Commercial fire damage claims

Navigating the fire damage insurance claim process is complex and stressful for many business owners. Knowing the ins and outs of the insurance business isn’t always intuitive so it’s easy to make small mistakes that can cost you a lot of money or time in the long run. Fortunately, our fire damage restoration technicians are experienced at working with insurance companies and are here to help you through making your claim. Here are five tips we recommend for filing your fire damage insurance claim. 

Make Your Claim Right Away

While you shouldn’t feel rushed to make your insurance claim the same day of the fire, you do need to act quickly to file your claim. You should contact your insurance company on the same day of the fire and begin the process of filing your claim. One reason why it’s so important to file your claim quickly is that failing to do so can actually give you insurer grounds to deny your claim. If you begin working with them from day one, however, you shouldn’t have to worry about this happening to you. 

Take Immediate Steps To Mitigate The Damage

To receive your claim, you will need to show that you did what you could after the fire to mitigate the damage. For example, if you did nothing after the fire to repair the damage and don’t hire a cleaning and restoration company, your insurer may reject your claim on the basis of negligence. 

Meticulously Document The Damage 

Your insurance claim will need to include detailed documentation of everything that was damaged. Ideally, you should include before and after pictures to show the severity of the damage. Along with photos, you should also provide a written inventory of everything that was damaged. 

Ask Questions

They may say they are, but your insurance company isn’t necessarily on your side. They are motivated to pay as little compensation as possible so it is usually a good idea to be inquisitive and even dispute their final claim amount if you disagree. It’s absolutely within your right to do this, and if you have a solid argument there’s a good chance your claim will be increased. 

Know Your Policy Well

Last of all, you need to know your policy well to make the most of it. Not knowing your policy can lead to assumptions about your claim that lead to serious problems if they are not. You don’t need to become a lawyer to do this either. Simply reviewing your policy once a year for the key points should give you what you need to know. 

Fire Damage Restoration In Chapel Hill

Don’t lose out of money you should have by making mistakes when filing your insurance claim! Give us a call at Restoration as soon as possible if your home ever requires fire damage restoration and our restoration experts will be right out to repair the damage and help you navigate the insurance claim process. .