The Southern California fires has destroyed both lives and property, and additional fires are popping up each day. The aftermath will be felt for months and years to come. There are things you must do as a home and business owner to protect your family and property. Here are some things you should do if you haven’t already done so.
********* Here are a few things you must do as a policyholder if you haven’t already done so.*******
1. You should contact your insurance company and report a claim If you are a policyholder. You should also apply to FEMA for assistance because they can help you with housing, grants and low interest loans. Remember if you have a fire or smoke damage claim, there’s rental assistance coverage in the policy under loss of use. Whether If you are a homeowner who find yourself uninsured or underinsured you will have to apply to FEMA.
Seven things you must do after a disaster
- Contact your insurance company immediately to report the fire or smoke damage to start the claim.
- Contact FEMA for disaster assistance whether you have insurance or not.
- Get an appointment with your insurance company’s property adjuster. If you have hired a General Contractor, you should have them to meet with you and the adjuster.
- Start preparing a personal property inventory. Make sure you to take photos of any damaged items if possible. Make the list to include the the following things; (a) The item number on each item (b) The description of the item (c) The age of the item (d) Today’s price of each item
- Be patient and wait for the adjuster to complete their investigation, their estimate of all the damages, and a settlement offer.
- Hire a licensed General Contractor, if you haven’t already done so. The Contractor has to be vetted before you hire them, to make sure they are in good standing with the state contractor’s board, local government agencies and proof from customers they have worked for in the past.
- Do not hire public adjusters and attorneys before getting the first settlement offer from you insurance company.
***If you need assistance with preparing your personal property inventory list, please contact us at info@idahouse4u.com
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
Each year across the US thousands of policyholders are faced with an increasing number of disasters. The number one issue home and business owners face is not being prepared and underinsured. Most home and business owners are more than 30% underinsured on real and personal property and are unaware until they are faced with a disaster. You cannot afford to wait until you are faced with the worst moment of your life, you must be prepared now. Our disaster membership program is the key to preparing you and your family for the unknown.
I. D. A House has more than 76 combined years of experience as veteran insurance adjusters and inventory specialists. We can prepare and assist policyholders just like you for any type of peril you may face. From water leaks due to a broken pipe to major disasters like the reason fires, we can help you. Our disaster preparedness and assistance program includes evaluation, education, and documenting your personal property inventory list.
We will help you document your assets before a disaster and assist you after a disaster by guiding you through the claims process by explaining your entitlements. After a disaster, we will vet licensed water mitigation and general contractors that you may choose to dry out of your property if you had water damage and general contractor to rebuild or repair your property. We will provide a full room-by-room personal property inventory list. With I. D. A House, you will not have to hire public adjusters or attorneys prematurely, which can cost you thousands of dollars. The burden of proof is 100% on policyholders when filing a claim. What you cannot prove, you lose. You will never be alone when you need help the most. We will be your bridge over troubled waters.
