Fire Damage

Getting The Proper Claim Payment: Do’s and Don’ts After a House Fire

Allstate

Knowing what to do after a house fire is probably one of the hardest things to figure out. Seeing the fruits of your labor perish in the fire is a traumatic experience. However, it’s important that you act fast to ensure a good footing when it’s time to file an insurance claim.

Dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy isn’t easy. If it proved to be emotionally and physically exhausting, you can always tap the help of a public adjuster. For starters, here are crucial do’s and don’ts after a fire happened on your property:

DO:

Hire a mitigation contractor

A professional mitigation contractor will seal the windows and other openings of your property. This is to prevent further damage that will bungle your house fire insurance claim. Make sure that the roof, doors, and all possible entryways are closed.

Document everything

You’d have to prove to your insurer that you lost all of the things that perished on the fire. Take pictures and write down everything. A public adjuster can help you through this process. Also, make sure that you read the fine print of your policy to know if it covers fire insurance.

Secure an inventory

List down all the things you lost in the fire. This will be easier for the insurance company and the public adjuster to estimate the losses. Be honest about what you’re going to include on the list.

Be in touch with a public adjuster

One of the steps to take when your house burns down is to hire a public adjuster. This person will be your wingman in documenting and getting the right payout.

DON’TS:

Delay before contacting your insurer

Contact your insurer as soon as you can. This is so they can see the actual aftermath of the fire. Delaying this will give the insurer the excuse of not paying you well. They may claim that the damage has worsened due to other factors not covered by your policy.

Repair without the recommendation of an expert

Don’t start repairs until you’ve come up with a reasonable agreement with your insurer. Also, you’re not required to use repair contractors under the wing of your fire insurance company.

Under and over-state the value

Make sure that the cost of the items you’ve lost will be stated properly. Never over or understate the price. Either way, you’ll be losing. It’s either you don’t get the right pay or the insurance company discovers that you’re lying.

Accept a quick settlement

A fire is a very massive blow to anyone’s life. Knowing what to do after a small house fire doesn’t include accepting a half-baked settlement. Quick settlements are low-balls that bait you to grabbing a lower payment than the actual damage cost. Don’t let your insurer take advantage of your vulnerability. Hire a public adjuster.

It’s hard to know what to do after a house fire. But with the help of contractors and adjusters, building your life back should be a less excruciating process.

Denied Fire Insurance Claim? Here’s What You Need To Do

A fire insurance claim can take an ugly turn when it gets denied. Aside from the devastating losses, the denial of your claim will leave you with out-of-pocket expenses. There are many reasons why your insurer will deny your claim for fire insurance. However, not all denials are judged properly. It’s your right to re-appeal and demand for another adjuster to look into the matter.

The fire insurance claim process is tricky especially if the insurer is playing games on you. However, don’t let this initial defeat eat your courage away. You have the following steps to take:

Read the denial letter

Once your insurance company decided to deny your claim, they will send you a formal letter. It will include the reasons for such denial. Make sure that your compare the reasons to the inclusion terms on your policy. If you think you’ve been ripped off, it’s time to build your strongest case.

Call your insurer and raise your concerns. Keep a log of every communication you make with the insurer including the matters discussed.

Establishing your solid case

If your insurer proved to be a headache, it’s time to hire a public adjuster. They will help you detail the losses and the policy clause that states the damage should’ve been covered. At this point, you’ll be using your communication log to prove that you’ve exhausted all efforts to get your case reviewed. Supporting documents will also be prepared before you re-communicate with the insurer.

Climb the command ladder if your claim goes unreviewed. Go to the insurer’s supervisor, manager, directors, and so on. This could be a taxing process but worth it if the damages are large-scale. It’s best to hire an attorney and a public adjuster to help you out.

Fire insurance claim tips: Keep documenting every communication. This will be the foundation of your fight to a payout.

Filing a complaint

If everything doesn’t work, the next resort is to file a complaint against your insurance company. The insurance commissioner of your state will be handling the case. This should automatically result in a review of your claim and the evidence that you should’ve been granted the payout.

Remember, though, that filing a complaint should only be done if you’ve exhausted all possible remedies. Legal matters can get really messy.

Here come EUO and threatening letters

When your insurance company demands you to attend an examination under oath, this is a sign of a bigger storm. This legal process spells war and you should seek the advice of an insurance lawyer. The goal here is to reach a fire insurance claims settlement. You should be prepared to present your case. The same goes for smoke damage insurance coverage and other indirect fire damages.

To admit, this stage will be intimidating. But with the help of a public adjuster and a lawyer, it should give you a fighting chance. A fire insurance claim could be demanding, but it’s nothing compared to what perished on the ashes.

Things to Know When Documenting Total Losses After a Fire

Seeing your possessions turn into ashes is a traumatic experience. What’s more is that documentation of the total losses is needed for fire insurance Florida. It can be a big pain for someone who’s still coping with the damage. However, you shouldn’t go through it alone. You can ask the help of friends, families, and a public adjuster to get things done with the least emotional burden.

The strongest proofs for the value of the damaged goods are receipts. But if it also perished in the fire, you can ask for other people’s help. Those who had visited your home can provide a detailed description. Aside from that, there are more things you can do in line with your fire insurance policy:

Talk with the retailer

The best thing to do is to contact the retailer where you’ve purchased the items. They can give you a detailed description of the item and price ranges. If they can no longer find the exact model you purchased, a rough estimate would serve you well. It’s good if you remember the store where you purchase. If you paid via credit or debit card, there’s a chance that they can trace it on their system. It requires a little patience but worth it if you want to get all losses included on the fire insurance coverage.

Use your bank statement

If there are items you simply can’t trace on your own, request for an account statement from your bank. Through this, you’ll see the POS payments you’ve done. It will give you an idea where and on which items you’ve paid the amount for. It also offers a timeline of the purchases. However, bank statements can also be like deciphering secret maps if you’re a shopaholic. If you want, you contact your bank for more details you can use on homeowners insurance after fire loss.

Refer to the department store

In case you’re not sold to what you saw in your bank statement, visit a department store near you. Install a price scanner on your smartphone so you can record those items you’ve lost. From pieces of clothing to expensive appliances, this will work really well. A day of going around the store would give you a long list of the damaged items. Just make sure that you’ll ask for the store’s permission if your price scanning will be of large scale.

Ask the help of a public adjuster

Documenting what you’ve lost in a fire is an exhausting task. You can save time and energy by hiring a public adjuster. Gold Coast, for one, can help you in figuring out the total cost of your possessions. They can help in vendor and item research. As a wingman, they will ensure that everything is covered on the fire insurance cost. They can also help on commercial fire insurance coverage documentation.

If you’re dealing with fire insurance Florida, make sure that all items will be paid for. Doing it with the help of a public adjuster will cut you some slack.

Fire Damage Insurance claims

Property insurance as a concept began as a response to fire damage. Though not the most common damage claims for insurance companies, fire damage is unique in its destructive power and heavy cost. Most commonly house fires begin in the kitchen, but electric wiring if old or faulty can also begin devastating fires in the home or business. Worse still, even if the property is only partially damaged and not completely destroyed, fire damage brings others along with it, including water (from burst or exposed plumbing), smoke, ash, mold, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Fire damage can even affect nearby properties, not just the ones that were burned themselves, as being exposed to such extreme heat (from say, a neighboring property catching fire) can dangerously weaken the structural integrity of the building.
Home or property fires can quickly become lethal, therefore any property insurance plans, must include a complete and comprehensive process to submit and resolve fire damage insurance claims. In fire damage cases in particular, speed of the process is of the essence as the claimant may be left without a home or business. Therefore there are certain concrete steps claimants must take to ensure their due compensation:

If the claimants are forced to evacuate due to the dangerous conditions, they may not have grabbed essentials like toiletries or clothes for school and work, and so may, and should, ask for an advance against the ultimate fire insurance claim to hold them over until the claim is finally resolved, and these living costs should be recorded
Once the physical safety of the claimants are assured, an insurance claim should be submitted ASAP and the insurance company pressed to send an adjuster. This claim should include accounts of the fire, injuries (if any) sustained, the remaining condition of the property, and a police report
Claimants are advised to make as comprehensive a list as soon as they can of all the property that was lost, so as to compile accurate damages costs
If possible, claimants may be asked to mitigate damages to the property such as boarding up and covering holes in the walls and roof and extinguishing any remaining embers
Obtain your own estimates of the repair costs, three independent estimates from contractors are a good start
If your insurance company is unresponsive, consider contacting a public insurance adjuster

Fire and Water damage

The process of extinguishing a blaze means that fire damage is also water damage. The combination poses a complex set of dangers and difficulties – we’re here to handle the project from start to finish! Gold Coast Public Adjusters 754-444-7411

Fire damage insurance

A fire is an unfortunate event that can happen to anyone at any time. The first thing that you should do after the fire has been put out is to contact your public adjuster as soon as possible. Many insurance companies would require you to contact them within a certain amount of time after the incident to notify them of the loss that you have sustained. Let the public adjuster help you report date of loss, types of damage, injuries sustained, location of injuries, involvement of other parties, and description of the damaged contents. It is also important to create a visual record of the damage that you have sustained.