Fire Insurance Claim Process in Dallas

12/20/2018 (Permalink)

Trust SERVPRO to handle your fire damage restoration in Dallas. We have restored thousands of properties since 1986.

When you experience a fire damage in your home, one of the first questions that is likely to pop into your mind is, “Will my home insurance pay for this?”

We have helped thousands of families navigate the fire insurance claims process, and we can help you, too.  Our office in Dallas routinely works with every insurance company. We also work hand in hand with insurance adjusters on a daily basis to help process claims.

Every fire damage is different.  This is what you can you generally expect one happens.

Evacuate and Call 911

When a fire occurs, the most important thing is always the safety of every occupant on the property.  Evacuate your home immediately and call 911.

When Fire Damage Restoration Companies Approach You

It’s only when the fire department has cleared the scene that it is appropriate for any company to begin the fire damage restoration process.  If you remain on your property while the firefighters are working, you may notice various disaster restoration companies approach you.  These representatives are there to sell you their fire damage cleanup services.  Often, they can only help with a portion of your claim. For example, one company may be there only to board up your windows.  Another only to tarp your roof.  And another only to take your affected clothing and textiles to clean them.  

You may also be approached by construction companies.  They will try to sell you on the idea of demolishing your property and having them rebuild it from scratch.  Unfortunately, choosing this alternative often ends up with a bill that is higher than if restoration procedures were first implemented.

You Have the Right to Choose Your Disaster Restoration Company

It is your right to either hire any of these companies or ask them to leave your property.  Ultimately, who works on your property is your choice.  By law, no one, including your insurance provider and adjuster, can make this decision on your behalf.

Full Service Fire Damage Restoration Service

You don’t have to piecemeal your fire restoration damage process.  Hiring multiple companies that can handle only portions of your claim results in you managing different points of contacts, a load of documentation, and schedules.  Hiring multiple companies usually ends up in a more expensive insurance claim.

Less stress often results from hiring one company to take care of your fire damage restoration from start to end.  We are one of the businesses in Dallas Fort Worth with the capability and expertise to handle your restoration completely.  When you hire our franchise, you will work with one point of contact who will guide you the entire way. From an insurance perspective, costs are also lowered.  

We have helped many families and businesses rebuild their properties over the last 30 years of our service to DFW.  We can help you, too.

Choosing SERVPRO for Fire Damage in Dallas

While every insurance company is different, you can generally expect the following when you choose us to handle your fire damage insurance claim.

1. Call us for emergency roof tarping and board up.

Our office is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.  We will travel to your property and begin emergency fire damage services.  We will install a weatherproof roof tarping and board up damaged windows, doors, and exterior walls.  These services are important to prevent secondary damage to your property and to deter theft. If the weather prevents our technicians from performing this work, we will send a live security guard to monitor your property.

2. Call your home insurance company.

Tell them you have experienced fire damage on your property, and you have chosen SERVPRO as your fire clean up company.  Advice them that our office will be:

• Installing emergency fire damage services such as board up and roof tarping
• Handling the water damage clean up
• Handling the property clean up
• Handling the contents cleaning including textile and electronic
• Handling reconstruction

By law, your insurance provider and adjuster must honor your choice of fire damage repair company.  Your insurance adjuster may advise you to choose another company, but the choice is ultimately up to you.  You cannot be penalized for choosing a company different than the one they initially suggest.

3. Receive an insurance claim number

When you receive an insurance claim number, call our office and let us know.  Our office will assign an administrative manager that will personally guide through the restoration process from start to end.  They will get in touch with your insurance adjuster and begin the claims process immediately.

4. Fire and smoke damage restoration begins

Our fire damage restoration process has been refined over 30 years of service.  

5. Working with your insurance adjuster

You’ll be assigned an administrative manager from our office.  They will guide you through the fire damage restoration process and the insurance claim from start to end.  They will also communicate with your insurance adjuster on a regular basis, most times every day. We will forward all documentation our technicians have gathered such as photographs and the inventory of your contents.  We will ask for approval for various portions of your claim as we progress through the fire damage restoration process.

6. Insurance documentation

Documentation is a vital part of an insurance claim, especially in a fire damage.  Our technicians will document every step of the fire damage process. We do this to validate your claim for your adjuster and help every portion of it be approved.  Documentation includes photographs, sketches, and inventory of your contents.

A home inventory is essential.  Our technicians will inspect your property to identify everything they can, from clothing to appliances.  We will take pictures of items and record in what room or area they were found.

The items that are salvageable are packed and taken back to our cleaning facility to be restored.  

The items that are not salvageable are reported to your insurance adjuster and disposed of when we receive permission.  Our office also provides a suggested cost replacement estimate for each item that cannot be saved.

Home Inventory

What happens if some contents in the property are so badly burnt that they are no longer identifiable?  This is where your home inventory becomes necessary.  A home inventory is a list of contents, with pictures, that you had in your property before the fire occurred.  When items are burnt, this list will provide proof to your insurance adjuster of what was destroyed in the fire.  Without proof, it is very difficult for an adjuster to agree to replace items.

To prepare a home inventory, please read our article How to Build a Home Inventory.

7. Fire Damage Insurance Payout

We will work with your adjuster to get every portion of your claim approved.  Once your project has been completed, the invoice will be sent directly to your insurance provider.  Most times, your insurance company will send us payment directly to close your claim.

While the majority of an insurance claim will be covered by the insurance company, homeowners are still responsible for their deductible.  A deductible is the part of a claim that a homeowner is directly responsible for and has to pay directly to the restoration vendor.  Our office will work with your insurance agent to determine your deductible. This can be paid to us at any time.

Do you have questions we haven’t talked about in this article?  Contact us and we’ll be glad to answer.

Trusted Leader in Fire Restoration in Dallas, TX

SERVPRO of North Irving is locally owned and operated leader in the restoration industry.  We have the expertise to handle any size smoke and fire damage restoration in Dallas, TX.  We have performed residential and commercial restoration work in Dallas and other North Texas communities for over 30 years.  We also have a Texas Mold Remediation Contractor License and offer free mold inspections.

Our crews are available dispatch for 24 hour emergencies every day of the year. We can be reached 24/7 at (972) 986-7677.  Call us any time!

We are a family owned and operated business.  Learn more about us.

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