When you hit disasters, a little internal information can lead to a major change.
The sweet aroma of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, a cup of coffee in hand, and the holiday wheels that quietly play in the background is how Christmas mornings usually look in my household.
But last year, our quiet Christmas morning quickly became a chaos with smoke hanging in the air, the sirens that burst and dozens of firefighters compete from room to room.
As an insurance writer, I spent the last decade, covering the entrances and foreign affairs of housing owners, helping consumers understand their policies so that they can make more informed decisions to protect their homes. I am familiar with the steps I need to take when filing a claim, details of the coverage and the questions you need to ask. But when the disaster came to knock on my door, it struck completely differently. As I was expecting challenges along the way, the claim and the recovery process brought more curved balls than I could imagine.
To help you avoid some of the stress, delays and unexpected costs I have encountered, here’s what I learned from the request of my house fire.
Learn more: Home Owners Insurance: What Covers and How much will you pay
I have always lived from the motto: “It is better to be safe than to regret it.” So, when I caught a weak smell of smoke in my bathroom, I realized that something was not excluded. My husband wanted to let him go because there was no visible smoke or fire, but I went with my gut and called 911. In minutes, six local fire services arrived at my home with wasps, chicken poles and hoses in my hand.
It only took a few minutes to find the source of fire before they began to tear my walls, ceiling and even my favorite shower tile. After the destruction began, I contacted my insurance agent and started the request process.
Learn more: How much insurance of homeowners do I need?
To my surprise, they identified the cause as a kid, can light over my wardrobe. Over the years, the wiring had become fragile, whether due to incorrect power, defective wiring or a defective bulb, and eventually began to ignite and spread into the isolation.
Learn more: How can light bulb start?
After the fire was extinguished and everyone was off the road, the captain of the fire explained that if I had waited even an hour or two to call, the fire would have swallowed my entire home.
By trusting my instincts saved our home and our puppy from what could be complete devastation. Each year, the International (ESFI) Electrical Safety Foundation estimates that 51,000 fires at home are the result of electrical problems, causing about $ 1.3 billion in property damage. So if you have even the slightest feeling of the gut that something is wrong, make the call, even if you are second.
The fire service managed to save the greater part of the debris, including the charred wood above the cabinet, but somehow the actual luminaire was discarded.
Although that doesn’t sound like a big deal, it was like that. If we had saved the light or even a simple piece, it could help the engineer who inspects my home to determine exactly why he was lit. This could help us notice any other electrical problems in the house and prevent another fire. As the light was lost in stirring, I hired my electricity to check the bigger part of the electrical work in my entire house and replace any preserved light with LEDs.
Home insurance policies usually cover only the costs they consider to be “necessary for covered repairs”, and what is considered “necessary” usually depends on the interpretation of your insurer. Therefore, if they decide that something is not essential, they may not cover it. This means that you will have to pick up the section for additional checks or repair work.
Therefore, if the cause of your fire is not known, do everything you can to save (and document) anything that may be important for solving the mystery. This may include bulbs, wiring or other items that could serve as evidence and even help to provide more support for your claim.
Learn more: How much is homeowners insurance? Spending guideS
When the unexpected happens, the last thing you want is to face help while you are still in shock. Fortunately, my insurance agent directed me to a reputable restoration company and I already had a list of reliable professionals to contact for repair. After working with him for two decades, I trusted his recommendations.
This said that even if your insurer gives you recommendations, you are not required to use them, and in some cases their recommendations may not be most suitable for your situation.
If you do not have these contacts at hand, you may think who to trust. In times of crisis, it is easy for persistent companies or even outspoken scammers to take advantage of panic and uninformed policy holders.
Learn more: What covers housing owners do not cover?
So, before you need them, make a list of reliable professionals. Ask friends and family for recommendations and check the reviews to find reputable options such as performers, artists and plumbers.
For me, preparing this list was worth your weight in gold, especially when the pressure was on.
Expert Council: In addition to cleaning services, restoration companies can offer contracting services that can act as a one -store repair shop. Although this sounds attractive and comfortable, their artists may have no experience to help your project. It is therefore important to check each contractor thoroughly, whether you find them yourself or through your insurance or restoration company.
Some suppliers, especially those recommended by your insurer, may assure you that they will deal with everything directly with your insurance company, including settling the final payment. Although these “preferred” vendors usually have a direct communication line with your insurer, this does not mean that you have to move away completely. In fact, some preferred contractors rely on insurance companies for work, so they can prioritize to keep this relationship intact to provide you with the best advice.
In my case, the restoration company communicated with my concealer, but when it came time to pay, logistics still found myself on my plate. In other cases, housing owners are facing empty contracts, which lock them in adverse terms, hidden refusals that remove the contractor’s responsibility for damage or payment arrangements when the contractor receives directly, leaving the homeowner without visibility.
Therefore, it is worth checking every contractor, whether they come from your insurer’s list or your own research, and keep the communication lines open from the beginning.
The fact that you have chosen a reputable contractor does not mean that it is time to pull away and watch how the magic is happening. Although you hope that every professional refers to your home with the same care you do, the reality is that it can be just another job for them. Staying practically, especially with the details of construction, can help you avoid expensive mistakes and unnecessary headaches.
Unfortunately, I had to learn this the hard way: the paint spilled through solid wood floors, my marble countertop was chopped, the show door was crashed from a bad installation and I had to encounter at the last moment to find a floor tile, which was not needed to replace.
Act as your own project manager is crucial to make sure that the work was done properly for the first time to your standards. So, do not be afraid to check the progress regularly, ask questions and confirm details – even if you are sure they know what to do. This is your home and the work must meet your expectations from the beginning.
Learn more: The important difference between the actual monetary value and the cost of replacement
Even a minor claim for fire can take much more time and energy than you expect. When my artist first went through the damage, he decided that we would have everything that would be wrapped in a month or two. Eight months later, we still put the final touches on repairs and tried to bring our lives back to normal.
The delays were not always dramatic, but they added over time, from a stopped tile to coloring the floor to errors in the installation and crew’s vacation. And between these failures were the constant interruptions: performers come and go, noise, dust and mental workload of solutions for colors, materials and layouts while juggling work and life. On top of that, the time far from work to meet with contractors, monitor repairs, or deal with claim data, you can cut your salary, especially if you are self -employed or have no paid leave.
But here’s something to keep in mind: recovery takes patience and organization. So, prepare for delays and do your best to stay on top of all moving parts. In this way, we hope that it will feel more firm and less compelling.
The presence of a solid insurance policy for homeowners is only half of the battle when it comes to filing a fire claim. The rest is to trust your gut, document everything, choosing the right professionals for the work and staying in practice every step of the way. This is a train in an experience so that you remain patient through delays, mistakes and endless solutions can help you maintain your peace of mind intact.
Although you will not find this advice hidden in the subtle print of your home insurance policy, it can make a world of difference when you live through a fire insurance claim.
Tim Mani edited this article.