Six Things You Need to Do After a House Fire

Written by Heidi Petschauer 

You may think a house fire will never happen to you. But what if it does? Are you prepared?

Figuring out what to do after a home fire can be a very stressful and overwhelming process, and it can be hard to decide what to do first. With a little help from your insurance agent, though, you may be able to settle your claim more quickly and get your life back to normal.

Here are the six things you should do after a home fire.

1. Call your insurance agent immediately. You will be getting calls at all hours of the day from public adjusters and contractors who will try to offer you a deal on putting your house back together. These calls can create a lot of stress and confusion. I suggest you speak to no one but your agent to discuss your options at this point in the process.

2. Ask about restoration companies that can help with cleaning up soot, boarding up windows, and other construction. Immediately after a fire, especially if it is a minor one, you’ll need to clean up any soot or water damage. It is important to hire a reputable service to deal with these issues. Ask your agent or insurance adjuster to recommend a few different companies. They deal with these situations more often than you do and likely know of some businesses that fit your needs. Many of these restoration companies have connections to good contractors, engineers, and architects, as well.

3. Separate damaged property from undamaged property. The insurance company will need a detailed inventory list from you after they inspect the loss. Separating your damaged property from your undamaged property will make it easier for you to make a list of your damaged items. This list needs to include the date you purchased each item, the brand name, the price you paid, and the serial number, model, or description of each item. If the item was a gift, be sure to indicate that as well.

It’s a good idea to submit your receipts with this inventory list. If the receipts were destroyed in the fire, or you didn’t keep any receipts, request copies of prior bank statements. This can make obtaining duplicate receipts easier. Keep in mind that photos of any damaged items are always helpful if receipts are not available.

4. Save undamaged property from further destruction. Any items that are not damaged should be put in a safe place, even if it means putting them in storage. Insurance adjusters are typically fair when it comes to adding additional costs for storage.

5. Cooperate fully with the insurance company’s investigation. When a fire claim is reported to an insurance company, it is given top priority. Usually, the adjusters come out to see the loss within 24 to 48 hours. To help settle your claim in a timely manner and to your satisfaction, be sure you are available and on time for all meetings, that you return calls promptly, that any requested paperwork is completed as quickly as possible, and that you contact the company or your agent immediately with any questions.

6. Find somewhere to stay if you can’t live in your home. Most homeowner’s policies include “Loss of Use or Loss of Rents” coverage, which will pay for the food, clothing, and shelter that you and your family may need for a specified period of time. Keep in mind that your policy will pay for “like kind and quality” living arrangements. You may want to save the Ritz for a special occasion and instead stay in a more reasonably priced hotel.

What to do before disaster strikes

• Review your homeowner’s policy to be sure you have replacement cost coverage, loss of use coverage, and adequate dwelling coverage. The last thing you want to hear after a fire is that you were underinsured.

• Save all your receipts and put them in a metal fireproof box or in a storage facility off the premises, such as a safety deposit box. Better yet, scan the receipts and save them to a computer file. Taking a video of your entire home and the possessions within it is the next best thing to receipts. This will show the insurance company what sort of lifestyle you had prior to the claim.

• Be sure to have smoke detectors in every room of your home to ensure that everyone gets out of the house or apartment safely in the event of a fire. Have exit ladders and fire extinguishers handy, and know how to use them.

• Discuss escape strategies and plans with your family prior to a fire, and consider a fire drill to help ensure everyone’s safety.

Article Source: https://blog.equifax.com/credit/six-things-you-need-to-do-after-a-house-fire/

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Disaster Restoration Services Provide Shelter from the Storm

The reason disaster restoration services are so invaluable is because they are like handymen trained in tragedy. They specialize in any type of natural mishap, big or small, and are ready 24-7 to help salvage your home from ruin. They can be hired to remove waste, water, pests, damaged items, or entire sections of the home. And they can also restore, repair, renovate, or rebuild any wall, roof, window, appliance, or an entire room. These experts are like qualified stress relievers, prepared to provide support, not more strain.

Types of Disaster Restoration Service
In order to be a useful disaster recovery service contractor, you have to be ready for anything. So their expertise lies in everything from simple deodorization to complete reconstruction. They are required to be qualified by special organizations for each type of emergency and therefore are licensed and certified in every possible task. Here’s a list of natural calamities, the problems they bring, and how a disaster restoration service is an incredible resource in these situations:

Floods
Water extraction is one of the most widespread problems associated with weather damage. Floods, storms, or simply heavy rainfalls can lead to a submerged basement or waterlogged first floor. Therefore, repair experts can remove the water and, afterward, dry, dehumidify, and restore the area. They can also replace drywall, rebuild any damaged walls or installations, and even re-paint a room if needed. How much does water extraction cost? The national average is about $2,800, but that price can vary depending on the damage.

Mold
When it comes to water damage, it may seem that the suffering comes from your stuff getting wet. But the real trouble is what’s left behind by the moisture. Mold and mildew build up, gets stuck behind your walls, spreads rapidly, and causes a lot of health problems for your family. And it doesn’t just have to occur in a flood, but anywhere at any time. Therefore, immediate mold remediation is necessary. It’s important to have your home inspected annually and, if detected, these pros can help remove the mildew.

Storms
A tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or heavy winds can wreck a lot of havoc. Therefore, after the storm, these professionals help to remove debris, fallen trees, or other rubble. They can be hired for demolition, window board-ups, emergency roof tarps, or complete reconstruction of the property if desired. Plus, they can help stabilize structures and foundations. And if you’re without power, they can even provide temporary generators, heaters, or sump pumps to supply some relief.

Fire Damage
After surviving a fire, your home will be at risk for structural damage and your personal items can quickly be unsalvageable unless quickly cleaned. A disaster restoration service can deodorize, clean, and refurbish any architecture as well as remove soot from any spoiled carpet, cloth, metal, or stone material before permanent injury sets in.

Special Services
They can also help with any pest removal and some companies are even qualified to take care of more serious clean-ups, such as infectious wastes from septic tanks and other biohazardous substances. Most importantly, after the disaster restoration service has cleaned or repaired your home, they can also give advice to avoid problems in the future by providing assistance and educating the homeowner about a few simple measures to alleviate potential crises. Plus, since their one mission statement is help instead of hinder, these professionals are usually very generous with their guidance and reasonable with their prices.

Home Restoration Services
The heritage and distinctiveness of old homes should be their greatest strength, not their greatest weakness. Uneven floors, cracked drywall, warped wood siding, and gutters are just a few of the most common areas where home restoration services are badly needed. Home restoration contractors are trained not only to return your home to tip-top living condition but also to preserve the architectural integrity of the original structure. Unlike modern suburban neighborhoods, older homes are one-of-a-kind and require contractors with equal parts experience and innovation.

Cost of Home Restoration Services
Analogous to the cost of owning an older home, home restoration isn’t necessarily more expensive than standard home improvements, but it will require more regular and more costly maintenance. Wood siding, for example, is less expensive to install than most siding alternatives, but it will need to be sealed every couple years. Along with homeowners insurance and property taxes, you should plan to set aside a sizable budget for annual home restoration services and general maintenance.

Article Source: https://www.homeadvisor.com/r/disaster-restoration-services/

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Fast Response Can Make a Difference With Water Damage

How you respond in a water damage emergency can make a difference in thousands of dollars of repair costs. Ultimately, it can also determine whether you save your carpets or not. It can be tough to know what to do when faced with water damage in your home. That is why it is a good idea to be prepared ahead of time. This can help you to act fast and take control of the situation. The number one solution is to always call a professional immediately. They can provide the best guidance for how to handle your specific situation. Follow these tips to help protect your home.

Water Damage Tips

The first step is to identify the source of the incoming water. It may be that you can stop it. There have been times that an entire house has flooded thanks to a faucet that was unknowingly left on. In the case of a pipe break, you may be able to shut off the water at the source. If the water is coming from another source, you may have to call a professional to handle the problem.

If there are electrical appliances in the flooded area, you will also need to shut off the electricity. Do not wade into the water in order to do so. The electricity should be turned off at the source instead.

The next step is to remove any furniture from the area. This can do two different things. First, it helps to protect the furniture from further damage. Second, it protects the carpet from getting stains or rust damage from areas of contact. Something that many people forget about includes closets. Always be sure to empty the closet floors in particular. If there are cardboard boxes stored anywhere, these will need to be taken out promptly. Otherwise, they can leave a stain.

Things to Avoid

When a professional arrives at your home, they will begin the drying process. Prior to their arrival, many people attempt their hand at drying the carpet on their own. Unfortunately, this can cause permanent damage. Do not try to rip up the carpet and pad. When done improperly it can damage the carpet. Also, do not use an electric heater to dry the area. The problem with this method is that it is not powerful enough to dry the pad. It will only dry the surface of the carpet. A professional will evaluate your specific situation and will take the right steps to restore your home.

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Fire Damage Restoration - Helps You Restore Your Home Back in Good Condition

Home fires can be devastating, and once the initial shock and subsequent relief of surviving has worn off, you're often left with a huge mess to clean up.

The effects of fire damage can be emotionally traumatizing to deal with, which is why it's always helpful to hire professionals to assist you during this trying process. However, there are some things you can do to help speed up the process and save some of your personal possessions.

The most important thing to remember when reentering your home aftermath is that just because it looks safe, doesn't mean that it is. There can still be dangerous soot in the air as well as lingering smoke and water damage from the rescue.

Make sure you have the permission of the authorities that your home is safe enough to enter, and it's best to choose only one or two people to go in at first.

Depending on the severity, you will probably first notice everything covered in ashes and soot. This can be dusted off of surfaces and vacuumed off of furniture and carpets.

It will be much easier to work inside your home if the majority of soot is removed first before you begin sorting through your belongings. If some areas have little or none, make sure that you don't track in soot. Either avoid these rooms or place protection on the floor.

It can affect many different surfaces and cause permanent harm if not taken care of quickly. Chrome and other metals will need to be cleaned or else they can tarnish. Similarly, porcelain, which many toilets, tubs, and some tiles are made of, can become discolored and start to yellow.

Upholstery that has deeply imbedded soot should be sent to professional cleaners to ensure they get deep into the fabric to lift up any residual stains.

Most food should be thrown out, even if sealed or kept inside of the fridge. Even if the kitchen was not affected by it, smoke may have gotten into some of the food and spoiled it (or at least make it taste unappetizing). It is often easier to just toss it all out rather than sift through it looking for something that is salvageable.

Clothing and rugs, like upholstery, should be sent to professional cleaners with specific instructions to treat for fire damage. It isn't wise to attempt to clean these on your own, as you can spread the soot and make the problem worse or even impossible to reverse.

A professional fabric cleaner has the greatest chance of reviving some items from fire damage. Likewise, don't touch any electrical appliances that have fire damage or that are in the near area. They may have been affected and could potentially spark another one. They also may have been affected by water if professionals were called to the scene.

When dealing with this kind of issue you will want experts to handle a big chunk of them. They can safely help you sort through your home and restore it back to a livable state. Only do what you absolutely must, such as sending clothes off to the cleaner, wiping off soot, and gathering items of sentimental value.

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