What to do to help your insurance claim for a fire loss.

Homes, towns, and lives have been destroyed by the wildfires that continue to ravage Los Angeles.  As renters and homeowners, we’re told to buy insurance to protect against these losses.  But amidst historic loss events caused by these Los Angeles fires, there is a pending financial crisis looming for those who have already been impacted by these fires – What will insurance cover?  

Get a Copy of Your Policy and Open a Claim

The first thing you need to do, after getting yourself and family to a safe place, is to get a copy of your homeowners or renters insurance policy.  For many carriers, your policy can be electronically found through their respective apps.  Electronically download the policy and read it, because the policy dictates what your insurance company must pay for from the fires. These policies have numerous definitions, exclusions (what carriers won’t pay for), and legal jargon that can cause confusion, so if you’re unsure what the policy states, call an attorney. Our office will gladly walk you through the coverages of your policy during an initial, free consultation.    

Keep Receipts

Simultaneously, open up a claim with your insurance carrier.  Inevitably, the carriers will be overwhelmed by the sheer number of families being displaced from these fires, so it may take hours of holding and patience before getting to speak with someone from the carrier.  

Now that your claim is open, keep track of all expenses, such as hotel stay, food, purchase of new clothing, pet boarding, and anything else you spent money on that you would’ve had at home.  Keep actual receipts or take pictures of the receipts and save them to your phone, email, and/or computer. Insurance carriers will likely not reimburse you for items that don’t have a receipt.            

Journal Your Calls with Adjusters and Ask for Confirmation in Writing

You will inevitably be speaking with an adjuster from your carrier multiple times.  Take note of the date and time you spoke, who you spoke to, and what you spoke about.  Before ending the call, ask for the adjuster to put what they agreed to do or cover in writing in an email to you.  Sometimes promises are made on the phone and then never followed through because the adjuster didn’t have authority or was unaware of your coverages or exclusions.

What Will Be Covered?

Your insurance policy that you purchased determines what will be covered from the fire, and each person’s policy is different.  Knowing the policy coverages and exclusions is key to pushing the insurance carriers to pay under the coverages.  

Since a state of emergency has been declared because of these wildfires, your carrier must pay you a minimum of one-third of the estimated value of your personal belongings and at least four months’ rent for replacement housing, regardless if an adjuster comes to your house.  (See report from Los Angeles Times Article by Laurence Darmiento)

Unfortunately, our firm has seen the frustration and disappointment homeowners and renters feel when trying to recover their losses from their insurance company without an attorney. Low ball offers and denials of benefits complicate the process, and it is at that time, when our clients realized insurance carriers are not on their side.  Our office has helped many in coverage claims from fire losses and can work with you to put together a plan to maximize your recovery under the policy.