What you need to know about being prepared for a house fire insurance claim

Would you know what to do if your house caught fire and everything you owned was lost or damaged? What would insurance cover and not cover? What if someone in your family had been in a car accident the same week and you had a boat in the garage that wasn’t insured because it wasn’t being used in the lake at the time? Believe it or not, this exact situation happened to one of our clients. She shares her story and lessons learned in this quick video.

Have an agent you can lean on

The first thing Kelly did when her house caught fire (after calling 911) was call her insurance agent! Your agent is there to walk you through the process. We are on your team and want to help you get through whatever property damage or loss you’ve experienced.

Cars, boats, motorcycles or other motorized vehicles are not covered by your home insurance

If your vehicles are damaged in a house fire or other accident on your property they are not covered by your home owner’s insurance. If you’ve got a vehicle or recreational “toy” parked in the shop and decide to pause the insurance, think again.

There are limitations on some personal property

Things like jewelry, collectables, furs, silver, money, guns, etc may need a rider, endorsement or add-on to make sure you have the coverage you need. Ask your agent which valuables would need this extra coverage.

Create a home inventory

There’s no way you can remember ever possession you have and you’d be astounded at the cost to replace a lifetime of the things you use in your home. Include photos and serial numbers in your inventory, then store it somewhere safe or send to your insurance agent to keep in their files.*

*We have a template if requested

Home Insurance Renewal Review Process

Participate in the Home Insurance Renewal Review Process with your agent, to make sure your property is covered correctly. Each year we are happy to go over your insurance coverage with you to make sure your policy is still sufficient for your needs.

“Your coverage is only as good as your agent knows” Incredible thought!

Our agents are constantly educating ourselves so we can help you in any insurance claim situation. We want you to be prepared and minimize stress for you in an already stressful situation.

#insurancedoesntsuck

*The purpose of this video is to share a real life example of insurance losses and to be used as a tool when buying home insurance. It is not an endorsement for a specific insurance company, agency or agent.

Find out more

Find out more about how to protect your home from fire damage by reading our Fire Prevention and Protection Tips article.

Insure your Home, Belongings and Life

You may need multiple types of insurance to fully cover you in case of a fire. Home owners or renter’s insurance, umbrella insurance and life insurance are some options and cover different things. If you’re not sure which you need, contact us! Call (509) 483-3030 for a fee consultation.