Every Georgia homeowner who has been through a serious claim remembers the day the check arrived. Relief, first. Then the weight of the next question. Now what?
Because the check is not the finish line. It is the down payment on getting your house back the way it was, and every dollar of that settlement has to make it through one more filter before the job is done. That filter is your contractor. Pick the right one, and the money does exactly what it was meant to do. Pick the wrong one, and the settlement you fought for gets sanded down by underscoped bids, forgotten line items, missing warranties, and walk-off deposits.
The settlement is not the same thing as the repair
When a public adjuster works your claim, every hour goes into the same objective: get the carrier's scope of loss to match the actual damage, line by line. That means fighting for the drying that got skipped, the code upgrades the local jurisdiction now requires, the matching that the carrier tried to call optional, the O&P (overhead and profit) that a general contractor is owed on any multi-trade job, and the depreciation that only gets released when the work is actually performed.
All of that is money on paper. It stays on paper until a contractor performs to it.
Here is the trap most homeowners never see coming: a contractor can quote a lower number, hand the homeowner a check for the difference, and skip the exact line items the PA fought hardest to include. On the surface it looks like a win. The check clears, the drywall gets closed up, everybody smiles. Six months later the moisture is back, the shingles are already curling, and the depreciation the mortgage company was holding never gets released because the scope was never completed. That is not a rebuild. That is a haircut.
Why Georgia homeowners get hit twice
Georgia is a friendly state to work in if you build houses. That is a feature for the economy and a bug for homeowners going through a claim.
Under O.C.G.A. §43-41, a residential or general contractor license is required only when a project exceeds $2,500 in combined materials and labor. That threshold protects the homeowner on any real rebuild, but plenty of "storm chasers" write phased contracts and change orders that keep individual invoices under the line.
Roofing is the wider gap. Georgia does not issue a state roofing license at all. Pure-play roofers are expressly exempt under §43-41-17(g) from the state Residential-Basic or General Contractor license. They can install, replace, and repair roofs without any state contractor credential. That does not mean they operate without rules. It means the rules that stay are insurance, workers' comp, local business license, and Georgia's insurance-claim roofing statute at O.C.G.A. §10-7, which requires a written contract, a deductible non-waiver clause, and a three-day right of rescission on any roofing work tied to an insurance claim.
The homeowner has to be the one verifying that. Nobody is doing it for you at the curb.
What a Georgia public adjuster does, and what she does not do
This part matters. It matters legally, it matters for the license, and it matters for how you use your PA to protect yourself. Because if you take one thing away from this article, it should be that your public adjuster is not part of the vendor stack.
Amanda's role vs. the contractor's role
What your public adjuster does
- Advocates on the claim with the carrier
- Documents the loss and negotiates the scope
- Interprets the policy and pushes back on wrong denials
- Reviews a contractor's written scope against the approved settlement, line by line
- Flags items the contractor left out that the carrier already paid for
- Explains what the check is meant to cover
What your public adjuster does not do
- Choose your contractor for you
- Hire, direct, or supervise the rebuild
- Pull permits or manage subcontractors
- Receive any payment or referral fee from a contractor
- Guarantee any contractor's work
- Sign the construction contract on your behalf
Georgia Rule 120-2-52 was written to keep public adjusters on the policyholder's side of the table. The moment a PA takes a contractor kickback, refers for compensation, or crosses into managing the rebuild, the license and the trust are both compromised. Amanda does not play that game. What she will do is sit down with you and read the paperwork before you sign anything.
The vetting checklist she reads before you sign
Here are the ten items Amanda looks for on a contractor's paperwork the first time a Georgia homeowner brings a bid to the table. Not to pick the contractor for you. To make sure the contractor you pick will not undo the work she just did.
1 Georgia license (or valid exemption)
For anything except pure roofing, ask for the state Residential-Basic, Residential-Light Commercial, or General Contractor license number. Verify it at the Georgia Secretary of State eLicense portal. For a roofing-only job, ask for the local city or county business license, because the state license does not apply. If the contractor cannot produce either, walk.
RED FLAG if no license, no exemption path, no local business license.2 Certificate of Insurance naming this job
General liability of at least $300,000 for a Residential-Basic, $500,000 for a Residential-Light Commercial or General Contractor. Workers' compensation if the contractor has three or more employees. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance that names your address, not a generic COI from six months ago. Call the insurance broker on the certificate to confirm the policy is active. This one call has stopped more disasters than any other line on this list.
RED FLAG if the COI is old, generic, or the broker does not answer.3 A written scope that matches (or exceeds) the carrier's approved scope
This is where the money is protected. The contractor's proposal should read like a mirror of the settlement scope, or a fuller version of it. Line items that appeared on the carrier's estimate should appear on the contractor's proposal. Where they do not, ask why. A contractor who wants to "simplify" the scope is often the one preparing to cash out the depreciation without doing the work.
RED FLAG if line items are missing, consolidated, or "included" without a written breakdown.4 A payment schedule that is not front-loaded
A fair Georgia payment schedule looks something like this: a modest deposit at signing (never more than 10 to 25 percent), progress payments tied to inspected milestones, and final payment on completion and clearance. Any contract that asks for 50 percent up front on a rebuild you have not started is asking you to finance the contractor's other jobs. That is not a partnership. That is a loan you did not agree to make.
RED FLAG if more than 25 percent is due before work starts.5 No Assignment of Benefits (AOB) unless you understand it
An AOB transfers your right to collect the insurance proceeds directly to the contractor. Georgia does not ban AOBs, but signing one hands your leverage away. If the job goes sideways, the contractor is the one talking to the carrier, not you, and firing them becomes a legal fight rather than a decision. Most homeowners are safer keeping the carrier check in their own name and paying the contractor in progress payments themselves.
RED FLAG if an AOB is buried in the contract without a clear line-item disclosure.6 Written warranty, minimum two years on labor
Manufacturer warranties on shingles, siding, or windows do not cover the labor to install them. A contractor who stands behind the work should offer at least a two-year labor warranty in writing, ideally longer on a roof. If the contract is silent on warranty, or the warranty is verbal, that silence is the warranty.
RED FLAG if warranty terms are verbal or "industry standard" is the only phrase used.7 Lien-waiver language in the contract
Georgia's mechanic's lien statute lets subcontractors and material suppliers file a lien against your home if the general contractor does not pay them, even though you paid the GC in full. A tight contract requires the contractor to deliver lien waivers from every sub and supplier at each progress payment. Without that language, the homeowner is on the hook for money they already paid once.
RED FLAG if there is no lien-waiver clause at all.8 Local Georgia address and verifiable years in business
Storm chasers rent a P.O. box, print magnetic truck signs, and vanish after the season. A contractor with a real Georgia address, a Georgia LLC or corporation registered at the Secretary of State's Corporations Division, and verifiable years in business is a contractor who will still be here in three years when the warranty gets tested.
RED FLAG if the address is out of state, the LLC is under 12 months old, or online reviews start suddenly.9 Permit responsibility spelled out in writing
Most metro Atlanta rebuilds require a permit. The contractor should be the one pulling it, in their name, so their license and insurance are on the line with the county. Contractors who ask the homeowner to pull the permit as "the owner-builder" are shifting liability. It is not always a scam, but it is always a question. Ask why. If the answer is because they cannot pull it themselves, that is your answer about their license.
RED FLAG if the contractor refuses to pull the permit in their own name.10 Three-day right of rescission on any insurance-claim roofing contract
This is the one Georgia specifically wrote into the code. Under O.C.G.A. §10-7, any roofing contract tied to an insurance claim must include a three-day rescission clause and a deductible non-waiver clause (the contractor cannot pay or absorb your deductible). If the roofing proposal on your kitchen table does not include both, the paperwork itself is out of compliance. That tells you what kind of business you are dealing with before a single shingle is lifted.
RED FLAG if the roofing contract lacks 3-day rescission or a deductible non-waiver.The three sentences to say when a contractor pushes back
Every one of these items is standard practice for a reputable Georgia contractor. If a contractor resists any of them, the language is simple, and you do not need to argue.
- "I need to see your license and current Certificate of Insurance naming this project before I sign."
- "My public adjuster is reviewing the scope against the carrier's estimate. Please send your proposal to me in writing and I will get you an answer within a week."
- "I am not signing an Assignment of Benefits. I will pay in progress payments tied to inspected milestones, and I need a lien-waiver package at every draw."
Those three sentences filter out most of the bad actors in Georgia in about 30 seconds. Not because good contractors are perfect, but because bad ones get impatient the moment they hear structure.
Where the PA fits in the second fight
After the settlement lands, most homeowners think the professional part is over. It is not. It is just changing shape.
Amanda will read the approved scope with you, walk you through what each dollar was meant to cover, and read a contractor's proposal against that scope before you sign. She will point out the line items that got left out, the depreciation that only gets released when the work is done, and the O&P a general contractor is entitled to. She will not tell you who to hire. She will not manage the job. She will not take a nickel from your contractor. That firewall is the whole point.
If your rebuild is starting and something on your contractor's paperwork does not look right, that is a conversation worth having before the deposit is written. Once the check clears the contractor's account, the leverage flips.
Free contract review for active claim clients
If Amanda is handling your claim, she will read your contractor's paperwork against the approved scope for free before you sign. If you have not filed a claim yet and something already looks off, a free claim review is 15 minutes on the phone. No fee unless the carrier pays.
Frequently asked questions
Can a public adjuster in Georgia recommend a contractor?
A PA can advocate on the claim and help you understand what the approved scope covers, but the PA cannot direct the rebuild, hire subs, or receive compensation for steering clients to a specific contractor. Georgia Rule 120-2-52 keeps the PA on the policyholder's side, and Georgia contractor law is a separate license the PA does not hold. Ask your PA to review the contract paperwork against the settlement, and choose the contractor yourself.
Does a Georgia contractor need a state license to work on my house?
For any residential or general contracting work valued at $2,500 or more, yes. That license is issued by the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors under O.C.G.A. §43-41, and you can verify it at the Georgia Secretary of State eLicense portal. Roofing is the exception. Pure-play roofers are exempt under §43-41-17(g), but they still need general liability insurance, workers' compensation with three or more employees, and any local city or county business license.
What is an AOB and why should I avoid signing one after a claim?
An Assignment of Benefits transfers your right to collect insurance proceeds directly to the contractor. Once you sign it, the contractor negotiates with the carrier, not you, and if the job goes sideways your leverage is gone. Georgia does not ban AOBs, but a homeowner keeping the carrier check in their own name keeps every option open, including firing the contractor if the work does not match the approved scope.
What are the minimum insurance amounts a Georgia contractor should carry?
A Residential-Basic contractor must carry general liability of at least $300,000 per occurrence. A Residential-Light Commercial or full General Contractor must carry $500,000 per occurrence. Any contractor with three or more employees also carries Georgia workers' compensation. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance naming your specific job before any deposit is paid.
Final word
Making yourself whole is not a single moment. It is a claim, a settlement, and a rebuild, and each of those has its own fight and its own advocate. The PA fights for the money. The contractor performs to the scope. The homeowner keeps the two roles honest by staying in the middle with the paperwork open.
The good news is that once you know what to look for, the vetting is fast. Ten questions, three sentences, one conversation with your PA before you sign. That is what stands between a great settlement and a great rebuild.
Amanda's phone is 678-496-6916. If your claim is active, or a contractor is already at the kitchen table, that is the right time to call.