What To Do If Your House Burns Down

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR HOUSE BURNS DOWN You should know exactly what to do if your house burns down. House fire damage may not be common, but when it happens, here's what you should do- CONTACT A FIRE DAMAGE RESTORATION COMPANY After the fire department is finished putting out the fire, you're going to be left with fire damage, obviously, but also water damage, smoke damage, and potentially mold damage if you skip this step. A fire damage restoration company will begin the fire, water, and smoke mitigation process. CONTACT A PUBLIC INSURANCE 2 ADJUSTER Another crucial step is to contact a public adjusting company to begin the process of getting your home repaired or rebuilt back to normal with the money you get from your insurance company. A public adjuster will take this stressful time and make it so much easier on you and your family. FIND TEMPORARY HOUSING If your home is deemed unsafe to live in, which most likely it is, you will need to find a place for you, your family, and your pets to live in. Your insurance company is required to place you somewhere that is of like, kind and quality. 4 GET A COPY OF THE FIRE REPORT Similar to a police report, a typical fire investigation report includes the incident date, alarm and arrival time, address, estimated losses, type of building, possible human factors (if any) for ignition, and the presence of any detectors. FIGURE OUT YOUR FINANCES If you're working with a public adjuster, they can help you with this step, too. If you have a mortgage on your house and your house is unfit to live in, you must contact them to let them know what happened and that you will not be living in the home. RECOVER YOUR BELONGINGS Chances are, if your house burns down, your personal belongings willI burn with it. Things like electronics, furniture, clothing, etc. will need to be accounted for in order to properly be reimbursed from your insurance company. If you don't have a home inventory, do your best to remember the things in your home that you'd like to be paid for. BEGIN THE REPAIR/REBUILD PROCESS After you've received a check from your insurance company, you can then begin the process of restoring your home back to normal. Again, a public adjuster will have connections to all the best local contractors to complete the numerous tasks of rebuilding or repairing your home. Performance Adjusting, Public Insurance Adjusters Licensed in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida 401-724-9111 • performanceadjusting.com [email protected] 5