Fire Claims
After the Fire Loss
Fires often result in devastating property losses to families or business. Following the fire, the insured is under a lot of stress from dealing with the immediate consequences – finding a new place to live, taking care of family needs, securing the property from further damage, often dealing with injured family members. Few people in this situation can properly focus on what could be the most important factor to their financial recovery post-fire – namely starting the insurance claim process for their fire loss.
That is why we like to get involved in the process from the very beginning. Our public adjusters have the knowledge to help you navigate the complex fire claim process and to steer you clear of the mistakes that can reduce your chances of a successful settlement.
Appraising fire damages
Fire losses are complex, and so is the fire claim process. Even a small fire can produce extensive property damages – content and structural damages from the fire itself, but also property damages from smoke and soot infiltration and water damage from extinguishing the fire.
Our first objective when working on behalf of the homeowners’ fire claim, would be to properly evaluate the scope of the loss, so no damages are left undiscovered. Ohio Fire Claims’ team includes professional property loss appraisers and building and content estimators with extensive experience in appraising fire losses. You can rest assured that nothing is missed and your claim will include all the fire losses. Our appraisal will often include and document substantially more losses than the one put forth by the insurance company. These are all valid fire losses that the insurance company ‘missed’ in their appraisal of the fire damage.
Understanding your Insurance policy
Like most legal contracts, insurance policies are not easy to understand. They use insurance language and legal terms that the average person is just not familiar with. Nonetheless, understanding the insurance policy and all of its provisions is of critical importance following a property loss.
Insurance policies include many grey areas that are subject to interpretation, and having a professional public adjuster to guide and represent you throughout the claim process levels the playing field with the insurance company. Our public adjusters, right from the start, will review your insurance policy and help you understand your rights and responsibilities. They will also determine the best avenue to maximize the value of the settlement and the potential for a full financial recovery.
Fire restoration
Should you hire a fire restoration company right away? Our advice is no, not without first consulting a public adjuster. In fact, this is one of the many costly mistakes homeowners make in the claim process. Of course, you are anxious to start repairing and restoring your property. But if your fire property damage is extensive, many times it’s best to take a total loss and build anew rather than fix existing damages. If that’s the case, the money spent on restoration will, in fact, be wasted.
How a public adjuster can help with your fire loss claim
When disaster strikes, it’s hard enough to deal with the emotional distress, physical injuries, finding a new place to live and so on. Homeowners rarely have the time, energy or the legal know how to properly focus on the insurance claim process from the get-go. But the first few days following a fire are the most critical for the success of the fire claim.
By working with a reliable public adjusting company like Ohio Fire Claims, to help discover and thoroughly appraise all the fire losses, file the insurance claim properly and on time, and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf, you will secure the best chances for a successful claim.
Fire claims are particularly difficult and complex, as fire, smoke and soot damage are expensive to fix. Insurance companies will take measures to minimize their losses, so it’s not a good idea to take at face value the property loss as determined by the insurance company adjuster. Often, homeowners will find these appraisals fall way short of what it actually cost to bring the property to the original condition. More than that, most of the fires are thoroughly investigated, and the homeowner could be asked to submit to an examination under oath, a recorded statement or even a polygraph examinations.
There are also certain criteria that must be met in a timely manner in order to assure the success of the claim. Understanding the implication of the kind of policy the homeowner has and its time and legal constraints is of utmost importance. As a public adjusting company with extensive fire claim experience, Ohio Fire Claims is in the best position to help.
How will Ohio Fire Claims help with your fire claim?
Our company provides all services relating to fire loss estimation, claim preparation and settlement recovery. Fire damage claims and smoke damage claims are very complex, due to the extended and hidden damages fire, smoke and soot cause. Without expert help, there is a good chance damages, losses and expenses are overlooked thus reducing the amount of your settlement.
Our team of appraisers, estimators and public adjusters will work for you, to assure the best possible outcome from your insurance claim and your complete satisfaction. Our services include:
- Interpreting insurance policy and advising on the best course of action
- Independent property loss appraisals to substantiate the property loss claim
- Thorough documentation of the property loss claim
- Timely and accurate filing of the property loss claim with the insurance company
- Advising with examinations under oath and recorded statements
- Continuing negotiations with the insurance company for the best possible settlement
- Do you need help estimating your fire losses? Still waiting on the claim money from the insurance company to start fire restoration of your home or business?
Who better to help than Ohio Fire Claims. With hundreds of successful fire claims processed every year, we know just what it takes to get the best settlement for your fire claim. Our team of experts can help you get a head start on the fire restoration process and help you make a speedy financial recovery.
Ohio Fire Claims’ public adjusters, will assist you in any way possible to help you steer clear of all the pitfalls insurance companies are counting on. We work for you!
Contact us today for a free consultation or site inspection. You’ll be impressed with what we can do for you.
Ohio Fire Claims’ public adjusters, will assist you in any way possible to help you steer clear of all the pitfalls insurance companies are counting on. We work for you!
Contact us today for a free consultation or site inspection. You’ll be impressed with what we can do for you!