What Happens After You Report a Fire Damage Claim: Our 5-Step Process

A house fire is one of the most disorienting things a policyholder can go through, and the insurance claim that follows often adds to the stress rather than easing it. Here’s exactly what happens, stage by stage, when you report a fire damage claim, including realistic timeframes and what to have ready at each step.

If you’re unfortunate enough to have your home damaged by fire and need to make an insurance claim but don’t know where to start, this is how the process actually works.

As professional Loss Assessors we act on your behalf as the policyholder to liaise with the insurance company and manage your claim for you. A house fire is distressing enough without the added worry of often complicated and confusing insurance claim forms.

Claiming on home insurance for a fire doesn’t have to be complicated, with the right support, here’s how the five stages break down.

1) Initial consultation (usually within 24 hours of first contact)

Upon receiving your initial contact, whether by telephone or email, one of our team will then call at your property to assess the damage and advise you of any immediate steps to take in order to prevent further damage to your home.

We can assist with boarding up windows, emergency repairs and making the property safe as well as securing an interim payment to arrange alternative accommodation if necessary. If you can, it helps to start taking photographs of the damage as soon as it’s safe to do so, before anything is moved or cleared, this becomes useful evidence later in the process.

2) Reporting the claim (same week as initial consultation)

Once we have gathered all of the information from you, assessed the damage and discussed with you the details of the claim, ICS will contact your insurance company on your behalf to report it. The insurance company will then appoint a Loss Adjuster to deal with your claim on their behalf.

At this stage it’s worth having your policy documents, your most recent renewal schedule, and, if the fire brigade attended, any incident number or report reference they can provide, this speeds up the insurer’s own initial checks.

3) Meeting the insurance company representatives or appointed Loss Adjuster (typically within 1-2 weeks of the claim being reported)

We will then meet with the Loss Adjuster at your property so they can inspect the extent of the damage and necessary repair work. Having a rough inventory of damaged or destroyed contents ready for this visit, even a simple list with approximate values, makes this stage considerably faster and gives us stronger ground to negotiate from.

4) Claim preparation and submission (can take several weeks depending on the scale of the damage)

ICS then put together costing and gather all documentary evidence required to validate your claim, before submitting it to the insurance company. We carry out all detailed negotiations of the settlement, payment and conditions with the loss adjuster on your behalf, all the time working towards the best claim settlement for your circumstances.

5) Acceptance of settlement and receiving your cheque

Once the settlement has been reached by the insurance company we wait for your approval before accepting and passing your cheque to you.

What if the insurer’s offer feels too low, or they refuse part of the claim?

It happens more often than people expect, an initial offer is the insurer’s opening position, not the final word, and it’s rarely worth accepting straight away without a second opinion. If you’re partway through a fire claim and the settlement being offered doesn’t reflect the true cost of putting things right, it’s worth understanding your options before agreeing to anything.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to move out of the property while repairs are carried out?
It depends on the extent of the damage and whether the property is safe to live in. Where alternative accommodation is needed, we help arrange this and can secure an interim payment to cover the cost while your claim is being settled.

Does my policy cover smoke damage as well as fire damage?
In most cases, yes, smoke and soot damage typically falls under the same buildings and contents cover as fire damage itself, but the extent of cover depends on your specific policy wording, which is one of the things we check as part of the initial consultation.

What if I don’t agree with the insurer’s settlement offer?
You’re not obliged to accept a first offer. As independent loss assessors we negotiate on your behalf to push for a settlement that reflects the true cost of repair and replacement, not just the insurer’s initial figure.

For help with your insurance claim, get in touch with us by calling 01273 573888, or by emailing office@insuranceclaimsolutions.co.uk.