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Most roofing contractors figure out they need a supplement company after leaving money on the table once or twice. The problem is the market is full of operations that are essentially one person with an Xactimate login and no real adjuster experience. Here is what actually matters when you are deciding who to trust with your claims.
The single most important question is whether the people writing your supplements are licensed insurance adjusters. Not former contractors. Not “Xactimate trained.” Licensed adjusters who have sat on the carrier side, written scopes, and understand how desk adjusters evaluate documentation.
This matters because a supplement is not just a list of line items — it is a documented argument. Every line has to be justifiable under the applicable building code, manufacturer requirements, and the terms of the policy. An adjuster knows how to write it so that when the carrier reviews it, there is nothing to push back on. A contractor writing supplements is guessing.
Ask to see their license. Ask which states they are licensed in. Ask how long they have held those credentials. A legitimate operation will answer all of that without hesitation.
A company that has processed 10,000 claims through State Farm is not automatically better than one that has processed 500 claims across 50 different carriers. The variety matters. Every carrier has different internal review standards, pricing preferences, and negotiation patterns. Experience across a wide range of carriers means the supplement company actually knows how different organizations think — not just how one workflow operates.
Ask specifically: which carriers have you worked with? What is your experience with USAA? Travelers? The regional carriers in my market? You want someone who has been in the room with your carrier before, not someone who is figuring it out on your claim.
Submitting a supplement is not the same as closing one. Carriers sit on supplements. They lose them, ignore them, or respond with a partial approval hoping you will take it. A good supplement company follows up with the carrier two to three times per week — phone calls, emails, whatever it takes — until the file is resolved.
Ask any company you are considering: what does your follow-up process look like after submission? If they say “we submit and the carrier gets back to us,” that is a no. You need someone who is actively pushing on the carrier until the claim is paid.
No one can guarantee what a carrier will approve. Anyone promising a specific recovery amount before reviewing your claim is either lying or does not understand how supplements work.
This structure removes any incentive to maximize your payout. A percentage-based model means the company only wins when you win.
A professional operation should be able to turn a standard supplement within 24 hours. Longer than that usually means they are overwhelmed, understaffed, or not treating your file as a priority.
If they cannot describe exactly what happens after submission, your supplement is going into a black hole.
Send us one claim. No commitment. We'll have a complete supplement on the desk adjuster's desk within 24 hours — free.
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