Navigating Fire Damage Estimation

1/10/2019 (Permalink)

Commercial fire in Asheville, NC

Besides the emotional turmoil, one of the biggest costs of a fire is damage. In 2018, experts estimate the average cost of repairing fire damages at around $12,000. It takes time for your Asheville,NC, business to get back to normal, but you can help by jump starting the fire damage estimation process. Here are two steps to take as soon as the flames die down.

Document the Damage

Your insurer won’t waste much time getting to you, but in the meantime, you can help by documenting some things on your own. Those include:

• Taking pictures
  
• Taking notes
  
• Taking inventory of damaged personal property
  

Use a disposable camera to take pictures of the damage. Look for smaller damage and take notes to help you remember things. Your notes should also include any property that has been damaged or destroyed. A good rule of thumb is to begin the process before doing any cleanup.

Call Your Insurer

It can be tempting to wait a few days to settle down from the incident to reach out to your insurer, but this isn’t the best approach. That’s especially true if there’s a chance that weather or vandals could cause any further damage to your property, as insurers won’t want to cover that. Instead, as soon as the fire is out, and the immediate threat is gone, reach out to initiate the insurance investigation process. Your insurer will schedule a visit to help you get a good initial estimate of how much the damages will cost. With that in hand, you can start shopping around for contractors to help with repairs.

A commercial fire can be stressful, but there are steps you can take to make things flow smoothly and quickly. Understanding the ins and outs of the fire damage estimate process is one of them. Use these tips to help get back on track fast.