Smoke Damage Claims

Fire is one of the most dangerous elements. It can destroy almost everything around you, including your property. But it is not only fire that is dangerous. Smoke from a fire or intense combustion can also ruin your home. But, if your home has been damaged by smoke, we have good news. You can file a smoke damage claim with your insurance company. In this article, we will tell you how to do it in the right way and what strategy to follow in order to get compensation.

What Is Smoke Damage?

You will be surprised, but many US residents do not even suspect that smoke damage and fire damage are not the same things. The point is that the smoke damage is not always obvious. If the fire destroys quickly, the results of the smoke damage may appear some time later. And it is better to prevent their occurrence in advance.

What suffers from smoke in your home?

• Wall and ceiling surfaces. The smoke penetrates deeply into wallpaper, ceiling covering, floor covering. A burning smell, dark spots, yellowed wallpaper and ceiling are all possible kinds of damage that smoke can cause to your home.
• Electronics. Equipment and household appliances are often inoperative due to the smoke. It contains combustion particles, which get accumulated on some parts of the equipment, contaminate them, which can cause malfunction.
• Your health. Burning smoke contains many toxic substances, for example, hydrogen chloride, sulfur dioxide, ammonia, which are harmful to your lungs, skin, hair and heart.

As you can see, smoke damage can be significant too. But how can you tell if your home has been damaged by smoke but not fire? Insurance companies claim that smoke damage isn't caused by contact with a flame, but by exposure to its derivatives. Smoke contains fumes and soot, which are also damaging. If you spot their traces in your home, feel free to file a smoke damage claim.

Will I Be Compensated for Smoke Damage?

Although smoke causes less obvious damage to the home than open flames, a standard homeowners insurance policy covers both fire and smoke damage. This means you can make separate claims for compensation for fire damage and for smoke damage if your home is on fire. Moreover, the last statement will be satisfied even if there was no direct fire in your home. You can file a smoke damage claim when:

• There was a fire in a neighboring house or apartment, and smoke entered your house.
• Your home has been damaged by the smoke coming from fires in neighboring industrial facilities.
• Your home has experienced the smoke damage due to forest fires.
• The reason for the damage caused by smoke lies in the activities of neighboring entities, for example, if there is a smoking plant, a restaurant with an open barbecue or an incineration plant nearby.

How to Claim Smoke Damage?

We've put together a selection of tips for you on how to apply to your insurance company if your property has been damaged by smoke.

1. Don't wait. Call your insurance company as soon as you notice a fire or smoke.
2. Be sure to find your insurance policy. Despite the fact that HO3 policies, which are standard homeowners insurance policies, provide compensation for the damage from smoke, it is better to study in advance all the subtleties of the concluded contract, including the amount of the compensation, the conditions for obtaining it, and the deadline for filing an application. All this is very important because without this information you will not be able to get the maximum possible amount.
3. Be sure to document all the damage. Don't miss a single room which has been subject to smoke. Ask the fire marshal for your case number if there has been a fire in your home. Take photos and videos of the consequences, whether it is smoke or soot and traces of smoke on the ceiling, soot-covered household appliances and furniture. All of this will be useful to you as proof that your property has really suffered.
4. Apply to the services of a smoke damage restoration company. It is obliged to provide you not only with the work itself, but also with an estimate of the work. And you will need an estimate for submission to the insurance company.
5. Start collecting information to claim smoke damage:
   an exact date of damage;
   the type of damage (from fire, from smoke, from heat);
   where the damage is located;
   the information about the owner of the house (i.e. you, if you are the homeowner or the homeowner you rent the house from);
   a complete list of damaged items and premises;
   your insurance policy;
   an inspection certificate issued by a company that performs restoration work with an estimate of the cost of all the work and purchased materials;
   an extract from the hotel if you had to rent a room due to the impossibility of staying in the damaged house.
6. After that, you definitely need to agree with your insurance agent on the entire sequence of filing an application, the timing of its submission and other subtleties. This is also very important because if you violate even the slightest condition, you simply will not be paid any compensation.

Do You Want to Do Everything Faster and with a 100% Guarantee?

There is a way out. All you need is to hire a smoke damage public adjuster. He will be able to carry out all the above procedures much faster, more accurately and efficiently. At the same time, according to the statistics, smoke damage claims submitted by the public adjuster are more often compensated with the maximum possible payment.