Every year in the United States, countless of properties are damaged or declared a "total loss" as a direct result of fire and smoke damage. Hundreds of millions of dollars are paid out annually by insurance companies to cover fire insurance claims. Unfortunately, many fire insurance claims are wrongfully handled by insurance companies inadequately compensating policyholders. This results in policyholders left with insufficient funds to rebuild their home or business.
In the event of a fire where your home or business is damaged, consider the following:
Mitigate
Use your best efforts to make temporary repairs so that the damage doesn't get worse. This will prevent the insurance company from later claiming that your fire damages are the result of your failure to mitigate your damages. For example, if you have a roof leak due to a fire, hire a roofer to put a tarp over the leak area. Try not to pay the repairman in cash for the temporary repairs and if you do have to pay in cash, get a receipt and his name and contact information. Submit the temporary repair receipts to your insurance company for payment.
Document, Document, and Document
Take pictures of all affected areas. Take video, if you can, of all affected areas. Hold on to any receipts and estimates for repairs. Get the contact information for any contractors that come to your property to give you estimates. Do not throw out any correspondence or documents that are sent to you by your insurance company. If you are mailing anything to your insurance company do it by certified mail, return receipt requested, and make copies of whatever you are sending for your records. Keep a journal of all your communications with your insurance company. If you become aware of any witnesses that have knowledge of any aspect of your claim, record their name and contact information. Don't throw out any of the fire damaged items in your house.
Notify
Put your insurance company on notice of the fire insurance claim. Call your insurance company and let them know what happened. Get the name of the insurance company adjuster assigned to your claim, his or her contact information and the claim number.
Contact Us
Let us use our experience to help you. Even if your fire insurance claim has been closed or even after you have received a claims payment from the insurance company, you may still be able to pursue your claim and additional funds - you may be able to reopen an unfair claim years after the fire loss.
You can reach Miami Insurance Claims Lawyer J.P. Gonzalez-Sirgo by dialing his direct number at (786) 272-5841, calling the main office at (305) 461-1095, or Toll Free at 1 (866) 71-CLAIM or email Attorney Gonzalez-Sirgo directly at[email protected].
