Fire and smoke
After the fire, the paperwork
A fire claim has three parts: the home, what was inside it, and where you live in the meantime. Insurers tend to settle the first and slow down on the other two.
Smoke travels farther than flames, and a contents list written from memory is easy to cut down. We help you build the list room by room, price what was lost, and keep the insurer to what the policy promised for living costs.
If the insurer questions how the fire started, we ask what that is based on, in writing.
What we help with
Repairs to the home itself
Contents and personal property lists
Smoke and soot cleaning
Living costs while you're out
Lost rent for landlords
Claims where the cause of the fire is questioned
Making the contents list hold up
A long list is only as good as what backs it.
Room by room
Walk through the house in your head, starting at the front door. Closets and garages count.
Receipts and photos
Old phone photos show more than you remember. Bank and card statements help with prices.
Replacement or actual value
Your policy pays one or the other, and sometimes pays the second now and the first later.
Where you stay
Keep every hotel and rental receipt. Living costs are a separate part of the claim.
A sample matter
$41,300 paid
Kitchen fire, smoke and contents
The insurer paid for the kitchen only. Smoke cleaning and the contents list were added.
2024
These are sample matters, not promises. Every claim turns on its own policy and facts, and past results don't predict the outcome of yours. Dollar figures are what the insurer paid, before fees and costs.
Insurer slow on the second and third parts?
Send us what they've paid and what they haven't.