House Fire Insurance Claims

First and foremost, file a fire insurance claim as soon as possible, even without proper information or the required paperwork. This will help you start the process of filing a claim.

Also, a typical fire insurance policy covers the losses arising because of wind, fire, or lighting. Therefore, the insurance company will replace your roof or get other parts of your house repaired, in case these are damaged by fire. You can even file claims if the roof or other parts of your hose are damaged by the smoke, in which case damages are paid according to the damages.

Also, all major fire insurance covers protect the contents of your house along with other structures in your premises too. So, the insurance company will pay the cost of your furniture, clothes, appliances, and other personal possessions along with the damages caused to your garage or tool shed, subject to the maximum of policy coverage amount.

You also need to consider the information required to file a claim, which includes

* Date of fire or loss

* Type of loss or damage i.e. loss to dwellings or content loss

* Location where damage took place

* Any injuries caused due to fire

* Condition of the property or contents

* The state of the damaged content or its description

* Requires temporary repairs or not

* A police report covering the incident

It is advisable to keep all your receipts of purchase of different items, their warranty cards, owner's manuals, appraisals, if any, and boxes that have been photographed when the fire cover was taken.

Also, in case your house fire insurance cover includes "additional living expenses coverage" or "loss of use coverage", then the insurance company can bear the expenses of providing you a similar housing on temporary basis until your own home is under renovation. Such coverage also includes cost of getting you established in another property in case the house is damaged beyond repair and you need to relocate. However, please note that these claims do not cover any wages or earnings you may have lost during this period.

It is also a good idea to prepare a detailed description of all the things lost due to fire. Such details should include the manufacturer's name, brand name of the product lost, covered under warranty or not. You can even divide the list according to the rooms in the house, therefore could prepare a list for whatever was lost in the living room, another could include things lost in the master bedroom or kitchen and so on. Don't forget to include the photographs and video tapes of the vandalized property or goods.