Tips for Fire Victims: What Should You Do After You Experience a Fire Disaster?

by Ron Reitz, Quality Claims Management Corporation www.qualityclaims.com

Tips for Fire Victims: What Should You Do After You Experience a Fire Disaster?

Take a breath and do not make any hasty decisions. Do not accept the first offer you receive from the insurer.

Before accepting any offer from an insurer, be sure that the offer has been reviewed and analyzed against the insurance policy so that you know ALL insurable damage has been included and adequately addressed.

Do not speed through the process. While you may believe that the fastest resolution of your claim is best -- it often times is not best for the insured. Claims take a long time to settle. The more time and effort you spend valuing your claim, the higher your ultimate settlement will be.

Start your personal property inventory immediately. This will be a very lengthy, detailed and emotionally involved process. Your memory is best right after the loss, so start to compile your list of personal property immediately. It is very likely that you will not remember to list all of your items and several months later, while looking for certain things, you will determine they are gone -- this is most often the case with partial losses.

The insurer will have a team of adjusters that will read and interpret the language of the policy as they believe it to be. There is a natural conflict of interest for the insurer to represent the insured as well as themselves. The less money an insurer pays on a claim, the more profitable they are. It makes sense then, to hire a licensed public insurance adjuster that will work on your behalf with a goal of settling for the maximum you are entitled to under the terms of the policy.

Does every loss require the expertise of a public insurance adjuster? No. There are many situations that you may not need a public insurance adjuster. The prudent thing to do is to talk to or meet with a public adjuster to discuss your specific loss and get their opinion.

How to select a public insurance adjuster - first and foremost, only talk to a firm that adheres to and operates under a strict Code of Professional Conduct -- such as that of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (www.napia.com). Be sure to check with the California Department of Insurance (http://www.insurance.ca.gov/license-status/) to verify the firm and individual is licensed.

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Author Bio - Ronald R. Reitz, CPPA, President of Quality Claims Management, http://www.qualityclaims.com, pioneered the National Hazard Insurance Claims business of GMAC-RFC (now GMAC-ResCap). Mr. Reitz left GMAC-ResCap in January 2007 after ten years of managing the Insurance Services group. He is the past President of the California Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (CAPIA) and is currently an officer on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) www.napia.com. Recognized as a leading expert on hazard claims, he is serving on many industry panels, as well as providing consulting and training services industry-wide.

Quality Claims Management Corporation provides hazard claim recovery services to investors, mortgage servicers, homeowners and businesses. All claims are adjusted by licensed insurance professionals for an equitable settlement and accelerated resolution timelines. Quality Claims is nationally licensed as Public Insurance Adjusters or Insurance Consultants and complies with Department of Insurance Regulations