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Watching your house burn is a traumatic experience. It’s like seeing a piece of your life burn to the ground. Unfortunately, making and handling a Los Angeles fire damage insurance claim after such an incident is not at all enjoyable.
Statistics from the US Fire Administration show that each year fire departments respond to an estimated 368,500 residential fires across the United States. On average, these fires result in 2,770 deaths, 11,650 injuries, and $8.1 billion in property losses. The fire spreads outside the original room in 50% of residential structure fires. Hence fire damage insurance becomes all the more important.
The majority of homeowner insurance policies normally cover claims for fire damage.
Fire damage claims are notoriously difficult to manage depending on the severity of the fire and the complexity of the claim. For example, actual fire damage is often just one component of a larger claim that could include smoke damage and water damage. And it doesn’t stop there.
The smoke can dissipate quickly but is very invasive. Even if there are no visible signs of it left in your home, there could still be toxic smoke particles present.
A typical home fire produces hundreds of chemicals depending on temperature, materials burned, and oxygen availability. Hence smoke damage insurance claims become intertwined with your fire damage claims.
It is not considered safe to live in a house with smoke and fire damage. This adds another component to your homeowners’ insurance claim, namely additional living expense (ALE) coverage. It pays for additional expenses you must incur, such as renting a hotel room if you cannot stay at home.
High-pressure water hoses used by firefighters to extinguish a fire can cause water damage in areas that appear to have sustained no fire damage.
The extreme heat generated by a fire can cause structural damage to your home. Even the ambient temperature in a fire can be 100 degrees at floor level and rise to 600 degrees at eye level.
Millions of homes contain asbestos and lead-based paint. When left intact and not deteriorating, lead-based paint and asbestos-containing products are generally not dangerous.
In a fire, microscopic asbestos fibers and tiny lead particles can be released into the air. This could pose a potentially serious health risk.
As fires become a more frequent threat, especially in places like California, having insurance for fire damage is crucial. Moreover, insurance companies are trying to reduce fire insurance claims in an attempt to save money.
The growing threat of fire makes it very important to become familiar with the claims process and how to file fire insurance claims. An insurance claim, if filed properly, allows you to receive reimbursement when you lose your property in a fire.
Losing your home and personal belongings in a fire is already a devastating experience. The last thing you want is for your homeowner’s insurance company to give you a hard time regarding your claim. Here are some tips to follow when dealing with your insurance company regarding fire insurance claims.
If you were forced to evacuate due to hazardous conditions, you may not have taken essential items like toiletries or clothing. Some of these things may even have been completely lost in the fire. Do not panic.
Call your insurance company and have someone bring a check to the place where you are staying. That way, you can purchase essential items without having to wait for your final insurance coverage.
Remember, this advance will be deducted from the total amount you receive from the insurance company, so don’t hurt yourself by going too far.
Insurance for fire damage policies requires policyholders to file their fire insurance claims as soon as possible. So call your homeowners’ insurance agent right away to start the process. The insurance company will ask you to file a “proof of loss claim,” which is where you list all the items you lost, including their value.
Your quick response is especially crucial if the fire also affected numerous other residences. If you wait to file a fire insurance claim, you can end up at the bottom of the list of policyholders, and it might be a while before the adjuster contacts you. The following is a list of information that you must include in your claim:
Dealing with the insurance company is a very complicated process that involves countless calls, emails, letters, and documents. Be sure to keep track of all documents and communications, including mail receipts from the post office.
Record every phone call and in-person meeting you have with your insurance provider, being sure to include the time and date. Putting everything in a file folder or organizer will allow you to organize the different types of correspondence, bills, permits, repair contracts, and insurance forms in their own separate section.
Remember to always keep the original documents of everything. Make a copy of the document for the insurance company, but keep the original. The more organized you are, the better prepared you will be.
Since you are acting promptly to meet your policy responsibilities, your insurance company must also act promptly on your fire damage insurance claim. In fact, the law requires insurance companies to handle fire damage claims on time, and most states give insurance companies specific deadlines.
The insurance company will require you to take reasonable care of your property. Therefore, be sure to prevent future harm to your property.
Of course, this is not necessary if it is a total loss. However, when only one section of your home is damaged, be sure to take proactive steps to prevent further damage. Insurance companies call this “damage mitigation,” which simply means reducing the amount of damage.
Your insurance policy includes a clause called “loss of use,” which means that the insurance company reimburses you for living expenses while you are displaced from your damaged home.
Keep in mind, however, that you are only entitled to the difference between what it cost you while you were displaced and what it cost you at home.
For example, if your monthly living expenses are $3,000 per month, but now you have to add hotel stays, restaurant meals, laundry expenses, and extra gas for your car, totalling an additional $1,000, your insurance company will only reimburse the additional $1,000 per month.
Many people choose to stay with family or friends rather than in a hotel. Ask your host to itemize the additional charges so that you can submit them to your insurance company for reimbursement.
Be very careful to be reasonable and not frivolous, and be patient with your insurance company if they want to negotiate with you for this cost. Politely remind the company that you are saving a lot of money on hotel and restaurant expenses by staying with your loved ones.
Filing fire insurance claims allows you to repair or even rebuild your damaged home. “Actual Cash Value” insurance gives you the right to the sum required to bring your house and all of its contents back to its pre-fire fair market value.
“Replacement” policies entitle you to the amount it would take to replace the home and its contents, regardless of what you lost. “Replacement” coverage does not require you to rebuild your home on the exact same lot.
You can decide where to start anew. So as long as it’s the same value as your previous lot, your insurance covers it. Of course, if you move to a place where the property is more expensive, you will end up paying the difference.
If you decide not to rebuild, but invest the money in something completely unrelated, like a business, the “replacement” policy will convert to an “actual cash value” policy, giving you about 15% less.
The insurance company will require an estimate of the fair market value or replacement cost of the damaged property prior to the fire.
Insurance companies will send their own adjusters, so it is important to remember that they will be making decisions in the best interest of the insurance company, not yours.
You don’t have to accept the numbers thrown at you, and it may be a good idea to hire your own independent contractor or estimator.
Insurance companies are quick to close fire insurance claims, especially in massive disaster situations. The longer your claim is open, the more likely you are to discover something you previously missed. In such a stressful and confusing time, you may have forgotten to include any item of value in your initial insurance claim.
Protect yourself by waiting a few months before giving your consent to close your claim. You have this power.
It is important not to throw anything away before speaking with the insurance adjuster appointed by your insurance company.
Even if your belongings are unsalvageable, presenting them to the insurance adjuster can help support your claim. Premature removal of items could give the insurance adjuster reason to deny certain aspects of your claim.
If, after hiring your own adjuster or independent contractor, you can’t come to an acceptable settlement, consider hiring a public adjuster who will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. Some people are afraid to do this because of the added cost: You pay the public adjuster nine to fifteen percent of what the insurance company ultimately pays you.
However, this may be worth it, if the adjuster manages to get much more than you otherwise would have received.
The following table will give you a brief idea about the time taken to go through each of the stages of the insurance claims process. Hiring an adjuster will help you speed up the process.
| Step | Description | Timeframe |
| Step 1 | Contact your insurance company | Immediately after the fire |
| Step 2 | Schedule an appointment with the insurance adjuster | Within 1-2 weeks of the fire |
| Step 3 | Inspect the damage with the adjuster | Within 1-2 weeks of the appointment |
| Step 4 | Receive an initial estimate of damages from the adjuster | Within 2-4 weeks of the inspection |
| Step 5 | Submit any necessary documentation or proof of loss to the insurance company | Within 4-6 weeks of the fire |
| Step 6 | Finalize the settlement with the insurance company | Within 4-6 weeks of submitting the documentation |
| Step 7 | Begin repairing or rebuilding your property | As soon as possible after settlement is reached |
Fire damage insurance claims in Los Angeles can be extremely complicated and take a long time to settle. Understanding the fine print of your insurance policy, negotiating with an insurance adjuster, and dealing with contractors can be difficult and time-consuming!
In addition, you may need specialized service providers such as:
You have the right to see your property return to a uniform and consistent appearance. After a fire damage loss, achieving this can be challenging. For example, imagine that part of your floor is damaged and the original flooring is no longer available.
Your fire insurance adjuster may feel that the damaged part of the flooring should be replaced with a similar one. For many homeowners, this will not be a satisfactory solution. Delays and protracted talks may result. Finally, your insurance adjuster might agree to replace the entire floor with the same flooring only if a public adjuster can persuade them to do so.
Moreover, a big challenge after a fire damage event is hidden damage that is not immediately obvious or visible. It may include damage from smoke, ash, or water that was used to stop the fire, as already stated above.
An experienced public adjuster can help identify potential sources of hidden damage so it can be quickly repaired.
A public adjuster can also work with your insurance adjuster to get a thorough and complete inspection of your property. This inspection must also include an evaluation of:
A public adjuster can be helpful if you’ve been given a poor settlement offer or don’t have the time or knowledge to deal with an insurance adjuster and contractors.
If you hire us as fire damage public adjusters we at Water Damage Restoration Pro shall see to it that all your fire damage insurance claims are settled as quickly as possible without facing any hurdles.
In most cases, Yes. Almost all commercial insurance policies cover damages caused by fire. If your property is damaged by a structural fire, you can always file an insurance claim with your insurance company.
It totally depends on the type of insurance policy you’ve chosen, whether it covers condominium fire, and it also depends upon your insurance service provider, which may or may not offer a separate fire damage coverage.
When it comes to insurance claims for an apartment structural fire, both the landlord as well as the tenant have responsibilities, and can claim insurance coverage.