How To Complete a Total Loss Inventory List After a House Fire

One of the most daunting tasks required in the claim process after losing your home to a fire is properly documenting your personal property to ensure you’re compensated fully for what you’ve lost. Completing a total loss inventory list is a high-stress task, and it must be done correctly so as not to leave settlement dollars on the table. Know going in that it will be messy, time-consuming, and require a lot of patience as you meticulously document the many possessions you’ve accumulated over a lifetime.

The two terms “vacant” and “unoccupied” might appear to be synonymous, even interchangeable in general conversation, but they are distinctly different when it comes to property insurance coverage.

Imagine the horror of suffering a major house fire and having your belongings destroyed, badly smoke- and soot-damaged or waterlogged. Your world is officially turned upside down, yet you have crucial duties to perform to make sure it gets right-side up with a properly filed insurance claim. The furthest thing from your mind is an examination under oath (EUO). What’s that, you might ask? Read on.

It’s a challenge to do everything you need to do on your own when dealing with the aftermath of a fire. Not only do you have to deal with the complexity of the fire insurance claim process, you also have to make sure your property gets inspected, cleaned, repaired and rebuilt.

Invoking an Appraisal Clause

An insurance company will never voluntarily pay more than an amount claimed by a policyholder. So if you suffer a loss, the scope of damages needs to account for everything needed to restore the property to “uniform and consistent” appearance. That’s where licensed public adjusters can really prove their worth—using their extensive knowledge and experience to include claim elements that may not appear obvious to the untrained eye.

According to Insurance Services Office (ISO), water damage claims are the second most frequent insurance claims after wind and hail damage. Most water damage claims this time of year are caused by frozen pipe bursts, and this year’s winter has been especially brutal, affecting areas as far south as Texas and Florida.

Here is a scenario that occurs more often than you might think.

If you’re a property manager, real estate developer, attorney or commercial property owner, dealing with a rental property fire claim can be overwhelming. So can navigating the claims process with your insurance company. But knowing what to do in that process and when will surely help ease some stress. Here are some of the things you need to address as a landlord when there is a rental property fire claim.

When a hailstorm strikes, it can batter roofs, shred screens and siding, and smash windows. Getting fully compensated for even glaring hail damage from your commercial, BOP or homeowners insurance policy is a challenge. Achieving a fair settlement for anything less than glaring damages can be a nightmare.