How To Handle Your Personal Property Claim After A House Fire
A house fire can be absolutely devastating to your family. Not only will your home need extensive repair, but all of your belongings inside will need to be repaired or replaced. The situation also gets incredibly complicated in a total loss scenario where the home burns down to the ground. That's why it will help to know how to handle your personal property claim when making a home insurance claim for a house fire.
Let The Insurance Agent Handle It
The easiest way to handle the situation is to let your insurance agent handle the personal property claim. It won't be as accurate as other methods, but it is going to save you a lot of time and hassle. The insurance agent is going to make a lot of estimates based on what typical claims have been in the past, the size of your home, and how many family members were living there at the time of the fire.
You'll then be able to review the scope of loss that is provided by your insurance agent and can make additional changes to it as necessary. For example, you may have had certain items in your home that the insurance adjuster didn't account for, or there was an assumption made about the quality of items in your home.
List All The Items In Your Home
Want to make sure that your insurance adjuster doesn't miss anything? You also have the option of listing all of the items in your home that were lost. If the home is still standing this can be tedious, but also possible to do. You would make an inventory of all the items that are in the home, which can also be easily documented. Photos can be taken to prove that items were in your home to clear up potential confusion.
A total loss scenario is a bit different though. It is recommended to sit down with your family to list as many items as possible using a systematic method. You'll want to start with a single room in your home and mentally picture what was in the room together to list everything that you remember. Move in a clockwise direction around the room starting with the north wall until you feel like you've listed everything. It's the best way to ensure you don't miss a single item.
Contact your insurance provider to learn more about fire damage insurance claims.