
Fire Smoke Damage Insurance Claims – When a home or business suffers fire or smoke damage, filing and handling an insurance claim may be a low priority compared to keeping loved ones safe, saving personal property, and locating a new place to live or run a business. Finding an attorney experienced in handling fire insurance claims early can be one of the most important decisions for an insured.
After a fire loss, the insurance company will conduct its own investigation and request documents, information, recorded statements, sworn proof of loss and/or affidavits. Communicating with an insurance company and providing answers to these requests can be stressful, time consuming and difficult.
Fire Smoke Damage Insurance Claims
The cost of repairing fire and/or smoke damage can be extremely high, and insurance companies often aim to pay the lowest possible amount or drop coverage altogether.
Fire Damage And Repair
Insurance policies are difficult to read and contain numerous exclusions that are not specific or may be difficult to understand. Often, insurance companies will wrongly deny part or all of a claim. There are also situations where the insurance company makes a payment, but the payment is not enough to properly repair the damage. The experienced insurance attorneys at O’Neil Law, PLLC will investigate your loss, apply the law and policy terms, fight to get your claim paid, and help obtain an estimate that accurately reflects the amount of damage caused by fire and/or smoke.
If you, your family or loved ones have suffered any kind of fire and/or smoke damage (or believe you may have) and would like to discuss help with filing or making a claim, we can help. Call our office today to speak with an experienced member of our legal team. 850-266-7552 The initial consultation is absolutely free. It is important to know your rights and options. Even if you’re not sure if a lawyer can help, take a moment to fill out our online contact form, call us for a quick response to get your important questions answered. We work on contingencies. Which means there are absolutely no upfront fees or costs and we only get paid if and when we succeed in getting you compensation. A fire can be a horrific and devastating incident to occur in your home or business. It is difficult to stop a fire once it starts and the damage it can cause is exponential. Even the smallest fires can be catastrophic. What many don’t consider, however, is what the smoke does to other parts of the building.
As the smoke travels through the ventilation system, it coats every surface within reach with what is known as soot. So what exactly is soot? It is a powdery, smooth substance that sticks to and discolors surfaces and objects throughout your home. This may sound like it’s just an inconvenient add-on to clean up your existing problem, but I assure you it can be much more dangerous than it appears.
Soot damage can be harmful to one’s health if not taken care of promptly and properly. Soot can easily enter your body through the air and over time will cause respiratory problems, illness, possibly cancer and even death. Because of all these conditions, the consequences of a fire of any size should not be taken lightly.
Smoke & Fire Damage Restoration Tips
The fireplace is a huge cause of any fire in the house and it is important to know about the mechanics of the fireplace, such as the damper, which opens and closes the passage of smoke, is an important item to know because it will allow you to outside your home.
It’s pretty obvious, but it has to be said. It’s only a minor fire, but constant use and using plenty of them will cause soot to build up over time.
If an appliance such as your furnace is faulty then it will start to emit smoke. Maybe you haven’t known that for quite some time.
Soot blowouts, also called furnace blowouts, are caused by excess fuel in the burner chamber of your furnace. Bloating usually occurs when you turn on the heat for the first time after a long period of non-use. Blown soot is the leading cause of soot damage during the fall and winter seasons.
How To Repair Damage After A House Fire
Any type of smoking in the house that causes actual combustion (burning) will cause soot to build up in your home, and this will be especially prominent with the use of cigarettes.
If you spend a lot of time cooking in the kitchen and don’t use the ventilation system or open the windows, you and your home are exposed to large amounts of smoke and soot.
Nearby companies or factories with large machinery emit smoke into the air. The soot from it can reach your home and affect you.
If you leave your car running in your garage for a long time, the fuel that is burned to keep it running will begin to travel into your garage and into your home.
Fire & Smoke Damage
Most of these incidents are covered, but like any peril, there are always certain circumstances that can occur that could change that. If your home or business has smoke, soot, or fire damage, contact Performance Adjusting so we can clean it up and get you the money you deserve from your incident.
We handle your property damage insurance claim so you don’t have to. Since 2005, we’ve been getting home and business owners the most money for their property damage while they sit back and relax. The best part of it all? There are no upfront costs or hidden fees, we only get paid when you get paid.
The highest settlement for your home or commercial insurance in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida. We take away your stress! Experiencing a fire in your home is devastating. But even with fire insurance, you may have trouble making a claim for smoke damage to your house.
If you have been discouraged by an insurance agency that refuses to pay for your smoke damage from a fire, then our Central Florida Public Claims Adjuster wants to help. Here are some basic tips for smoke damage insurance claims.
No Return: The Unseen Toll Of The Marshall Fire’s ‘standing Home’ Survivors
Your insurance policy will likely cover the losses you experienced in the fire. With that in mind, your first task after experiencing smoke damage in a fire is to thoroughly document your losses and damages.
Remember that your insurance company probably requires you to reach them within a certain time after the loss. Know that time and file your insurance claims on time.
During the claims process, you will likely exchange hundreds of emails and records with your insurance company over the coming months. So document yourself. Keep a binder or sound storage system to start and keep items as organized as possible.
A standard homeowner’s insurance policy covers damage caused by wind, fire and lightning. However, if a fire destroys your home, the insurance company is obligated to pay up to the new home policy limit.
Fire Damage Restoration And Smoke Removal
A regular insurance policy will also pay to replace or restore anything inside the house that may have been damaged by the fire’s flames, smoke, soot, ash and other byproducts.
Smoke damage is unsightly and can affect almost everything in your house. Many of your belongings and household goods may need to be discarded – even if they do not appear to be badly damaged. Soot spreads quickly, covering things in many unexpected areas and is quite dangerous for your health. Be sure to check thoroughly for soot and unnoticeable smoke damage when making a claim with your fire insurance.
A common question about smoke damage is what to do when your house has smoke damage from a house fire next door, such as a neighbor’s house fire. In this circumstance, start by contacting your insurance company and they should guide you through this issue.
Remember: you buy insurance specifically to cover circumstances like this. Document all items in your house that have even small amounts of smoke, soot, or ash damage.
Insurance Claim Tips For Wildfire Survivors
Your walls can be painted black, for example. Smoke can permanently ruin floors and carpets with soot. Even your ceiling can turn an unattractive black shade. Upholstery, window treatments, clothing and family heirlooms can suffer damage.
We hope this helps you understand the requirements for smoke damage insurance. Contact us today if you need support from a public claims adjuster in Central Florida. We want to help! Fire has the inherent ability to destroy anything and everything in its path, but as deadly as a fire can become with the rapid spread of flames and the growth of walls and roofs, don’t forget the consequences of fire, smoke damage. Smoke damage is almost as destructive as fire damage. All appliances, rugs, mattresses, wall-to-wall carpeting, flooring, electronics, clothing and other household items are susceptible to smoke damage. Smoke damage is the result of smoke billowing from the fire and leaving black soot and ash covering everything inside it. Smoke damage affects many household items, but it also has the potential to affect your health,
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