Fire Damage in a Residential Building
One of the most heartbreaking things that can happen to a person is the unfortunate situation of a house or apartment fire. They may lose all of their cherished belongings that can’t be replaced such as family heirlooms, photographs, family recipes, and many other irreplaceable sentimental items. Hopefully, you have taken steps to be prepared if a fire were to break out in your home or apartment. These can include working smoke detectors, the elimination of fire hazards, make sure you have a working fire extinguisher available and that all family members know how to use them.
Unfortunately, any fire that takes place in a person’s residence is likely to cause damage. If part or all of the home has been engulfed in flames, the top priority is to get out safely and worry about the rest after. Once the fire department has successfully put out the fire, it is important that you only re-enter the property after you have been granted permission from an authority figure to do so. When you do enter the property, make sure that there are no hot spots or any new smoke.
After having a house fire, you should also call your insurance company as soon as possible. You may want to take a lot of pictures of the damage to submit with your claim. It is important that you don’t throw anything away or attempt to clean up the damaged area until after the insurance company has sent someone out to assess the damage and take an official inventory of your goods.
If you believe your insurance company is undervaluing the damage and the value of lost personal belongings, contact an experienced insurance law attorney for assistance.
The Law Office of Craig A. Blumberg is an experienced New York City insurance law firm. If you require quality assistance after having suffered property loss, please contact our firm to schedule a free initial consultation.