No matter how small, a house fire is something no homeowner ever wants to experience. Whether an outlet catches fire from improper wiring, or your home is a total loss due to a lighting strike, you’ll need to talk to your insurance company about fire damage insurance claims in West Palm Beach.
Actually, there are quite a few important steps to take after a house fire in addition to contacting your homeowners insurance company. Here is what you should do after a fire occurs in your home.
What to Do After a House Fire
- Call 911 or other emergency service, and get to safety quickly.
- Contact family members to let them know you’re okay.
- Contact your insurance agent.
- Ask when it’s safe to go back into your home.
- Clean up, organize, and create a record of damaged items.
- Protect everything in the home from any further damage if possible.
- Get a copy of the report from the fire department.
- If necessary, make other living arrangements until your home is safe to sleep in again.
- This may be the most essential step after contacting your insurance company – hire a public adjuster.
Preparing for Your Fire Damage Insurance Claims in West Palm Beach
As soon as it’s safe to do so, contact your insurance company, and let them know what has happened. You are required to report your loss as soon as is possible. You can contact them via phone, email, or other reasonable method to report the fire.
When you’re ready to, hire a public adjuster in West Palm Beach to help ensure that your insurance claim is properly submitted, that all repairs and replacement costs are included in your claim, and that the insurance company pays you what you are entitled to through your policy. A public adjuster is a homeowner’s advocate, helping to get your claims paid quickly and fairly.
To help your public adjuster ensure you receive maximum compensation for your fire damage insurance claims, they will ask you for a list of your damaged items. The more helpful info you have in advance, the better. It’s best to itemize your home before a fire, so you have the information readily available. Once you turn over info to your adjuster and file your claim, let your public adjuster handle the rest, and focus on rebuilding your home.