The 8 Essential Steps to Winning Your Fire and Smoke Damage Insurance Claim

Our homes aren’t just our safe havens; they’re also our biggest financial investments in most cases. If you’ve recently suffered a house fire, we can’t imagine how devastated and overwhelmed you are right now, but we also can’t stress enough how essential it is to take prompt action by following our 8 Essential Tips for your fire and smoke damage insurance claim.

If you aren’t sure how you should go about issuing a fire and smoke damage insurance claim or you’re looking for advice on how you can make the most out of your claim, we’re here to help. This post attempts to cover the top 8 house fire insurance claim tips you need to know, along with some insight on smoke damage coverage and how house fire insurance claims work.

Fire-related claims are some of the most expensive types of claims in the insurance market, totalling over £1.3 billion in pay-outs per year. That being the case, insurance companies are always trying to maximise their profit by lessening pay-outs or voiding issued insurance claims completely.

We aren’t saying that insurance companies don’t have their insureds’ backs. But we’re saying that specific measures need to be taken if you wish to get the most out of your fire and smoke damage insurance claim.

First and foremost, you must make sure you have a copy of your insurance policy. If it got lost or torched in the house fire, you must reach out to your insurance carrier and request a certified copy.

Then, your next step should be to inform your insurance provider of the incident as soon as possible. The longer you wait to notify your insurer, the more suspicion and complication you’ll garner. Also, note that most insurance companies have an emergency number that you can call 24/7.

Having notified your insurer, you need to collect every detail that you think is relevant to the claim you’re looking to file, paying close attention to documenting all aspects of the smoke and soot damage. And if you’re faced with inquiries about more information that you don’t have, you shouldn’t feel pressured at all. Instead, what you should do is request more time to collect said details.

And another thing you can do to ensure getting the most out of your fire insurance claim is to use a loss assessor. Loss assessors work on behalf of their clients, taking the burden of the entire claim process off their shoulders.

Moreover, let us clarify that you don’t need to use a loss assessor to file a fire insurance claim. Also, loss assessors differ from loss adjusters in several respects. If you want to learn more about the differences between them, read our article on what’s the difference between a loss assessor and a loss Adjuster?

Considering how expensive fire-related insurance policies tend to be, insurance companies are always trying to invalidate or lessen pay-outs in order to increase their profit. This is why it’s of the utmost importance to educate yourself on how house fire insurance policies work and have a good understanding of your rights, especially concerning smoke damage coverage.

And to know what is and what isn’t within your rights as a policyholder, you need to read every term and condition stated in your policy agreement. In other words, not a single word or fine print should be neglected.

If there are any terms or jargon in your insurance policy that you aren’t familiar with, take note of them and refer to a professional. This also applies to any wording that you may find confusing or unclear.

Moreover, insurance policies tend to have technical terms and phrases that the average policyholder won’t be familiar with. If this is the case with your policy, research every unfamiliar word or phrase so that you can be one step ahead.

When house fire insurance claims are issued, insurers send loss adjusters to inspect the incident and assess the damage caused by the fire, including the extent of smoke and soot damage. So, it’s crucial that you don’t throw any of your burned or smoke-damaged belongings away. You need to keep as much evidence as you can.

Furthermore, it helps if you take pictures of the damage done to your property and its contents. We also recommend making a list of everything that was lost/damaged in the fire, with an estimate of how much they cost.

Undoubtedly, the listing and assessment of damaged contents will be carried out by your insurer. Nonetheless, it helps to make a list of your own for reference.

Finally, the only scenario in which you can get rid of a particular item is if it poses some danger. Apart from that, you should wait for your insurer to send a loss adjuster before you attempt to get rid of anything.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, prompt action is crucial when filing a house fire insurance claim. And it would be best if you didn’t wait too long to inform your insurer of the incident. The longer you wait, the more complicated the process will be.

Of course, you have to make sure everyone in your household is safe first before you phone your insurer. Moreover, if possible, make sure there isn’t anything that can cause more damage to your property than what’s already been done.

The moment fire protection services leave your house, it becomes your responsibility as the homeowner to prevent any further damage from taking place.

So, it’s best to get in touch with a surveyor and have them check whether or not the fire has compromised your home’s structural integrity. It would help if you also got in touch with a qualified electrician to ensure that your house doesn’t pose any electrical hazard.

And if your house does pose a danger, you must arrange to have it secured before you leave it unattended. However, if there isn’t any immediate danger, don’t carry out any work until you get your insurer’s approval.

As a policyholder, it’s well within your rights to request whatever you need, especially if your house and your belongings have suffered significant damage from fire and smoke.

Whether you need clothing, temporary accommodation, food, or something else, you need to let your insurer know. And your insurer should provide an advance to help you cover the costs of emergency provisions.

Missing out on insurance payments can result in your cover getting cancelled. This is why it’s essential to make your insurance payments and mortgage on time. It can be hard to manage such payments when you’ve just suffered a house fire. But you have to push through it so that you don’t complicate the process or get in debt.

Another thing you should keep in mind is that in-house insurance contractors may not have your best interests at heart. So, it’s best to seek advice from an independent contractor, especially if you feel like you’re misrepresented or your insurer’s assessment of the smoke damage is inaccurate.

Loss adjusters are specialists who work on behalf of insurance agencies. To elaborate, their job is to assess and evaluate the damage that an insured policyholder has sustained, including damage from smoke and soot. And a loss adjuster differs from a loss assessor in that the former works for the insurer, whereas the latter works for the policyholder.

Moreover, the loss adjuster deployed by your insurance company may or may not speak to you during the assessment process. However, if they do, they may ask you some of the following questions:

• Where and when did the damage/loss take place?
• Can you describe the areas of your house that sustained damage, particularly smoke damage?
• Do you have any photographic or videographic evidence?
• How much would you estimate the damage you’ve sustained?
• Do I have permission to record this conversation (audio or in writing)?

Also, if the loss adjuster has questions, make sure not to overshare. Loss adjusters tend to ask open-ended questions. This way, policyholders are tempted to overshare, which, in some cases, can harm their case.

When talking to a loss adjuster, avoid sharing any information that may be disadvantageous to your case. You should only share hard, concise facts. Steer clear of tangents and guesswork. Also, you shouldn’t admit to any fault in the damage done to your property.

If the adjuster asks for your permission to record your conversation, whether it’s in audio form or in writing, decline their request. That’s because they may use the exchange to invalidate your claim.

Lastly, you should never accept the first settlement offer you get. Instead, view the first settlement offer as the lowest your insurance company can pay you. And let them show their hand, and don’t shy away from negotiation.

As we’ve alluded to earlier, the role of a loss assessor is to maximise the policyholder’s insurance claim settlement. And a loss assessor will carry the burden of negotiating the terms of your insurance claim on your behalf, including the full scope of smoke damage.

The sooner you engage a loss assessor, the higher your chances of maximising your claim’s settlement will be. It may be costly to hire a loss assessor, but it’s well worth it. After all, a loss assessor works for you and has your best interest at heart.

What your insurance policy can and can’t cover boils down to your insurance provider and the level of coverage your policy provides.

For instance, if you have a building insurance policy, the property itself, along with the fixtures, fittings, garden walls, fences, and outbuildings, will be covered.

However, if you have a contents insurance policy, you’ll receive coverage on household goods, personal belongings, valuables, money, and business equipment. To learn more, we’d encourage you to read how insurance companies investigate claims.

Once again, it all boils down to the level of coverage your policy provides. So, you should check your insurance policy to learn about your rights concerning smoke and soot damage.

If you’ve sustained severe smoke damage, it’s highly recommended that you enlist the help of an independent party (loss assessor) to help you assess the damage and manage the claim.

And note that smoke damage may not always be visible at first sight. So, if you suspect that your property has sustained smoke damage, be sure to call in a professional.

Experiencing a house fire is, without a doubt, a dreadful and traumatic experience that no one wishes to go through. However, if you’re going through it now, it’s of the utmost importance that you take prompt action regarding your fire and smoke damage insurance claim.

That’s because the longer you wait to inform your insurer, the more complicated the claim process will be. If the burden is too heavy to carry on your own, you may want to consider enlisting the help of a loss assessor. They’ll take care of the entire process on your behalf. This way, you can focus on taking care of yourself and your family.

In the meantime, you should educate yourself on the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. So, go through every single line and the fine print so that you know what to expect.