Fire Damage Insurance Claims – Getting the Most Out of Your Claim

Fire damage can completely ruin a home. While some fires are put out quickly with minimal damage, others will completely obliterate a home. When a fire occurs, the first step is to contact your respective insurance company to ensure that a claim is made.

Making a Claim

When a claim is made, you will need to have the following:

• A police or fire report
• Date that the fire occurred
• What room(s) were affected
• The home’s overall condition
• A description of the damage as well as if immediate repairs are needed

Once this has been submitted, you may also want to submit an advanced notice for immediate settlement money for your essential living items. This means money for new living accommodations as well as clothes and food.

How Settlements are Determined

When damages occur, there are numerous ways in which a settlement figure will be calculated. This is done by the following:

• Policy Limits: Insurance companies will never exceed policy limits and will not cover damages not listed in your policy.
• Damage: The cost of the repairs will be calculated.
• Losses: Any items damaged within the fire will also be calculated in a settlement.
• Extras: Money will be given for temporary housing and living essentials.

As a homeowner, your best course of action is to be proactive. This means that you will need to take pictures, videos and make a list of all items that have been damaged within the fire. Special attention must also be given to the location of the fire as well as the estimated repair costs.

Precautions

The fire may have caused many repairs that are necessary to go overlooked. This may be instability of a roof due to the fire or smoke damage that is not easily seen. As a homeowner, you must ensure that repairs are estimated properly.

This is where a public adjuster can lend their expertise. When damage occurs, it is likely that you will not be able to assess the overall repair cost on your own, or know what extras to look for in the process. Trusting an adjuster sent by the insurance company will also lead to further failure. Instead, a public adjuster works for you – not the insurance company.

All too often, proposed settlements are made that are not aligned with the factual cost of repairs. In this case, a public adjuster will fight on your behalf to ensure a fair and accurate settlement is given. If an insurance company is delaying your claim or they do not want to pay for the accurate value of repairs, it is time to give us a call. We can help you finally get the settlement that you deserve – without the hassle.