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After a House Fire: Dos and Don'ts
Unfortunately for homeowners out there, they will have to deal with a house fire at least once in their life. It is estimated that 358,500 house fires occur every year. Whether it was a very small one from the kitchen stove or one that takes down their house, house fires are very damaging to property, expensive, and can cause a whole host of other issues after the fact. Here are some of our top tips after a house fire: dos and don’ts.
After a House Fire - Document Everything!
Do
immediately as soon as everyone is safe, the fire is out, and you are able to walk around your property, begin to take pictures of everything. This is the evidence you need to show your insurance company once they have their insurance contractor come out to inspect the damage.
After a House Fire Do’s and Don’ts Extra Tip: take pictures at least once a month of your house in case of any damages that would occur. Before and after pics go a long way when it comes to your insurance claim.
Don’t
immediately go with your insurance companies immediate estimate of the property damage. Based on the photos you took yourself and your insurance companies’ photos, comparing them is the best way to ensure you get a say in how much money the estimate will be.
After a House Fire - Attach All Receipts from Damaged Goods
Do
make sure if at all possible that any receipts for damaged items are put together into one document and sent to your insurance company. Most of the time this is very hard to do because who keeps receipts? However, if you do well, you’re in luck because you will most likely get reimbursed for the damages instead of receiving an estimate for it. A quick side note – never throw anything away, let the damages be assessed by the public insurance adjuster.
Don’t
allow any restoration services to begin repair of lost damages until all the estimates for damaged items have been accepted. If they have and they shouldn’t in general, stop them from continuing to do repair the damage. Here at Rhode Island Restoration, we know the entire process from start to finish, making sure we are ready to go at the right time when you need us.
After a House Fire - Contact a Public Adjuster
Do
begin the process of contacting your insurance company as soon as you can. However, also get in contact with a public adjuster. With a public adjuster on your side such as Performance Adjusting, they will work on your side as they make sure to get the most money for your insurance claim.
Don’t
settle for your insurance company’s adjuster. They work with the insurance company in order for them to make the most money, not you. They will also try and save money on anything they find unnecessary.
After a House Fire - Hire a Restoration Service
Do
hire a restoration service so they can begin repairing your house to what was agreed upon in the previous steps of an insurance claim. Here at Rhode Island Restoration, for 17+ years we put families first by offering 24/7 response times and services from everything fire damage to storm damage, and anything in between.
Don’t
try to repair any damages yourself. For one, fire damage is very hard to repair and needs special cleaning services in order to make sure all soot and smoke damage is removed. If you try and repair damages yourself, you are exposing your body to numerous health risks. At the end of the day, professionals are here to help and are needed for this type of restoration.
And those are all of our After a House Fire: Do’s and Dont’s. Be sure to follow our blog for more fire damage-related information. If you are looking for our other restoration work you can find that on our services page.
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