Almost everyone who has suffered damages to their property as a result of a fire insurance claim makes costly mistakes during and after the settlement. However, there is one very costly mistake that policyholders make time and time again without even knowing it. Most policyholders simply rely on their insurance company adjuster to inspect, evaluate and estimate their entire insurance claim without checking up on them. This can be the most costly mistake anyone could ever make in their quest to sort out a fire insurance claim. While it is bad enough to have your property destroyed by fire, relying on someone else to visit your property, inspect it, provide a proper value and then trust that they got it all correct is to say the least unthinkable. Yet, policyholders allow this to happen all across the country, day-in and day-out. For most people it’ is human nature to diligently review their dinner bill to be sure the waiter didn’t charge them for items they did not order. This is quite common among people. Yet, when it comes to making hundreds of thousands of naira claims, most people rely on the insurance company to do it for them, sometimes without question.
The reason why extra care is needed is because no one knows your property like you do and there is much to do to properly prepare and configure a fire insurance claim that in most instances, items are forgotten or missed during the process. This is more so, if you rely on your insurance company to do it for you. Your insurer may not know about your building, your property, or your contents inside such as furniture, clothing, etc. Furthermore, just because an insurance company adjuster visits your property for an inspection does not mean they are a professional contractor, builder or certified in fire and water damage restoration as the case may be. So they cannot be wholly relied upon to do the right assessment. In filing insurance claims, experience has shown that, in most cases, both insurance companies and policyholders unknowingly miss damages that are hidden from the naked eye. In almost all instances, it is a good idea to have a professional review your fire damage claim. Preferably fire insurance claims consultant or a fire consulting firm. Policyholders often believe that when the insurance company sends them a cheque and they deposit the money in their bank account that the claim is closed. On the contrary, this is often not the case. So it is essential that a review of your claim be made to see if you have been properly compensated during the claims process or even after the claim has been settled. It is worthy to note that the insured can still obtain more insurance proceeds even if your claim has been settled or your building has been demolished, on the ground that they were not properly assessed. To properly guide the insuring public on fire claims, there are some issues that must be taken into account. In this connection, there are tips before the claims, at the middle of the claims or even after the claims have been concluded.  During Claim -During the claims, it is important to document your building damage. Take the time to inspect and document the damages yourself. Take photos of all damaged rooms in your building. Take overviews of the room and then take some close-up photos of the damaged ceilings, walls, floors, windows, doors, etc. of that room as well. While taking a walk around the building, ensure that before entering the next room, closet, or hall, that you take an overview. This will be an easy way to organize which photos belong to which rooms. For instance, in taking an overview of a living room, take photographs of the area from top to bottom, photos of ceiling, walls, windows, doors as well as the floor.  Closed Claim -In case of a closed claim, obtain documents of your building. The insurance adjuster may have already taken photos of your building during their inspection. If you have no photos yourself, then request to have copies of all photos taken by the adjuster from the insurance company. You should also request the diagram/sketch that they used to calculate the square footage of your building. Also request the complete detailed estimate they have written to arrive at their numbers. This documentation will be useful for the fire insurance claim consultant you may choose, if the need arises.
During Claim -Document your contents damage. After you have concluded the inspection and photo session, it may also be useful to visit each room and closet once again to do an inventory of the contents. Take an overview photo of each piece of furniture, pair of shoes, shirts, pants, etc, and write each item down on a contents inventory form. Similar to the way you have photographed and organized your building damage photos, you should do the same with your contents.  For instance, take overview photo of living room and list all the items on each wall until you get back to the doorway you began from. This way items will not be missed or forgotten. Once the living room inventory has been completed, move to the next room and start by taking an overview photo of the room. This helps you to organize what room the contents were located.  Closed Claim -Obtain documents of your contents damage. Note that the insurance adjuster has taken photos of your contents during their inspection so if you have no photos yourself, or minimal photos, it could be disastrous. You should also request the complete detailed contents inventory they have written to arrive at their numbers. 3. During Claim –At this stage, it instructive that you review your policy. Fire victims must take the time to review their insurance policy. You must know the basics issues such as how much coverage you have on your building. How much coverage you have for your contents, how much coverage you have to stay in a hotel or to rent a home or furniture. Surprisingly, many people don’t know this, especially as in many cases, the policy may have been damaged in the fire. If this is the case, there is a way out which is to ask your agent for a certified copy of your full policy. Closed Claim -Obtain copy of your policy. Contact your insurance company and request a certified copy of your "FULL" insurance policy, including the Declarations page. This documentation will be useful for the fire insurance claim consultant you choose.
During Claim -Since the insurance company will have an adjuster who will inspect the property, inspect the damages and complete an estimate on the amount of loss, then it is important that you have the same process completed for yourself. So, learn to consult a professional yourself to checkmate the activities of your insurer and the adjuster. Closed Claim – If you have collected all the data as outlined above, you will have enough data on your claim to assist your hired professional to review it. A review of your claim will allow the fire insurance claim consultant to advise you appropriately. Not doing these may lead to a situation where the fire victim would be cheated out. This is especially so as the insurance company adjuster works for the insurance company, whereas the fire claims consultant works for you.