Public Adjusters in Louisiana

Yes. Public adjusters are legal in Louisiana and must be licensed by the Louisiana Department of Insurance. Louisiana law requires anyone acting as or holding themselves out as a public adjuster to have a public adjuster license.

A public adjuster works exclusively for you (the policyholder) to protect your financial interests. A company or independent adjuster is hired and paid by the insurance company to represent the insurer’s interests.

• Inspect physical damage
• Prepare detailed repair cost estimates
• Document and inventory damaged personal property

You should consider hiring a public adjuster if you experience severe property damage, face delayed claim processing, or receive a settlement estimate that fails to cover actual repair costs.

• Hurricane and wind damage
• Roof hail damage
• Fire and smoke damage
• Structural water intrusion and sudden pipe bursts

Under Louisiana law (La. R.S. 22:1703(A)), public adjusters are strictly prohibited from charging percentage-based contingency fees. Public adjusters may charge a reasonable fee, which must be disclosed in the written contract before work begins.

No. Under La. R.S. 22:1706(H)(11), it is illegal for a person or firm to act as both the public adjuster and the repair contractor on the same property claim.

Louisiana requires public adjuster contracts to be in writing and to include the adjuster’s license number, services to be provided, and full compensation or fee. Policyholders also have the right to cancel a public adjuster contract in writing within three business days after signing.

In Louisiana, under La. R.S. 22:1892, insurers generally must pay a claim within 30 days after receiving satisfactory proof of loss. Different deadlines can apply to catastrophic losses. For certain catastrophic residential property claims, the payment period is 60 days, while certain catastrophic commercial property claims may have a 90-day period.

Yes. Public adjusters can assist policyholders with flood insurance claims, including documenting and evaluating physical flood damage. However, claims under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are governed by federal requirements and the Standard Flood Insurance Policy, so additional rules may apply.