My condo was damaged by a leak from the unit above. Whose insurance pays?

Usually more than one policy is involved: the HOA's master policy, your own HO-6 policy and possibly the neighbor's. Which one pays for what depends on the association's CC&Rs and each policy's language. We review all of them, document the damage for each carrier and make sure the loss isn't stranded between them.

Can you help with a Coastal Fire or Airport Fire claim that's already been paid?

Yes. A payment is not a closed claim. If the rebuild is coming in over the carrier's estimate, if code upgrades or additional living expenses were underpaid, or if smoke and ash remediation was denied, we can re-open the claim with documentation and pursue the supplemental amount.

What does a public adjuster cost in Orange County?

There is no upfront fee. The initial review is free, and if we take the claim our fee is a percentage of what we recover. We put the terms in writing before any work begins, as California law requires.

How quickly can someone inspect my property?

For active losses we schedule Orange County inspections within days, and for emergencies we can usually be on site within 24 hours. Call (818) 905-6800 — the line is answered around the clock for emergency losses.

Orange County, California

Public Adjusters in Orange County

From the canyon communities to the coast, we represent Orange County homeowners, HOAs and businesses on fire, water, wind and property damage insurance claims.

Call (818) 905-6800 Free Consultation

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Since 1972

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Orange County

Public adjusting for Orange County policyholders

Orange County's 3.1 million residents live with two very different kinds of risk. Along the coast — Newport, Laguna, Dana Point, Huntington — high-value homes and condominiums face storm surge, wind-driven rain, slope movement and the largest contents claims we handle anywhere. Inland, the canyon and foothill communities from Silverado to Trabuco to Anaheim Hills sit in some of the most active wildfire terrain in Southern California.

Metropolitan Adjustment Bureau has represented Orange County policyholders for decades from our Southern California headquarters. We understand the master-planned HOA structures of Irvine and Mission Viejo, the older housing in Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Fullerton, and the commercial mix of Anaheim's resort district and the county's medical and manufacturing corridors — and we know how the carriers that write those risks handle their claims.

Communities we serve in Orange County

Irvine
Anaheim
Santa Ana
Huntington Beach
Newport Beach
Costa Mesa
Mission Viejo
Laguna Niguel
Laguna Beach
San Clemente
Dana Point
Fullerton
Orange
Yorba Linda
Anaheim Hills
Tustin
Lake Forest
Rancho Santa Margarita
Trabuco Canyon
Silverado
Seal Beach
Garden Grove
Brea
Aliso Viejo

Local Risks

What damages Orange County properties — and how those claims go wrong

Canyon and foothill wildfire

The September 2024 Airport Fire started in Trabuco Canyon and burned more than 23,000 acres over the Santa Ana Mountains. Before it: the Coastal Fire (2022) destroyed 20 homes in Laguna Niguel in a single afternoon; the Bond and Silverado fires (2020) burned Silverado Canyon and forced evacuations of 90,000 people around Irvine; Canyon Fire 2 (2017) reached Anaheim Hills. Orange County fire claims involve the same fights we see across California — inadequate dwelling limits, code-upgrade coverage, smoke and ash remediation on standing homes, and long additional-living-expense periods in one of the country's most expensive rental markets.

Fire Damage Claims

Coastal storms, flooding and slope movement

Tropical Storm Hilary (2023) and the winter storms of 2023 and 2024 flooded homes from Seal Beach to San Clemente and overwhelmed drainage in the Santa Ana River basin. On the coast, wind-driven rain through failed windows and deck waterproofing is a recurring — and frequently disputed — claim. San Clemente's ongoing landslides show the hard edge of these policies: earth movement is generally excluded, so the claim turns on whether a covered cause (a broken pipe, a storm-damaged drain) triggered the loss. That determination should not be left to the carrier alone.

Water Damage Claims

Water damage in condominiums and HOAs

Orange County has one of the highest concentrations of common-interest developments in the state. A pipe failure in an Irvine or Aliso Viejo condominium can involve the HOA's master policy, the owner's HO-6 policy, a neighbor's policy and the association's CC&Rs all at once. We sort out which policy responds to which damage, document the loss for each, and keep the owner from being pushed between carriers.

Residential Claims

Santa Ana wind events

Santa Ana winds funnel through the Santa Ana Canyon and across Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Orange and Tustin with gusts that regularly exceed 60 mph. Roof, tile, fence, solar array and tree-strike claims follow every major event. Carriers often reduce these to 'cosmetic' or 'pre-existing' damage — we document the storm-caused damage with inspection evidence and weather data.

Wind & Storm Damage

Commercial: hospitality, medical, retail, manufacturing

Anaheim's resort district, the medical corridors around Irvine and Newport, and the manufacturing and logistics parks of north county generate claims with significant business-interruption exposure. Establishing lost income, extra expense and the reasonable period of restoration requires independent accounting — the carrier's number is a starting point, not a verdict.

Commercial Claims

The Orange County insurance picture

Orange County homeowners in the canyons, on the coastal slopes and in Laguna Beach have been among the hardest hit by California's non-renewal wave, with many forced onto the California FAIR Plan. FAIR Plan coverage is narrower and its dwelling limits are often set well below actual rebuild cost in coastal Orange County — a gap that surfaces only after a loss.

The California Department of Insurance regulates how every carrier must handle your claim: acknowledge it within 15 days, respond to your communications promptly, and accept or deny within 40 days of proof of claim. When a carrier stalls, lowballs or misapplies an exclusion, those regulations give us leverage. We use them.

For HOA and condominium losses, timing matters: notice must reach every policy that could respond, and coverage positions harden quickly. Involving a public adjuster early keeps the claim from being resolved between the carriers without your interest represented.

Our Services

Claim services in Orange County

01Fire Damage ClaimsComprehensive fire damage assessment and claim management for residential and commercial properties.02Water Damage ClaimsExpert handling of water, plumbing, and flood damage insurance claims.03Earthquake ClaimsSpecialized earthquake damage assessment and insurance claim negotiation.04Wind & Storm DamageWind, hurricane, and tornado damage claim management and settlement negotiation.05Theft & VandalismProperty theft and vandalism insurance claim documentation and recovery.06Residential ClaimsComplete home damage claim management for homeowners, from single-family homes to condos and apartments.07Commercial ClaimsLarge-scale commercial property damage claims including business interruption.

FAQ

Orange County claim questions

Yes — north county (Fullerton, Brea, Yorba Linda, Anaheim), central (Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin, Irvine), the coast (Seal Beach to San Clemente) and south county (Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Niguel). Our adjusters travel from our Southern California headquarters for on-site inspections.

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“I manage a 23-unit apartment complex and we experienced damage to the roof during the violent windstorms of December, 2011. Working with Metropolitan Adjustment Bureau was the best decision we could have made. The insurance company has paid over $77,000 to date. We not only have a new roof, but we also received money for loss of rent and other damages that occurred during the windstorm.”

Kim Tracy

Property damage in Orange County?
Talk to us before you settle.

Free policy review and claim consultation. No upfront fees — we are paid only from what we recover for you.

Call (818) 905-6800

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