A roofer and a public adjuster arrived in the same truck. Is that legal?

The owner described the visit this week on Reddit's r/Roofing forum. The roofer and the adjuster said they worked for separate companies but showed up in one truck, and the adjuster offered to get the most out of the claim for 10%. Whether that setup is legal depends on the state and on who does what.

Texas draws the hardest line. Insurance Code section 4102.163 bars a contractor from working as a public adjuster, or offering adjusting in its ads, on any property where it does or may do the construction work, according to the Texas Department of Insurance. The department lists offering to negotiate a settlement, filing a claim for the owner and claiming to speak for the policyholder on coverage as conduct a contractor must avoid. Texas also makes it illegal for a contractor to waive, rebate or absorb a deductible.

Florida's statute, section 626.854, bars licensed contractors and their subs from handling or offering public adjuster services unless they hold an adjuster license. A public adjuster there may not take a contract or power of attorney that lets the adjuster pick who does the repairs, and no one may pay or accept a reward for steering insurance-funded roofing work. Fees are capped at 10% of claim payments for losses tied to a governor's emergency declaration during the year after it, and 20% for other claims. An owner can cancel within 10 days of signing, or after a declared emergency within 30 days of the loss or 10 days of signing, whichever is longer. The 10% pitched in the Reddit case sits at Florida's emergency cap and at half its ordinary one.

Other states write their own rules, so the checks are practical. Look up the adjuster's license with the state insurance department, read the fee percentage and the cancellation clause before signing, and ask in writing whether the adjuster and the roofer share owners, pay each other or split fees. In Florida, a contractor may still explain its own bid to the owner or the insurer.