Wherever you are in Florida, we come to you. A licensed Homeland public adjuster comes to your property within hours — no need to visit an office. Serving Florida property owners since 2006, in English and Spanish. New Jersey: statewide.
Property Damage Lawyer or Public Adjuster? Who to Call First
Searching for a property damage lawyer near you? Start with what your claim needs. Most damaged, denied and underpaid property claims are won on documentation, scope and estimate — the work a licensed public adjuster does — and some need an attorney too. Here is how to tell, in Florida and New Jersey.
If you need help with a damaged, denied or underpaid property insurance claim in Florida or New Jersey, Homeland Public Adjusters handles exactly this kind of claim. Homeland is a licensed public adjusting firm (Florida W818638; New Jersey 3003982360) with 20 years in the industry (since 2006) and a network of experts in Florida and New Jersey ready to take on any loss. In Florida we come to you within hours, wherever you are. Call (305) 783-3777 (Florida) or (732) 517-3777 (New Jersey), 24/7, English or Spanish.
Reviewed by Yeni Martinez, Licensed Public Adjuster, Florida (License P103370) and New Jersey (License 3003714097) · Homeland Public Adjusters · Last reviewed: November 2026
The Short Answer
Call a licensed public adjuster first when the question is how much the insurer owes for property damage; call an attorney when you need legal advice, a lawsuit, or help with an injury. A public adjuster inspects and documents the damage, writes an itemized estimate, and presents and negotiates the claim with the insurer for you. An attorney interprets disputed policy language as a legal matter, represents you in court, and handles bodily injury claims. Many claims are resolved without a lawsuit, and some use both.
Florida law allows only two kinds of people to prepare, file or negotiate your claim for pay: an attorney, or a licensed and appointed public adjuster (Fla. Stat. §626.854(20)). A public adjuster may not give legal advice or act on a bodily injury claim (626.854(3)).
Public Adjuster and Property Insurance Lawyer, Side by Side
| Public adjuster | Attorney | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed by | Florida: the Department of Financial Services (DFS licensee search). New Jersey: the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI license search). | Florida: The Florida Bar (member directory). New Jersey: admitted by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. |
| Main job | The insurance claim: inspection, documentation, scope, itemized estimate, presentation and negotiation | Legal advice, legal interpretation of the policy, pre-suit notice, lawsuits and trials |
| Who they work for | You, the policyholder | You, the client |
| Injury claims | No | Yes |
| Goes to court | No; supports your attorney with the claim file | Yes |
| Best first call when | The damage is new, or the insurer paid too little or left damage out | You have decided to sue, a lawsuit deadline is close, someone was hurt, or fraud is alleged |
Before You Hire a Property Insurance Lawyer: Five Questions
These five questions sort most claims in a few minutes, and they are the same questions Homeland asks on a free review.
- What does the letter actually say? A denial or partial payment letter must give a reasonable explanation of the basis in the policy (Fla. Stat. 627.70131(7)(a)). The reason it gives tells you what kind of dispute you have.
- Is it about how much, or about whether? “How much” (scope, pricing, rooms or trades left out, depreciation) is documentation work. “Whether” (a coverage question that turns on law) may need an attorney.
- Was anyone hurt? Injuries go to an attorney. The property claim is separate and can move forward at the same time.
- Do you have your own estimate and documentation? Without an itemized estimate and photos of the damage, there is nothing to compare the insurer’s number against, with or without a lawyer.
- How close are the deadlines? In Florida: new or reopened claims within 1 year and supplemental claims within 18 months of the date of loss (Fla. Stat. §627.70132); a lawsuit on the policy within 5 years (Fla. Stat. §95.11(2)(e)), after a notice of intent filed at least 10 business days before suit (Fla. Stat. §627.70152). In New Jersey, read your policy’s own claim and suit time limits now.
Most Denied and Underpaid Claims Are Won on Documentation, Scope and Estimate
Insurers pay what is documented. When a claim is short, it is usually because damage was never measured, a trade was left out of the estimate, contents were never inventoried, or the cause was never shown. That is fixed with evidence, and it is what Homeland builds from the first day.
Inspection and documentation
Every affected area measured, photographed and moisture-mapped, with the cause tied to the policy’s covered peril.
Itemized estimate
A line-item estimate prepared in-house, compared line by line with the insurer’s, including code upgrades, matching and overhead and profit where they apply.
Contents and living expenses
Room-by-room inventories and the additional living expense or business income records the policy pays from.
Negotiation and the policy’s own tools
Supplemental claims, reinspections, DFS mediation for residential claims in Florida (Fla. Stat. §627.7015) and the policy’s appraisal clause when the dispute is the amount.
When You Need a Lawyer
Some claims need an attorney, and saying so honestly is part of a free review. Call an attorney when:
- someone was injured, or the claim involves death or noneconomic damages;
- you have decided to sue, or a lawsuit deadline is close;
- the insurer accuses you of fraud or misrepresentation, or you want counsel for an examination under oath;
- the dispute is a legal question about what the policy means, or a bad-faith question;
- the loss is larger than every policy and you want to pursue the person who caused it.
In Florida, The Florida Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service can connect you with an attorney.
If It Becomes a Legal Fight, We Work Alongside Your Attorney
When a claim moves to an attorney, the documentation, scope and estimate Homeland built carry straight into the case, and we keep supporting the property side: re-inspections, supplements and appraisal-ready files. Law firms refer clients to Homeland for exactly this work: public adjuster support for law firms.
Property Damage Lawyer Near Me? Homeland Comes to You
You don’t need to visit an office to get your claim reviewed. In Florida, a licensed Homeland public adjuster comes to your property anywhere in the state; in New Jersey, statewide. Call 24/7, in English or Spanish, or start below.
Hablamos Español: Help in Spanish From the First Call
Homeland works every claim in English and Spanish. Spanish-speaking owners searching for an abogado de seguros de propiedad or an abogado para reclamo de seguro can call us first for a free review in Spanish: we will tell you whether your claim is a documentation-and-estimate case or one that needs an attorney.
A licensed Homeland public adjuster reviews the denial, the estimate or the damage and calls you back. If your claim needs an attorney, we will tell you so.
Damage happening right now? Call (305) 783-3777 · New Jersey (732) 517-3777, 24/7.
Questions People Ask
Should I call a lawyer or a public adjuster after property damage?
For the property claim itself, call a licensed public adjuster first: the claim is decided by documentation and an itemized estimate. Call an attorney for injuries, lawsuits, fraud accusations or legal questions about the policy.
My insurance claim was denied. Do I need a lawyer?
Not always. Many denials and partial denials are about scope, cause or proof, which documentation answers. Send the letter for a free review; if it needs an attorney, Homeland will tell you.
Can a public adjuster give legal advice or sue my insurer?
No. A public adjuster handles the insurance claim: documentation, estimates and negotiation. Legal advice and lawsuits are for licensed attorneys.
Can a public adjuster and a lawyer work on the same claim?
Yes. Some claims start with a public adjuster and move to an attorney; the documentation and estimate carry over, and the adjuster keeps supporting the property side.
Is there a property damage lawyer near me who comes to the house?
A public adjuster is the professional who inspects the property. Homeland comes to you anywhere in Florida, and statewide in New Jersey, and works with your attorney if you have one.
How do I check that a public adjuster is licensed?
Search the name or license number on the Florida DFS licensee search or the New Jersey DOBI license search. Homeland Public Adjusters is agency W818638 in Florida and firm 3003982360 in New Jersey.
I already have a lawyer. Can Homeland still help?
Yes. We work alongside your attorney on the property side: inspections, scope, estimate and documentation. Legal strategy stays with your attorney.
How long do I have in Florida?
Notice of a new or reopened claim within 1 year of the date of loss, and of a supplemental claim within 18 months (Fla. Stat. 627.70132). A lawsuit on a property insurance policy within 5 years (Fla. Stat. 95.11(2)(e)).
Related Pages
Sources
- Fla. Stat. §626.854: public adjusters
- Fla. Stat. §627.70132: claim notice deadlines
- Fla. Stat. §627.70131: insurer response times
- Fla. Stat. §627.70152: notice before suit
- Fla. Stat. §95.11: limitations of actions
- Florida DFS licensee search
- New Jersey DOBI license search
- The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service
THIS IS A SOLICITATION FOR BUSINESS. IF YOU HAVE HAD A CLAIM FOR AN INSURED PROPERTY LOSS OR DAMAGE AND YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH THE PAYMENT BY YOUR INSURER, YOU MAY DISREGARD THIS ADVERTISEMENT.
Who This Is For
Homeland handles this kind of claim for:
Verify Homeland
Check us before you hire anyone. Every license below links to its public record on the Florida Department of Financial Services licensee search.
- Serves all of Florida: Yes — every city and county. A licensed Homeland public adjuster comes to your property — no need to visit an office. Call (305) 783-3777, 24/7.
- Homeland Public Adjusters Corporation: Florida public adjusting firm license W818638 · New Jersey public adjuster firm license 3003982360
- Yeni Martinez, President: Florida public adjuster license P103370 (licensed since 2007) · New Jersey 3003714097 · designated primary adjuster
- Alberto Enriquez: Senior licensed public adjuster, Florida P112658
- Yisel Dieguez: Licensed public adjuster and Xactimate estimator, Florida W873884 · New Jersey 3003714335
- Nelson Avila: Florida adjuster license G332385 · Florida Certified Contractor CRC1331322 · property insurance appraiser and umpire
- Complaints and reputation: 5.0★ on Google · BBB A+ rating
- Since 2006: Homeland Public Adjusters, Corp. was incorporated in Florida on December 11, 2006. Our President, Yeni Martinez, has held Florida public adjuster license P103370 since 2007. When Florida began requiring adjusting firms to hold their own firm license (a 2021 law, Senate Bill 1598; DFS began licensing adjusting firms in November 2021), Homeland was issued firm license W818638 on January 11, 2022. Each adjuster’s appointment with Homeland appears on that adjuster’s own DFS record.
- English and Spanish. Office: 8004 NW 154th Street, Suite 609, Miami Lakes, FL 33016 (visits by appointment). Florida (305) 783-3777 · New Jersey (732) 517-3777, 24/7.