House Restoration After Fire Damage

A house fire can be an incredibly emotional event. You shouldn’t have to deal with damage restoration on your own. At 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, we provide expert and comprehensive house restoration after fire damage. With compassion, care, and a team of skilled technicians, we’re available to help when you need our assistance. One call takes care of it all. We offer 24/7 emergency services nationwide. 

When it comes to house restoration after fire damage, our trusted professionals take every detail into account while helping to return your space to its pre-loss condition. From water removal and cleaning residue to air purification and repairs, we do it all. 

Our trucks are always fully loaded with the state-of-the-art equipment and tools necessary to get started. No matter the scale of the job, we’ll be there with upfront pricing, attention to detail, and exceptional courtesy, all backed by decades of successful restoration services. 

With trusted local professionals across the country, we can ease the stress and headache during this trying time. 

What To Do After A House Fire

Knowing what to do after a house fire is important because even after the flames have been extinguished, the acidic soot, smoke damage, and odors from a fire begin to compromise your property immediately.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there are approximately 350,000 structural house fires every year. So what should you do if your home experiences a fire? First and foremost, stay out of your fire-damaged home until the fire authorities tell you it’s safe to re-enter. In the meantime, there are some key people you need to contact.

Your Insurance Company

There are four things you need to address when calling the insurance company:

• Your claim: Start the claims process immediately because house restoration after fire damage can take weeks or months, depending on the extent of the damage.
• Security: Ask about safeguarding your property. You may need to board up windows or erect a temporary fence for security.
• Restoration services: Inquire about professional assistance with house restoration after fire damage, because you cannot manage this process on your own.
• Policy coverage: Ask what your policy covers for temporary accommodations and expenses.

Your Mortgage Provider

You must make mortgage payments on your home, even after a fire event. However, you may be able to get a forbearance, which allows you to stop making payments or make only partial payments for an agreed-upon time.

Your Fire Damage Restoration Company

Contact a restoration company and connect them with your insurance company. You should not take on fire and smoke damage cleaning or house restoration after fire damage on your own.

Employers and Schools

Notify employers and schools if there will be absences from either while you get settled with new accommodations.

Secure Accommodations 

Decide where you will stay before returning to your home. If you incur out-of-pocket expenses related to your temporary accommodations, such as a hotel, keep your receipts. In fact, as you accumulate any expenses, keep the receipts because, in some homeowners insurance policies, there is a term called Additional Living Expenses (ALE). 

This refers to coverage for a homeowner, condominium owner, or renter that covers the additional costs of living incurred by a policyholder should they be temporarily displaced from their place of residence.

Secure Your Property 

After making these important contacts, the next step is addressing your property. Depending on the extent of damage, many of the steps to secure fire-damaged property, such as tarping a roof, boarding up windows and doors, or addressing any holes to prevent weather damage, need to be done by a professional before you will get the go-ahead to re-enter from authorities.

Manage Utilities

Fire authorities will evaluate the utilities (water, electricity, gas, and heat) to determine if they are safe to use or if they need to be disconnected. If a utility is disconnected, you must contact the utility company to have the apparatus checked for proper working order or arrange any necessary repairs to reinstate service. Do not reconnect utilities yourself.

Salvage Items 

When it’s been deemed safe by authorities to re-enter your home, there are several steps to take. They include:

• Locate and collect key items to take with you, such as medication, personal aids (eyeglasses, hearing aids, etc.), valuables, and personal belongings.
• Perform a damage assessment and identify any salvageable items
• Document everything by keeping a written list of what you are taking and what is not salvageable, taking video to help you remember what the scene looked like in case there are follow-up questions from your insurance company, and any other documentation you feel might be needed for future reference.

A key element to remember is to keep track of everything you do after a fire. This includes documenting expenses you incur and items that cannot be salvaged. For house restoration after fire damage, our company will keep track of documentation as well. This will aid with the claims process.

When you require house restoration after fire damage, all you have to do is make one phone call. Contact 1-800 WATER DAMAGE to get 24/7 fire damage services for your home.