Natural disasters are scary and dangerous. They’re impacting cities more often, with floods on the rise in coastal regions and raging wildfires happening more commonly in arid ones.
Homes are where people live, but they also provide a sense of comfort, security, peace, and safety. When a large fire consumes your home, people naturally feel adrift and lost. It’s an understandable feeling, but you need to respond the right way, or if could affect your insurance coverage and ultimate ability to recover.
If your home has been damaged or destroyed by fire, here’s what you need to do.
Call the Police and Insurance Company
The first thing to do after your home catches fire is to make sure your family is safe. After that, you need to call 9-1-1 to get police and firefighters on the scene.
It’s a distressing time, but it’s very important to call the insurance company as soon as possible. The more time elapses, the easier it will be for them to reduce or dismiss your coverage. Your policy likely specifies how quickly you need to respond, and the sooner you can contact them, the better. They will want to know the details from the moment the loss happened, and likely have someone sent out to assess the damage quite quickly if emergency work needs to be carried out.
Document the Schedule of Loss
Homeowners need to submit to their insurance company a document called a Schedule of Loss, which is a detailed list of all the personal property and belongings damaged or destroyed in the fire, along with their monetary value. Whether your coverage recognizes the replacement value or innate worth of the damaged goods, you must provide such a list and make it as detailed as possible.
The more evidence you submit, the likelier it is you will receive a fair settlement. Include before-and-after photographs and videos if you can. It’s a good idea to make this list now, before the fire, so you have it ready in the event of a disaster. If you have higher valued items which the insurance company may question their value or ownership, you should try to locate supporting documentation for these items especially.
Hire an Insurance Lawyer
You may wonder how an insurance lawyer can assist you and if it’s worth the additional expense. It’s hard to overstate the importance of having a knowledgeable, experienced professional at your side during an intensely emotional time. They are able to focus on all claim-related requirements and important communications with the insurer, allowing you time to focus on your family’s well-being.
They know the insurance industry’s tricks and how to push back as a result of their experience. They likely have worked with your insurer and adjuster before. Insurance lawyers will ensure your paperwork is submitted correctly and on time, so insurance companies do not have grounds to reject or undervalue the claim. They’ll also negotiate better on your behalf than you likely would yourself, given their expertise and the time they have.
Often, there are legal arguments to navigate in an insurance claim in determining contract interpretation and what you are entitled to in your policy. Insurance lawyers can help advocate for you where you may not understand you are entitled to more.
Sometimes, insurance companies try underhanded tactics to reduce or avoid payments. For example, they sometimes offer a small chunk of money at the outset, conditional on their final payment. Insurance lawyers will help you steer clear of these tricks. Indeed, insurance companies may not even attempt them if they know you have an insurance lawyer’s assistance.
A person’s home provides physical security and comfort for their family and it’s also a financial nest egg. Anybody would feel devastated upon seeing it go up in flames, but if you remember the above advice and act accordingly, you will hopefully have a positive claims experience and are in the best position to recover from the loss.
