Quick Answer: Call your insurance company within 24 hours of the fire — but don't let them rush you into a settlement. Document everything before cleanup begins. You have the right to choose your own contractors. If the first offer seems low, it probably is. A public adjuster can often get you 2-3x more than the insurer's first offer. Here's everything adjusters won't volunteer.
A house fire is one of the most disorienting events a family can go through. You've lost things that can't be replaced, you may be displaced, and within hours there are contractors at your door and adjusters on the phone. The decisions made in the first 72 hours significantly affect how much you ultimately recover.
Here's how to protect yourself.
The First 24 Hours
Call your insurance company immediately. Most policies have a notification requirement — waiting too long can give an insurer grounds to complicate your claim. Get a claim number. Write down the name of every person you speak with.
Document before anything is touched. Before any cleanup, restoration, or boarding-up happens — take photos and video of every affected area. Every room. Every angle. Open drawers and cabinets and photograph the contents. This documentation is your primary evidence. Insurance companies cannot dispute what's photographed before remediation begins.
Keep everything. Do not throw away damaged items until your claim is settled. Even severely damaged belongings are evidence of value. Insurers often require a personal property inventory, and physical evidence supports your claimed values.
Secure the property. You have an obligation under your policy to prevent further damage. Board broken windows, tarp the roof. Keep receipts for everything — emergency securing costs are typically covered.
Find somewhere to stay. Your policy's "Additional Living Expenses" (ALE) or "Loss of Use" coverage pays for temporary housing, meals above your normal food costs, laundry, storage, and other necessary expenses while you're displaced. Keep every receipt. There are limits, but most families don't come close to them — they just don't submit expenses.
What Insurance Adjusters Won't Tell You
1. The first offer is rarely the right offer. The insurance company's adjuster is employed by the insurance company. Their job includes containing payouts. The first settlement offer is a starting point, not a final number. You can and should negotiate.
2. You can choose your own contractor. Your insurer may suggest or "recommend" specific restoration contractors — often companies they have negotiated rates with. You are not required to use them. You can hire any licensed, qualified contractor. Get multiple estimates.
3. They're timing the pressure. You're displaced, overwhelmed, and want this resolved. Insurers know this. Pressure to settle quickly — "we just need your signature" — is a tactic. Once you sign a settlement, it's very difficult to reopen the claim even if you later discover additional damage.
4. Smoke and soot damage is often underclaimed. Fire damage is visible. Smoke and soot damage is pervasive and often extends far beyond the visible burn area — into HVAC systems, inside walls, in attics, throughout every room that shared air circulation. A good restoration assessment accounts for all of it. A rushed adjuster assessment often doesn't.
5. Depreciation is negotiable. For personal property (furniture, electronics, clothing), insurers initially pay "Actual Cash Value" — replacement cost minus depreciation. If you have "Replacement Cost Value" coverage (most standard HO-3 policies do), you're entitled to the full replacement cost after you've actually made the purchases. You have to submit receipts, but you can recover full replacement cost.
6. Code upgrades are often covered. Your home can't legally be rebuilt to its pre-fire state if that state didn't meet current building codes. "Ordinance and Law" coverage pays for the additional cost of rebuilding to current code. Many adjusters don't mention this coverage. Ask directly: "Does my policy include Ordinance and Law coverage?"
Building Your Claim: The Personal Property Inventory
The personal property inventory is where most families leave the most money on the table. Insurance companies want a complete list of everything you lost, with values.
How to reconstruct it:
- Go room by room, writing down everything from memory
- Check old photos (Facebook, family albums) — these often show furnishings, electronics, and decor clearly
- Check Amazon, Visa, or bank statements for purchases
- Ask family members who visited for their memories of what was in the house
Be thorough. The number of items in an average home is staggering — most families significantly undercount. Closets, kitchen cabinets, garage contents, attic storage, children's toys, tools, outdoor furniture, holiday decorations. Write everything down.
Research replacement costs. For each item, note what it would cost to replace it today (not what you paid 10 years ago). Retail prices from Target, Amazon, and Home Depot are legitimate sources.
The Public Adjuster: When to Use One
A public adjuster is a licensed professional who handles your insurance claim on your behalf. They work for you — not the insurance company.
When to seriously consider one:
- The damage is significant (over $20,000)
- The insurance company's estimate seems far below what restoration is actually costing
- The claim is being disputed or delayed
- You don't have the time or energy to fight the process yourself
What they charge: 5–15% of the final settlement. If they increase your settlement from $80,000 to $200,000, their 15% fee ($30,000) still leaves you with $90,000 more than you'd have gotten alone.
How to find a legitimate one: The National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) lists licensed members. They should be licensed in your state. Never pay upfront — legitimate public adjusters work on contingency.
Connect with a licensed public adjuster in your state →
The Restoration Process: What to Know Before You Sign
Get multiple bids. The difference between restoration contractors can be substantial. Get at least two, ideally three, detailed written estimates. Make sure each bid covers the same scope of work.
The scope matters more than the price. A lower bid that doesn't include smoke remediation in the HVAC, or that replaces only the visibly damaged flooring rather than testing the subfloor, will cost you more in the long run. Review scope carefully before comparing prices.
Temporary repairs vs. permanent reconstruction: Emergency stabilization (boarding, tarping, water extraction) is immediate. Full reconstruction takes longer. Understand what each contractor is proposing and at what phase.
Contents cleaning vs. replacement: Smoke-damaged items can sometimes be professionally cleaned (electronics, furniture, clothing). What gets cleaned vs. replaced affects your total claim. A good contents restoration company will assess what's saveable before disposing of anything.
If Your Claim Is Denied or Underpaid
First step: Understand why. Read the denial or payment explanation carefully. Is it a coverage issue? A documentation issue? A disputed value?
Request a detailed explanation in writing.
File an internal appeal. Every insurer has an appeals process. Submit additional documentation (photos, contractor estimates, expert opinions) supporting your position.
File a complaint with your state Department of Insurance. Insurance companies are regulated at the state level. Complaints are taken seriously — a pattern of unjustified denials attracts regulatory scrutiny.
Consult an insurance bad faith attorney. For large claims where an insurer is acting in bad faith — denying valid claims, delaying without justification, making lowball offers without basis — a bad faith insurance attorney can pursue additional damages beyond the policy amount. Many work on contingency.
Additional Living Expenses: Don't Leave Money on the Table
Keep receipts for everything during displacement:
- Hotel or temporary rental costs above your normal housing cost
- Restaurant meals above your normal grocery costs
- Laundry beyond normal costs
- Storage unit rental
- Pet boarding (if your temporary housing doesn't allow pets)
- Clothing if yours was destroyed or inaccessible
Submit all of it. Most families dramatically underutilize ALE coverage. It's paid for in your premium.
The Emotional Reality
House fires are traumatic. They're not just property damage — they involve the loss of the space where your life happened, objects that can't be replaced, and often profound disorientation about what "home" even means anymore.
The practical demands are relentless — the phone calls, the decisions, the pressure from all sides. Give yourself permission to not have it all figured out immediately. Take the time the claim needs to be done right.
Connect with a public adjuster for your fire claim → Find a restoration contractor in your area →
This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or insurance advice. Policy terms vary. Always review your specific policy and consult with a licensed professional for advice specific to your situation.