attorney about legal deadlines and examination-under-oath preparation.
Negotiation and Settlement
We negotiate directly with the insurance company adjuster on your behalf. We know the common tactics used to minimize claims and how to counter them with evidence and policy expertise.
Contingency Fee Structure
No recovery, no fee. For public adjusting, you pay nothing upfront and our fee comes out of the money recovered. In Texas, if the insurer paid nothing before you signed with DCS, our fee is 10% of the recovery. If the insurer paid before you signed, our fee is 25% of the new money recovered and never exceeds 10% of the total settlement. This Texas fee structure does not apply to Florida. In Florida, your written agreement sets the fee within the limits that apply to your claim. Ask us to walk you through the agreement before you sign.
The Property Claim Lifecycle, Stage by Stage
Almost every property insurance claim moves through the same sequence of stages. Knowing what happens at each one, and where money is most often lost, is the difference between a fully paid claim and an underpaid one. Here is the path your claim follows and what a public adjuster does at each step.
First Notice of Loss (FNOL)
You report the loss to the insurer and receive a claim number. Most policies require prompt notice. What you say, how the cause of loss is described, and what you document in the first hours and days can shape the entire claim. We help frame the FNOL accurately and make sure mitigation (tarping, water extraction, board-up) is documented as it happens so those costs can be claimed.
Inspection / Scope of Loss
The carrier assigns a company or independent adjuster to inspect and "scope" the damage. This inspection drives everything that follows. If damage is missed here, it is missed in the estimate. We attend the inspection, walk every affected area, and document damage the carrier adjuster may not capture, including concealed and code-related damage.
The Carrier Estimate
The carrier produces a line-item estimate, typically in Xactimate, of what it will pay. This is where underpayment hides: omitted line items, low unit prices, missing tear-off and disposal, excluded overhead and profit, and skipped code upgrades. We prepare an independent, fully documented counter-estimate to the same standard.
Proof of Loss
Many policies require a sworn proof of loss within a set period (often 60 days of the insurer's request) stating the amount claimed. An incomplete or late proof of loss can damage the claim. We prepare it with a supporting estimate and inventory so the sworn figure is fully backed.
Negotiation
We negotiate the difference between the carrier's number and the documented cost of repair, line item by line item, using the policy language, the estimate, the photographs, and the applicable standards. Having a former carrier adjuster argue your scope changes the conversation.
Settlement & Payment
On a replacement-cost policy, the carrier typically pays actual cash value first and holds back recoverable depreciation. We confirm the deductible, depreciation, and any prior payments are correctly applied so the ACV check is right, and so the depreciation can be recovered later.
Supplements & Depreciation Release
When repairs uncover additional damage, or the original scope was incomplete, we file a supplement. Once repairs are completed and documented, we pursue release of the withheld recoverable depreciation. Many claims are reopened and supplemented well after the first payment.
Carrier Tactics and Common Mistakes, and How We Counter Them
None of this means an insurer is acting in bad faith. It means the claims process is built around the insurer’s estimate and its deadlines, and a policyholder can handle it alone or with a licensed professional on their side. These are the patterns we see most, and what we do about each.
Low initial estimate
The first carrier estimate often understates the scope: missing line items, low unit costs, and omitted code upgrades. We respond with a documented, line-item counter-estimate built to the same Xactimate standard so the difference is concrete and defensible.
Scoping only visible damage
An inspection that scopes only what is visible misses concealed damage in subfloors, wall cavities, and roof decking. We document concealed damage with moisture readings, thermal imaging, and selective tear-off where warranted.
Stripping overhead and profit
When a repair needs a general contractor to coordinate several trades, overhead and profit (commonly 10 percent and 10 percent) may be included, depending on the policy and the scope. Carriers frequently exclude it. We document the trades involved and justify O&P.
Missing the proof-of-loss window
A late or incomplete sworn proof of loss can jeopardize a claim. We track the deadline and prepare the document with full supporting documentation.
Mishandled depreciation
On a replacement-cost policy, recoverable depreciation must be calculated correctly and then actually recovered after repairs. We verify the depreciation and pursue its release rather than letting it quietly stay with the carrier.
Premature closing and full releases
Before signing a release or a document described as a final settlement, consult a licensed attorney about its legal effect. DCS can provide estimates, payment history and supporting claim documents for that review.
Who Hires a Public Adjuster, and What It Costs
Public adjusters most often help homeowners and commercial property owners with significant or complex losses: storm and wind damage, hail, water and pipe failures, fire and smoke, and large contents and business-interruption claims. They are especially valuable when a claim has been denied, underpaid, delayed, or closed for less than the cost to repair, and when the policyholder simply does not have the time or expertise to fight line item by line item.
No recovery, no fee. For public adjusting, you pay nothing upfront and our fee comes out of the money recovered. In Texas, if the insurer paid nothing before you signed with DCS, our fee is 10% of the recovery. If the insurer paid before you signed, our fee is 25% of the new money recovered and never exceeds 10% of the total settlement. This Texas fee structure does not apply to Florida. In Florida, your written agreement sets the fee within the limits that apply to your claim. Ask us to walk you through the agreement before you sign. Compare the written fee with the services your claim needs. Additional recovery or a net financial benefit is not guaranteed.
No recovery, no fee. Our public-adjusting work is contingency-based and capped by state statute. You pay nothing up front, and you pay nothing at all unless we recover additional funds on your claim.
Why DCS
DCS personnel include former carrier field adjusters and team leads with carrier-side claims handling experience from 2010 to 2017. We know how claims are evaluated from the inside.
Texas-based licensed public adjusting firm: Dependable Claims Specialists, TX Firm #3134924, with Florida licensure (FL Firm #W820363). Licensed statewide in Texas and Florida.
Formerly Xactimate Level 2 certified; DCS continues to prepare estimates in Xactimate, the same platform carriers use. We speak their language.
Extensive experience handling property insurance claims across Texas and Florida.
Public adjusting work is contingency-based: no recovery means no fee.
We are available to our policyholders throughout the entire claims process. We keep you updated on where your claim stands.
Recent Case Studies
The carrier valued this Hurricane Ian loss below the policy deductible, effectively offering nothing. After the appraisal clause was invoked and DCS served as the policyholder appraiser, the appraisal panel issued an award of $1,427,372.70. Result driven entirely by inspection, scope, and pricing on the record, not by the carrier's prior position.
A 50-year State Farm customer had major portions of their Beryl claim denied. A large tree struck the front of the house with multiple limb penetrations and water flowed into seven rooms. DCS documented the full scope and reversed the partial denial. Final settlement included a new roof, new A/C unit, and full damage payments.
A Galveston homeowner with Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) coverage received an initial offer several times smaller than the actual damage warranted. DCS negotiated the settlement up through persistent documentation and construction knowledge.
A late-December 2024 tornado swept through Spring and damaged the home. The initial Homesite scope captured only a fraction of the actual structural and roof-decking damage. DCS lifted shingles, documented fastener pull-through, and built a supplement that raised the settlement from $21,682.74 to $122,602.83, about 5.65 times the first offer.
Extensive concealed water damage from a failed HVAC condensation line. The initial Homeowners of America offer did not account for the full scope of subflooring, wall cavity, and cabinet damage. DCS documented the complete causation and damage trail and negotiated a final settlement at least 25 times the initial offer.
Allstate denied the plumbing leak claim in full on wear-and-tear grounds. DCS assembled engineering causation evidence, documented the carrier timeline in full, and negotiated a full reversal to the policy limit.
The initial State Farm offer on a hail-and-roof-leak claim captured only visible surface damage. DCS documented the true scope of roof decking, fastener pull-through, and interior water damage from the resulting leak. The final settlement was about 6.5 times the initial offer.
A tree fell on the home during Hurricane Beryl, causing major structural and interior water damage. DCS was engaged from the first day of the claim and documented dwelling, ALE (loss of use), and personal property in full across all coverages.
A failed toilet supply line caused extensive water damage across multiple rooms. DCS was engaged from day one and presented a fully documented claim including subfloor, cabinet, and framing damage.
A plumbing supply line leak caused extensive water damage, but the carrier's initial estimates severely undervalued the restoration scope. Through the formal appraisal process, with DCS serving as the party-appointed appraiser, the panel issued a binding award of $103,598.14 reflecting the documented cost of repair, $76,106.16 above the carrier's initial estimate.
The carrier's initial assessment of this loss was $15,644.10. Through the formal appraisal process, with DCS serving as the party-appointed appraiser, the panel issued a binding award of $97,913.50 reflecting the documented cost of repair - a result driven by the evidence on the record.
The initial Texas Fair Plan scope for this Hurricane Beryl claim drastically undervalued the wind and storm damage. Acting as the public adjuster, the true extent of the property loss was meticulously documented and negotiated, resulting in a final settlement increase of over $81,000.
Hurricane Ian devastated Sanibel Island, and the carrier's initial offers fell severely short of the catastrophic destruction. Acting as the public adjuster, the true extent of wind and structural damage was meticulously scoped and negotiated, pushing the final settlement up by over $181,000 to cover the rebuild.
Results vary and are not guaranteed. Each outcome shown reflects the facts, policy, and documentation of that specific claim. An appraisal award is an amount-of-loss determination and is not necessarily payment or net client recovery.
Your Policy Is a Parachute. We Work to Make Sure It Opens.
You paid for your coverage. When the plane is going down, you jump and expect the parachute to open. We are here to advocate for you.
