What does a property adjuster do?

Typically working for insurance companies, a property adjuster specializes in inspecting property damages to assess and determine a company's financial obligations. Their responsibilities revolve around reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, gathering and verifying data, and traveling to different locations to meet with clients. They may also negotiate settlements and authorize payments in adherence to the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, as a property adjuster, it is essential to have a deep understanding of property costs to ensure the accuracy of claims.
Property adjuster responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real property adjuster resumes:
- Apply strong customer service, organizational and multitasking skills to efficiently manage auto insurance claims.
- Complete property appraisals on residential dwelling and commercial property including business interruption and business personal property using Xactimate program.
- Analyze homes, automobiles, boats, RV's, etc.
- Issue payments via ECS system.
- Experience in CCC estimating software systems.
- Experience with CCC pathways estimating system.
- Prepare loss reports, reservations of rights and denial documents.
- Complete inspections and estimates on vehicles to include cars, trucks, RV's, boats, motorcycles and commercial vehicles.
- Prepare arbitration responses when applicable.
- Utilize arbitration, attorneys and collection agencies as necessary to obtain results.
- Conduct claims investigations, gathering evidence and appropriate records/documentation to strengthen settlement negotiation and/or litigation.
- Recommend litigation by legal department when settlement cannot be negotiate and attend negotiation hearings if necessary.
- Act to support the primary insurance carrier in the investigation of insurance claims after hurricane Katrina and Rita.
- Write detail estimates of damage for insure and contractor using Symbility estimating platform.
- Complete repair estimate along with photographs using MSB estimating software.
Property adjuster skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Property Adjusters are proficient in Customer Service, Xactimate, and Claims Handling. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Property Adjusters that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 17%
Worked independently from a home-based office to provide excellent customer service to residential and commercial policyholder's throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts.
- Xactimate, 11%
Completed property appraisals on residential dwelling and commercial property including business interruption and business personal property using Xactimate program.
- Claims Handling, 6%
Specialized claims handling regarding prior interior and exterior damage differentiation.
- State Regulations, 6%
Analyzed and settled liability and injury claims based on policy provisions and state regulations.
- Strong Analytical, 5%
Exhibited and implemented strong analytical skills.
- Litigation, 5%
Recommend litigation by legal department when settlement cannot be negotiated and attend negotiation hearings if necessary.
"customer service," "xactimate," and "claims handling" are among the most common skills that property adjusters use at work. You can find even more property adjuster responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a property adjuster to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what property adjusters do because "adjusters and examiners must each evaluate whether the insurance company is obligated to pay a claim and determine the amount to pay." Additionally, a property adjuster resume shows how property adjusters use analytical skills: "investigate and analyze insurance claims to determine extent of insurance company's liability. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform property adjuster duties is communication skills. Property adjusters responsibilities require that "claims adjusters and investigators must get information from a range of people, including claimants, witnesses, and medical experts." Property adjusters also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "handled first and third party property damage claims which involved communication with all parties; investigate and finalize liability. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for property adjusters to perform their duties. For an example of how property adjuster responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators must carefully review documents and damaged property, because small details can have large financial consequences." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a property adjuster: "investigated commercial and residential property losses, providing detailed estimates and settling claims. ".
Interpersonal skills. For certain property adjuster responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a property adjuster rely on this skill, as "adjusters, examiners, and investigators often meet with claimants and others who may be upset by the situation that requires a claim or by the settlement the company is offering." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what property adjusters do: "improved interpersonal customer service skills between carrier and their insured. "
The three companies that hire the most property adjusters are:
- USAA350 property adjusters jobs
- Raphael & Associates102 property adjusters jobs
- Crawford & Company58 property adjusters jobs
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Property adjuster vs. Insurance examiner
A claims examiner is responsible for conducting a claim review of a client against a particular insurance company--usually a health and life insurance company. An examiner must review claims and then approve them, reject them, or develop a possible settlement. They need to communicate with policyholders and insurance agents to assess if all the information under the company's claims guidelines and policies are correct and accurate.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, property adjuster responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "xactimate," "ladders," and "state regulations." Meanwhile a typical insurance examiner has skills in areas such as "ekg," "financial statements," "blood pressure," and "health history." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Insurance examiners really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $54,171. Comparatively, property adjusters tend to make the most money in the insurance industry with an average salary of $58,634.The education levels that insurance examiners earn slightly differ from property adjusters. In particular, insurance examiners are 2.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a property adjuster. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Property adjuster vs. Claim investigator
Claim Investigators are professionals who are responsible for examining facts of insurance claims to determine their extent and validity to prevent any cases of fraud. These investigators must use a combination of tools such as cutting-edge software to help insurance companies to settle claims quickly by evaluating them. They are required to manage multiple cases by investigating defective products or events such as an oil spill. Claim Investigators must also prepare reports while keeping track of evidence trails.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, property adjuster responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "xactimate," "ladders," and "state regulations." Meanwhile, a claim investigator has duties that require skills in areas such as "scene investigations," "property damage," "fraud claims," and "background checks." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, claim investigators earn a lower salary than property adjusters. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, claim investigators earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $56,935. Whereas property adjusters have higher pay in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $58,634.In general, claim investigators achieve similar levels of education than property adjusters. They're 0.7% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Property adjuster vs. Risk and insurance consultant
A risk and insurance consultant is a person whose job is to advise organizations and companies on what might happen in the future and how to deal with it. They advise the management on the next steps and possible outcomes. A risk and insurance consultant does research and calculations and uses that to predict or solve financial or risk issues.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, property adjusters are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "xactimate," "ladders," and "claims handling." But a risk and insurance consultant is more likely to have skills like "financial services," "risk assessments," "portfolio," and "powerpoint."
Risk and insurance consultants earn the best pay in the insurance industry, where they command an average salary of $89,403. Property adjusters earn the highest pay from the insurance industry, with an average salary of $58,634.When it comes to education, risk and insurance consultants tend to earn higher degree levels compared to property adjusters. In fact, they're 15.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Property adjuster vs. Total loss specialist
As a Total Loss Specialist, your job will involve appraising the damage and determining the salvage value on the total-loss vehicle. You will be tasked with examining the damaged vehicle to ascertain the extent of damage done to its body and structure and other mechanical, electrical, and internal damage. You'd also have to arrange with another appraiser to resolve any disagreement with the shop on the cost of repair after determining the extent of the damage to the vehicle.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between property adjusters and total loss specialists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a property adjuster might have more use for skills like "xactimate," "ladders," "strong analytical," and "litigation." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of total loss specialists require skills like "hr," "outbound calls," "inbound calls," and "training sessions. "
In general, total loss specialists hold similar degree levels compared to property adjusters. Total loss specialists are 2.0% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of property adjuster
Updated January 8, 2025











