Supplement Writing for Public Adjusters
Public adjusting firms live on volume, and the estimate is where volume goes to die. Every claim needs a scope written in Xactimate or Symbility, line-item justification the desk adjuster will accept, and a revised version each time the carrier moves. Estimate on Demand is the estimating desk behind the public adjuster: former carrier field adjusters who write and support the estimate while you handle the claim. We also write for roofers; see our roofing supplement services. This page is about how the division of labor works when the client is a licensed PA firm.
How the division of labor works
You represent the insured, interpret coverage, negotiate the settlement and own the client relationship. We do not touch any of that, and we say so in writing on every file. What we do is the technical half: read the carrier’s estimate against the measurements, the photos, the adopted building code and the manufacturer’s installation requirements; write the supplement or the full scope in the carrier’s price list with an F9 note on every added line; and, where you want it, handle the item-by-item technical back-and-forth with the desk adjuster on scope, code and quantities while you handle coverage and settlement. A metro-Atlanta public adjusting firm has run more than 1,400 claims through this model with us since 2023 (case study), and it has stayed cleanly inside the line the states draw between estimating and adjusting; our post on where that line sits state by state covers it.
What you get on every file
- A supplement or full scope written in Xactimate or Symbility, in the carrier’s regional price list and edition, delivered as PDF and native file within 24 hours of a complete file.
- An F9 note on every added line: the code section and adopted edition, the manufacturer instruction, the roof-report page or the photo number. Nothing the desk adjuster has to research.
- Code items sorted from like-kind items, so the ordinance-or-law argument sits on its own lines and the rest of the scope does not fall with it.
- Multi-trade scopes: roofing, siding, gutters, fencing, interior water damage, detach-and-reset, overhead and profit where three or more trades apply.
- Written rebuttals to third-party inspector and engineering reports on damage, scope and quantities, ready for you to send or to attach to your own coverage position.
- Revisions when the carrier’s revised estimate lands, until the scope is settled. Every carrier call on our side is recorded and summarized to the file.
Why PA firms outsource the estimate
Two reasons, and neither is that PAs cannot write estimates. The first is time: a licensed adjuster’s hours are worth more on coverage, appraisal and the client than on line items, and a backlog of unwritten scopes is a backlog of unsettled claims. The second is the desk review. Carriers increasingly run estimates through automated review and third-party inspectors; a scope that survives that review is one where every line carries its own evidence, in the carrier’s own price list, in a format that imports. That is repetitive, technical, documentation-heavy work, and it is the only thing we do. Historically our supplements have averaged about a 28.6% increase over the carrier’s original estimate, with supplements submitted within 24 hours of a complete file and about 19 days from submission to a revised estimate. Those are past averages across many carriers, states and roof types, not a promise about any one claim.
Who this is for
Licensed public adjusting firms handling residential and small-commercial property claims in any state, with a meaningful share of roof, exterior and storm work. We are particularly deep in Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee (see our state pages for code and claim-handling rules), and we write in all fifty. We do not work for homeowners directly, and we do not accept files where we would be the only party communicating with the carrier on a coverage question.
Public adjuster supplement FAQ
Do you represent the homeowner or negotiate coverage?
No. The public adjuster holds the claim and the relationship with the insured; EOD writes and supports the estimate. We never contact the homeowner, argue coverage or discuss settlement value. If a carrier asks us a coverage question, we send it to you.
Which platforms do you write in?
Xactimate and Symbility (Cotality Claims Connect), in the carrier’s regional price list, delivered as PDF plus the native file (ESX or Symbility export) so the desk adjuster can import it line for line. See our Symbility page for how we handle Claims Connect carriers.
How do you price for a PA firm?
The same way we price for roofers: 10% of the increase between the carrier’s original estimate and the final approved estimate, billed net 28 after the claim closes. No increase, no fee; no minimums, no retainer, no contract. For firms that send volume we can discuss a per-file structure; ask.
Can you handle interior and multi-trade scopes, not just roofs?
Yes. Roofs are most of what we write, but PA files often carry siding, gutters, fencing, interior water damage, contents-adjacent building items and detach-and-reset of solar or HVAC. Our estimators are former field adjusters who wrote whole-house scopes for carriers; multi-trade is familiar territory.
What do you need from us to start a file?
The carrier’s estimate, the roof or exterior measurement report, the photo set, the declarations page and any engineering or inspection report the carrier relied on. Send it through the client portal or invite us into your CRM; we work from your job record so your team sees the same file.
Running a PA firm’s estimating backlog? EOD’s roofing supplement services handle the write-up and the follow-up: 10% of the increase, no increase, no fee, no minimums. Send us a claim.