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Most policyholders who have suffered damages to their property (home, business, etc.) from fire claims usually makes costly mistakes during and after the claim settlement. However, there is always one extremely expensive mistake that almost all policyholders make over and over again. What’s worse is that they do it without even knowing it. The most costly mistake is; Most policyholders only rely on the insurance company’s adjuster to inspect, process, and estimate the complete fire insurance claim without any questions. They accept the insurance adjuster’s complete evaluation without any comparisons, estimates from their own contractors, or a review by a fire insurance claim professional. This will be the most costly mistake you would ever make in your entire lifetime.

As if it’s not bad enough that your property was destroyed by fire, to then rely on someone else – who is not really there for you – to visit the property, inspect the damages, generate PROPER value, and then completely trust that they have your best interest in mind… Is Utter I N S A N I T Y !

Yet, we see policyholders that are in a state of shock allow this very thing to happen all across the world, every day of the year. It’s hard to imagine that most people have human instincts to count their “change” from a cashier at the store or diligently review dinner bills, line by line, to make sure the waiter or waitress did not bill them for additional items. We all do it. We’re sure to go out of our way to track and count life’s little chump change. However, when it comes to fire insurance claim damages exceeding tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars, without ay questions we rely on the insurance company.

There isn’t anyone who knows your property like you do. With all there is to do in properly preparing and calculating fire insurance claim damage, it’s no wonder that in most cases, items can be forgotten or missed during the process. This couldn’t be more true if the process is done by someone from the insurance company. They have no knowledge about your building, its finishes (carpet, wallpaper), or your contents (furniture, clothing, etc.) like you. Could they possibly be more accurate than you? Furthermore, just because an adjuster works for an insurance company, inspects your property, and knows how to measure rooms, in no way means they are a qualified contractor, builder, or is certified to evaluate fire and water damage repairs.

During the review of thousands of both closed and open claims, we find that both insurance companies and policyholders unknowingly and often miss hidden damages. The truth is – that in almost all instances; it’s a good idea to have a qualified professional review all fire damage claims. One should seek a fire insurance claims appraiser, a fire insurance claim consultant, or a fire consulting firm.

Policyholders often believe that when the insurance company sends them a check and they deposit the money in their bank account – the claim is closed. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The fact is; that in most states a policyholder has 3-years to make a claim and even ADD to an existing claim. So, a review of your claim to see if you have been properly compensated can occur, during the claims process or even after the claim has been settled. You can also obtain more money from your claim – even if it has been torn down and demolished.

It’s true, even if claims have been settled and all insurance proceeds have been deposited, or the building has been torn down and removed, policyholders can recover more insurance proceeds if the damages were missed or not addressed properly. In most cases, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of more dollars are recovered… AFTER the insurance company has closed the claim. Even policyholders that believe they have received a fair settlement… they usually have not.

It’s up to YOU, the policyholder, to do your part to protect yourself. Here are tips to help individuals with fire insurance claims. There are helpful tips for policyholders in the middle of their claim – as well as help for those with claims that are closed.

1. During Claim Process – Document Your Building Damage: Take the time to inspect and document the damages yourself. Take photos of all damaged rooms in your building. Take overviews of the room and then take some close-up photos of the damaged ceilings, walls, floors, windows, doors, etc. of that room as well. Work your way around the building to the left (clock wise). Before entering the next room, closet, or hall – take an overview. This will be an easy way to organize which photos belong to which rooms. An example is; Overview of living room, then from top to bottom, photos of ceiling, walls, windows, doors, then the floor. Then the first photo of the next room is an overview, and so on. (No pictures or close-ups of contents yet, just the rooms.)

1. Closed or Settled Claims – Obtain Documentation Of The Building: Insurance adjusters visit the property to gather measurements and photos of the damage. If you have no photographs yourself, or a limited amount of pics – request that the insurance company send you all photographs that were taken by the adjuster. You should also request the complete estimate and diagram/sketch they used to arrive at the square footage and repair numbers. This type of documentation will be critical for you to have, as well as if the need arises for the fire insurance claim appraiser you choose.

2. During Claim Process – Document Contents Damage: You will now want to visit each room and closet once again. This time you will be collecting an inventory of your contents. In the same manner you did with the rooms; you should take an overview picture of each piece of furniture, each pair of shoes, each shirt, pants, ect. After the overviews you then take a close-up picture of any damages to that item. (Like smoke or water stains, etc.) Write each individual item down on a Contents Inventory Form. ( Request one by visiting http://www.insuranceclaimsgroup.com/contact-us.html ) The manner in which you take your photos will also help organize them. For Example; Take the overview picture of the room you are about to enter. In this example; let’s say the living room. Your should then continue your way around the room to the left (clockwise). Capture pictures and list each item on each wall until you get back to where you began. It’s important not to bounce around the room. This ensures that items will not be forgotten or missed. When the living room inventory has been pictured, listed, and completed, move into the next room. Again, start with an overview picture of that new room. This helps organize the contents by what room they were in. Be sure to list the name of the room on each page of the inventory list. Now the pictures and the lists are both sequenced and organized with each other.

2. Closed Or Settled Claims – Obtain Contents Damage Documents: If the adjuster has done their job properly they have taken photos of the contents during the inspection as well. If you have minimal or no photos of your contents you should request all those taken by the adjuster. You also want to request a copy of the complete contents inventory they had written to arrive at your contents settlement numbers. This type of documentation will also be useful for the fire insurance claim consultants you may choose.

3. During Claim Process – Review Your Policy: Fire victims must take the time to review their insurance policy. You must know the basics; How much coverage do you have on your building? How much coverage do you have for your contents (furniture, clothing, etc.)? How much coverage do you have to stay in a hotel or to rent a home or furniture? Surprisingly, many people don’t know this. In many cases the policy has been damaged in the fire. If this is the case; visit your agent and ask for a certified copy of your full policy. Ask your agent to help explain how much coverage you have.

3. Closed Or Settled Claims – Obtain Copy Of Policy: Even if your claim was closed years ago and you have a different insurance company, you can request a certified true copy of the “FULL” insurance policy, with Declarations page, at the time the fire occurred. As well, this type of documentation will be useful when you consult with a fire insurance claim appraiser.

4. During Claim Process – Consult With A Professional: The insurance companies have their adjuster visit your property, inspect your damages, and complete estimates on the amount of damage you have incurred. It’s very important you have the same exact process completed yourself. How does a policyholder know the insurance company adjuster has done their job correctly? Should you be willing to give up tens of thousands of dollars by not taking steps to be sure? The insurance adjuster should explain all the fire insurance claim coverage’s that is available to you, however, such information is rarely disclosed. Sometimes it is even done on purpose, and on other occasions it’s also done on purpose (Did you read that? Forgetting to advise you of certain coverage’s is usually withheld until you ask. More often than not; it’s done on purpose.) It is your belongings, it is your money, and it is your policy. You must educate yourself to ensure you’re being fully compensated for the fire damages. You should consider hiring a fire insurance claim professional. Someone who can look out for you and review the insurance company’s value of your loss. You need to be in-the-know by obtaining your own “real-world” costs and estimates to repair or replace your property.

4. Closed Or Settled Claims – Consult A Fire Claims Professional: Have you obtained a fair settlement for your fire insurance claim? How can you be sure unless you ask someone who knows for sure? If you are not 100% sure if you have received fair settlement from the insurance company, you most definitely owe it to yourself to investigate. If you have collected and reviewed all the documents as outlined earlier; you will have sufficient documentation to consult the opinion of a professional. A quick review of your claim is all a fire insurance claim consultant needs to advise you where you stand. To leave yourself in the dark, with a notion of forfeiting tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table – does not make much sense. A minimal fee to gain an understanding of where you stand is a tiny price to pay. Compare that to a large lump of insurance proceeds that you were not aware existed.

(Free Consultation: Fire insurance claims help is available. We will provide a free review of a present or closed insurance claim file at no cost. If needed; visit http://www.insuranceclaimsgroup.com or feel free to call us at 919-669-9111. )

The reasons are clear and simple. The fact is this, the adjusters work directly for the insurance company, where the fire claims appraiser or consultant works directly for you. You already made the right choice by making sure you were properly insured. It is now up to you to continue with the next steps. That is to research that you have properly compensated for the policy you paid for.

Copyright of Insurance Claims Group, Inc. & Joseph P. Brennan: Learn more about fire claims and obtain a Free Consultation and review of your fire damages. Fire Claims Help (919) 669-9111. or @ http://www.fireinsuranceclaims.net