NAVIGATING THE INSURANCE SYSTEM AFTER A FIRE

First, it is important to take care of yourself and your family, ensuring you are out of harm’s way and securing alternate housing. Once you have secured housing, you should contact your insurance companies for all of your policies, and file a claim under any and all insurance policies that you own. Request a copy of your insurance policies including all declarations pages and endorsements.

All communication with your insurer should be in writing, and you can expect a response from your insurer within 15 days of your communication if it requires a response. Many insurance policies will have additional living expenses coverage in evacuation situations, so you’ll want to keep all receipts that demonstrate your evacuation and the additional living expenses that are required during that time.

Your insurer will request an inventory of all personal items destroyed by the fire. It is important to compile as thorough and complete a list as possible. This can be done by visualizing the items in each room of your house, relying on photos and memories from friends and families, and checking credit card statements, shopping accounts like Amazon, and emails to show the items you may have purchased for your home and their value.