What Questions Should I Ask My Home Insurance Adjuster?
Ask how the damage was measured, what's excluded from the estimate, and how they calculated depreciation and the payout.
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What matters most is getting the adjuster's math in writing before you sign anything. Ask for the itemized estimate, called a scope of loss, line by line, not just the total number. If something you expected is missing, like matching siding or code upgrades your city requires, ask why it was left out. Compare their depreciation figures against your deductible and policy limits on your declarations page. A verbal explanation means nothing later. Only the written estimate does.
If the adjuster's offer feels low, the real comparison is not with what repairs cost somewhere else. It is with what your own policy actually promises to pay once the deductible and depreciation are applied correctly. A policy with a lower premium but a higher percentage deductible or weaker dwelling coverage can leave a much bigger gap after a loss than one that costs more now.
What if you disagree with the adjuster's numbers?
You don't have to accept the first number. The adjuster's estimate is an offer based on their inspection, not a final ruling, and you can push back if something looks wrong. Start by getting your own contractor's estimate for the same scope of work. If it comes in meaningfully higher, that gap is what you bring to the insurer, with specifics about what the adjuster's scope left out or priced too low.
Every policy has an appraisal clause for exactly this situation. Either side can invoke it when they can't agree on the amount of the loss. You pick an appraiser, the insurer picks one, and the two of them pick a neutral umpire. If the two appraisers agree on a number, that settles it. If they don't, the umpire decides. This process costs money since you pay your own appraiser, so it tends to make sense when the dollar gap is large, not when you're a few hundred dollars apart.
A full denial is different from a low offer, and it calls for a different response. The denial letter has to cite a reason, usually a policy exclusion or an argument that the cause of damage isn't covered. Read that language against your actual policy, not the summary. Insurers sometimes deny claims for damage that falls under a different part of the policy than the one they checked, or misclassify the cause of loss. If the reasoning doesn't hold up against your declarations page and the policy itself, you can file a written appeal with your own documentation, photos, contractor notes, and anything that contradicts their stated reason.
If you've gone through the insurer's internal appeal and you're still stuck, your state's insurance department takes complaints about claim handling and can sometimes push for a second look. This path is slower than resolving things directly with the adjuster, so it's worth trying the appraisal clause or a documented appeal first. Keep a paper trail from the start. Every call, every email, every estimate. If the claim ends up in dispute for months, that record is what shows you responded promptly and in good faith at every step, which matters if the disagreement ever moves beyond the insurer.
What should you ask before the adjuster even leaves your house?
The best time to get answers is while the adjuster is still standing in your kitchen, not after they've left and the estimate shows up by email. Ask them to walk you through what they're writing down and why, room by room. If they skip over something you can see is damaged, say so on the spot and ask them to note it, even if they tell you it will be addressed later.
Ask what happens next and when. Specifically, when will you receive the written estimate, who do you call with questions, and is this adjuster assigned to your claim through to close or will someone else take over. Claims sometimes get handed off partway through, and if that happens you want to know ahead of time so a missed callback doesn't feel like your claim fell through the cracks.
Ask whether the estimate includes code upgrades if your home is older. Many cities require things like updated electrical or plumbing when repairs are made, even if the original damage didn't touch those systems. This coverage usually exists as a separate line on your policy with its own limit, and it is easy for an adjuster to leave out if you don't bring it up. Check your declarations page for language like ordinance or law coverage before the adjuster arrives, so you know whether to expect it.
Ask how long you have to supplement the claim if more damage turns up once repairs start. This happens often, especially with water or roof damage where the full extent isn't visible until a contractor opens up a wall or pulls shingles. Knowing the window for adding a supplemental claim means you won't eat the cost of something discovered in week three because you assumed the claim was closed. Get the adjuster's direct contact information before they leave, not just a general claims line, so follow-up questions go to someone who already has the file.
Before you decide anything
Pull your declarations page and check it against the adjuster's written estimate, line by line. The gaps between what your policy promises and what the estimate offers are where the real decisions start.
