The fire claims process is considered the time that the policy owner notifies their insurance company of the fire until the claim process is finished and ends in a settlement for the policy owner. To get to the end point there are several steps involved.
Review your policy
At all times you should know where to look for and find your insurance policy. It should be in a safe fireproof lock box or safety deposit box rented from the bank. When there is a fire you should get your insurance policy out and review it to determine what type of coverage you have and how much it is for, what is covered and what is excluded. This information will help you know how you should file your claim and if there are any deadlines to file your claim. Most of the information that you will need can generally be found on the declaration page. This is usually found at the beginning of your insurance policy. If, for some reason or other, you cannot find your insurance policy or do not understand what is covered and how to file a claim contact your insurance company.
Contacting your insurance company
As soon as you review your policy, or even before if you want, you should contact your insurance company to notify them of the fire and what type of loss you have suffered. Some insurance companies may require that you contact them as soon as the loss occurs while others may give you a couple of days. This information will also be in your insurance policy. With some insurance policies there are often provisions that will provide you with money for temporary housing if your home was destroyed by fire, which is another reason you should contact them as soon as possible. You may have to submit written notification instead of calling.
Information needed by insurance company
When you contact your insurance company they will tell you what you need to submit in order to start the fire claims process. This will generally consist of a statement from you telling what happened and what the damage is. If they need more information or documentation it is your responsibility to provide it as long as what they request is reasonable. Make sure that in all of your documentation that you are thorough because you will not be reimbursed for anything that is not documented.
Payment process
How you will be paid for your loss will depend on the type of fire claims you submitted and what the loss was. If it is a small loss the insurance company may just write a check but if it is to do repairs or rebuilding they may disburse the payments to the one doing the work.
