Last updated on
If there has been a fire at your home or in your business, there are some things that you need to do in the immediate aftermath. If you don’t do these things, then moving on from the fire could be very difficult.
It’s hard to predict when a fire is going to happen, so you should do your best to fireproof your home and business, and always ensure that there is no loose wiring or anything else that could potentially cause a fire there.
Here’s a list of things that you need to do after a fire:
Table of Contents
Property Sale
If your home has been involved in a fire, then there’s a very strong chance that you want to sell it and move on. This is pretty common. The reason for this is that when we make somewhere our home, then it burns down and all of our memories are lost, it is no longer the safe place that we knew, and instead, a reminder of the tragedy.
The best way to sell your home after a fire is to approach a fire damage home buyer, who will buy your property for a reasonable price. A home buying agency will make it easy for you to sell your property and move on. Some will issue funds in as little as 30 days. Additionally, they cover the cost of conveyancers, so you don’t have to – saving you money.
Contact Insurer
If you aren’t going to sell your home, then you need to contact your insurance agency. With that said, you should still contact your insurance agency if you have contents insurance, even if you are going to sell your house – this is so that you can be reimbursed for the cost of the items that were lost or damaged in the fire.
If you are staying, then your insurance agency will pay out the costs necessary to have the home rebuilt or areas fixed or replaced. Your insurance agency will conduct its own investigation into the fire’s cause, which could take several weeks or months to conclude. During this time you might have to stay with family or in rented accommodation, the costs of which your insurance agency should pay.
Temporary Relocation
As mentioned at the end of the previous point, you may need to find temporary accommodation. If you have to rent this or stay in a hotel, it will be at your insurance agency’s expense, while they investigate the cause of your home’s fire.
Despite the fact that your insurance agency will cover the cost of your stay elsewhere, it’s probably best to go and stay with your family. The reason for this is that a fire can be very traumatizing and can be the catalyst for mental health disorders, like anxiety and depression. You need to be somewhere that you are familiar with and feel safe so that you can focus on your recovery.
Fire Investigation
Your insurance company will conduct its own investigation into the cause of the fire. If you are curious, you can conduct your own. By managing to identify the fire’s cause, you may be able to prevent one from occurring in the future.
With that said, the only way of preventing a fire from occurring in the future is if it was caused by something that you did. If it was caused by you, then your insurance company will likely discover this and could potentially refuse to pay you insurance, because it was not an accident but instead caused by negligence.
New Address
If you are going to sell your house, then ideally you should move on and find a new address before you do so – rented or otherwise. Being homeless isn’t something that you will want to have to put up with, especially so shortly after your home burned down. You need a new address so that you can arrange correspondence with your insurance agency and with any other official bodies that need to talk to you about your home’s fire.
Salvaging Furniture
The chances are pretty high that you lost furniture during the fire. If this is the case, then you will be happy to know that your insurance agency will cover the costs of new furniture. With that said, you should still try to salvage as much furniture as you can. What’s the point in letting everything go to waste? When you have rescued as much as you can, you can take it to a professional restoration company.
Fires can be devastating, especially when they start at your home or in your business. It can be difficult to know what to do in the aftermath of a fire, especially if you haven’t ever had to pick up the pieces after one before. The best thing that you can possibly do is to remain calm and deal with everything as it comes. Try not to worry – instead, let your insurance agency do the work and consider selling your property.
You may also like to read:
