Advice on what to do after a house fire.

April 9, 2012 8:10 AM

My parents' house caught fire yesterday. This kind of thing has never happened to any of us before, and we could use advice on how to move forward.

Luckily no one was hurt, and we were even able to get all of our animals out safely. After the fire department got everything under control, we were able to salvage some clothes and, amazingly, our computers are all fine.

Somehow only our garage and part of our roof was damaged by the fire itself, but due to smoke and water damage and fireman activity the house is uninhabitable. My folks are staying with my mom's mom, and I and my sister have a place to stay at university roughly 40 minutes away.

During the fire, we were approached by a public or private adjuster, I don't remember which, who said he could act as a middleman between us and our insurance. He said his fee is higher, but he's usually able to settle faster and for more from the insurance than we will be able to. Is it worth employing him? Also, my dad is really worried about some of his mother's heirlooms in the house, and wants to go back and find them, and move them to a temporary storage facility. I know that insurance will want to take a look at things; would he get in trouble for moving things before they are able to look into things?

Any other advice would be welcomed.

posted by anonymous to law & government (9 answers total)

Man, I am so sorry this happened to you, and glad you and your family are all OK.

During the fire, we were approached by a public or private adjuster, I don't remember which, who said he could act as a middleman between us and our insurance. He said his fee is higher, but he's usually able to settle faster and for more from the insurance than we will be able to. Is it worth employing him?

Caveat: I don't have experience in this area. But my gut reaction is that when someone who stands to earn profit from another's tragedy shows up as that tragedy is happening to peddle their services to the victims as they are going through said tragedy you can probably assume that they do not have your best interests at heart. This would be analogous to a lawyer soliciting you as the paramedics are checking your vitals on the scene of a car accident.
posted by schroedinger at 8:28 AM on April 9, 2012 [27 favorites]

I'm so sorry that your family is dealing with this, but glad that you are all ok.

Two families close to my family have experienced major fires in the last couple of years and it's hugely disruptive, to say the least. Both found that the resources provided by the Red Cross were very helpful. They have staff that can help walk you through the first steps. They also had a lot of assistance from their insurance companies who also have staff that are there to walk you through what you need to do. Contact them as soon as possible. They will help you determine if it makes sense to use an independent adjuster (they may have policies about this), and they will also help secure the house and contract clean-up specialists who can help with securing and saving the heirlooms you are worried about.

Good luck.
posted by goggie at 8:29 AM on April 9, 2012 [4 favorites]

I'd suggest starting with realizing that your homeowners insurance is unlikely to cover the damage because you have publicly stated here that it resulted from negligence (leaving an unattended burning thing close to the house). Insurance companies look hard for reasons not to pay claims, but this one is....right there.

Might be a good idea to ask a moderator to anonymize this question.

Additionally, this

During the fire, we were approached by...

may be considered solicitation in your state, and may be illegal in Ohio, Prohibited in Florida, "Public adjusters are prohibited from initiating telephonic or face to face contact with an insured or claimant during the first 48 hours after a loss unless the contact is initiated by the insured or claimant" or at best unethical.
posted by bilabial at 8:29 AM on April 9, 2012 [2 favorites]

Call your insurance agent immediately. They should be able to direct you on what actions you need to take, including non-insurance matters. And, definitely avoid anyone trying to become your intermediary.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:38 AM on April 9, 2012 [2 favorites]

This happened to my family twice, actually. No experience with adjusters but as said above, I'd be pretty wary of someone who approached me during a tragedy and offered their services to me while it was going on. The insurance policy actually did cover it both times, even though the first was due to negligence, but that was due to the policy - it's not at all a part of traditional homeowners' insurance. We were advised to not touch anything until the insurance company sent someone out because we were covered, but I would still wait until it's been inspected by the insurance company, if applicable, and cleared by the fire department for safety.
posted by sm1tten at 9:12 AM on April 9, 2012

This happened to my parents a few years ago.

First priority is to be sure that they and you are in a safe place, so they can deal with the sense of unreality and shock for the next few days. Staying with family for 2-3 days is a great idea. Try not to make too many big decisions in the next day or so. Shock can really muddy the waters.

The only thing to do today: call the insurance company right away. You want them involved as soon as you can. If you insurance isn't helpful, the Red Cross can help, but your insurance should be your first port of call. Leave aside lawyers and third-party adjusters for a day or so until you've had a chance to see what your own insurance company says.

Short-term, they need clothes, any prescriptions, a few toiletries, and prepared meals and a safe, relaxed place to stay (which you seem to have covered). The insurance company may have some options here, but if they don't this is the problem the Red Cross can help with, the first 48-72 hours. However, if you or a relative can do a quick shop for them, you can make the next few days a lot less of a hassle and you won't need their services.

Longer-term, your parents are going to have to stay somewhere away from the house until the fire remediation people have cleaned and repaired the house. Your insurance company will likely have a list of approved specialist contractors they will want you to deal with. They may also have an approved list of short-stay apartments they would like you to use. You care going to want to store the household goods out of the house, but negotiation for something like a storage locker should also be done with your insurer. These sorts of decisions are why contacting you insurance company and getting their adjuster involved is important as soon as you can.

The things we did in the long-term that made a big difference were: getting cell phones for mom and dad (they didn't have them prior), setting up a spreadsheet for the household items damaged and lost in the fire, another spreadsheet to track insurance payments and activities and so on. That doesn't have to happen right away, but they need to get used to tracking receipts and invoices pretty carefully for insurance reimbursement. The sooner you start, the better off your are, ie that shopping trip for short-term supplies.

They'll also want to understand their policy carefully. This is where third-party advice from a lawyer or independent adjuster might help them---though I'd be very wary of firetruck chasers, of course. In my parent's policy, they got 60% of an item's value if they took it in cash, for example, but were allowed spend up to 120% the value if they wanted to replace it. This made a big difference to what happened in the months following. That was their policy though, and your parents will need to similarly figure out their own policy terms.

That can wait for a week or so though. For now, make sure that they are safe and looked after, and have a day or two to get their feet under them. But do call the insurance company right away.
posted by bonehead at 9:43 AM on April 9, 2012 [4 favorites]

Oh, I am so sorry. Nth-ing the idea of just ignoring the ambulance-chasing (in this case, firetruck-chasing) adjuster and calling the insurance agency directly.

Also please ask a mod to anonymize the question and to remove the discussion of what was happening immediately prior to the fire.

Call the insurance company. Be truthful about the circumstances of the fire, but don't volunteer extra information.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:46 AM on April 9, 2012

[Changed some details in the OPs question per OP request. ]
posted by jessamyn at 9:54 AM on April 9, 2012

I think bonehead gives some good advice. Last year my sister's workshop/storage building caught fire in her backyard. The actual house didn't burn, but it was too close for comfort. This shook my mom up enough to talk to her own insurance agent about what would happen if her house (she's owned for 36 years now, and is fully paid for) caught on fire. She was told pretty much what bonehead said. Immediately call the insurance company, who will then start the ball rolling on securing you a place to stay, and can probably give you a check to cover expenses like getting some clothes and food. Keep ALL receipts and document EVERYTHING related to expenses after the fire...you never know what the insurance company might reimburse you on or need documentation on. It also helps to document phone calls and conversations about this whole thing because 6 months down the road no one may remember. I'd just start journaling everything now (but that's just me).

Of course, all of this depends on the type of coverage and policy you have. I wouldn't even mess with that adjuster that showed up (that sounds so CREEPY!!! and he probably was listening to the police/fire scanner looking for potential customers). If you find you are having issues with your insurance company, I'd then ask a lawyer for advice. They might recommend an independent adjuster, they might not.

I'm glad everyone is safe, and I'm sorry for you being in this situation. Based on my sister's experience (which wasn't as severe as yours, but definitely scary), I know it can be stressful.
posted by MultiFaceted at 10:04 AM on April 9, 2012