File your fire damage insurance claim the same day as the fire — or as soon as you’re safe and have your policy number available. You don’t need a full damage assessment to open the claim. You need your policy number, the property address, a brief description of what happened, and the date and time of the loss. Opening the claim immediately starts the process that authorizes your restoration company to begin emergency services and gives you access to Additional Living Expenses coverage for temporary housing.
The claims process for fire damage is more involved than most homeowners have experience with. Most people have never filed a significant property damage claim. The process has specific steps, specific documentation requirements, and specific decisions that affect the final settlement. Understanding how it works before you’re in the middle of it — while you’re reading this, not while you’re sitting in a hotel after a fire — puts you in a significantly better position.
Call 303-816-0068 immediately after a fire. We work directly with insurance companies, speak the adjusters’ language, and protect your claim from the first day of the process.
Step One: Make the Call and Open the Claim
Your insurance company’s claims number is on your policy documents and on the back of your insurance card. If you don’t have access to either, the company’s main customer service number can connect you to claims.
When you call, you’ll provide: your policy number, the property address, your contact information, the date and approximate time of the fire, a brief description of what happened (house fire, kitchen fire, etc.), whether the fire department responded, and any immediate safety concerns.
You’ll receive a claim number. Write it down and keep it — this number is how every subsequent communication about your claim is tracked and connected.
What I’ve seen happen is homeowners wait several days to open the claim because they’re overwhelmed, because they’re waiting for things to calm down, or because they think they need to know the full extent of damage before calling. None of those reasons justify delay. Your policy has notification requirements. Delays in notification can complicate the claim. Open it the day of the fire.
Step Two: Request ALE Coverage Authorization
On the same call where you open the claim, ask specifically about Additional Living Expenses coverage. ALE (sometimes called Loss of Use) covers your temporary housing costs and reasonable increased living expenses while your home is uninhabitable.
Ask: How much ALE coverage do I have? How long does it apply? What expenses are covered? How do I submit ALE expenses?
The answers vary by policy. Standard policies provide ALE as a percentage of dwelling coverage — typically 20 to 30 percent. Confirm your specific coverage amount and understand what documentation you need to submit expenses.
Do not assume you’ll figure out housing on your own or stay with relatives indefinitely to “save” your ALE coverage. ALE coverage is a benefit you’ve been paying for. Use it. What can happen is families who don’t understand or don’t use ALE coverage end up in difficult housing situations for months during a lengthy restoration, when appropriate temporary housing was covered all along.
Step Three: Document Everything Before Anything Is Touched
Before any cleaning, any removal, any disposal — photograph everything. Every room. Every damaged surface. Every piece of damaged contents. The condition of the structure as it was left by the fire and the fire department.
Your documentation supplements the restoration company’s documentation. Your photographs taken with your phone on day one are part of the claim file. What I’ve seen happen is homeowners who documented thoroughly on the first day having that documentation prove valuable months later when specific items or conditions became disputed in the claim. The claim file is built from the first day forward — what’s documented early protects the entire claim.
Do not throw anything away before the insurance adjuster and restoration company have assessed it. This includes debris, burned materials, and items that appear to be total losses. Document everything in place first.
Step Four: Work With the Restoration Company on Scope Documentation
The restoration company you work with should develop a comprehensive scope of loss — a complete written document itemizing everything damaged and everything required for full restoration. This scope, developed using Xactimate or equivalent insurance estimating software, is what your adjuster reviews to evaluate the claim.
We develop the scope from our initial assessment on the first day — before any work begins. Every affected surface, every smoke-damaged room, the HVAC system scope, the contents inventory, the structural damage documentation. All of it photographed, measured, and documented before conditions change.
This scope is your primary claim document beyond the initial report. It’s what justifies every line item in the claim. Choosing a restoration contractor who develops thorough, well-documented scope is one of the most consequential decisions in the claims process.
Step Five: Meet With the Insurance Adjuster
Your insurance company assigns an adjuster to your claim. This may be a company adjuster — an employee of the insurance company — or an independent adjuster contracted by the company. Either way, the adjuster’s job is to assess the claim on behalf of the insurer.
The adjuster will contact you to schedule an inspection. Have your restoration company present during the adjuster’s inspection. What I’ve seen happen is adjusters who spend less time than warranted on a complex fire claim and miss scope items that are clearly present — HVAC scope that isn’t visible without opening a duct panel, moisture in walls that requires thermal imaging to see, contents damage that requires inventory rather than visual pass-through. A restoration company representative present during the adjuster visit ensures those items are pointed out and documented in the adjuster’s notes.
You are not required to accept the adjuster’s estimate as final. The initial adjuster estimate is a starting point. If it doesn’t match the scope your restoration company developed, the differences are discussed and negotiated. Your contractor’s documentation supports the scope.
Step Six: Understand What Your Policy Covers
Fire damage claims involve several coverage components that work differently.
Dwelling coverage (Coverage A) pays for structural restoration — the physical repair and reconstruction of your home. This is subject to your deductible and your coverage limit.
Personal property coverage (Coverage B/C) pays for damaged contents — furniture, clothing, electronics, personal belongings. Your policy is either actual cash value (depreciated) or replacement cost value depending on how it was written. Replacement cost value pays what it costs to replace with a new equivalent item. Actual cash value pays that amount minus depreciation. If you have an actual cash value policy, you can sometimes add replacement cost coverage as an endorsement — worth discussing with your agent.
ALE coverage pays temporary housing and increased living costs as discussed above.
Code upgrade coverage — sometimes called ordinance and law coverage — pays the additional cost of bringing the reconstruction up to current building code when code has changed since the original construction. Without this coverage, you’re responsible for the cost difference between repairing to original condition and repairing to current code. Many older homes in Lakewood and the mountain communities have code upgrade exposure — worth checking your policy.
Step Seven: Manage Supplements Throughout the Process
Fire damage claims almost always generate supplemental claims — additional scope items discovered during restoration that weren’t apparent in the initial assessment. This is normal and expected. What it requires is documentation.
Every supplement is supported by the same quality of documentation as the initial scope: photographs of the condition that generates the supplement, explanation of why it’s required, and Xactimate line items with quantities. A supplement for additional drywall replacement that was discovered when a wall was opened needs to show what was found when the wall was opened — not just a request for more money.
What can happen is supplements that are well-documented sailing through adjuster review, and supplements that aren’t documented getting challenged or delayed. We maintain documentation throughout the entire project, not just at the beginning, which is what makes supplements defensible.
Step Eight: Final Inspection and Closeout
When restoration is complete, a final inspection confirms that all scope work was completed as specified. The adjuster may do a walk-through, or completion documentation from the contractor may be the basis for final payment. Depending on your policy, some payments may be held back until reconstruction is complete — this is called recoverable depreciation on a replacement cost policy.
Keep all documentation — invoices, work authorizations, photographs, the complete scope document — for at least several years after the claim is closed. What I’ve seen happen is homeowners who need claim documentation for a subsequent sale of the property, for a subsequent insurance claim, or for a dispute that arises after the initial settlement.
The IICRC standards for fire damage restoration are at https://www.iicrc.org/page/IICRCStandards.
Call 303-816-0068 immediately after a fire. We work directly with your adjuster, develop comprehensive scope documentation, and advocate for a complete claim settlement throughout the process. Available 24 hours a day in Lakewood, Pine, Conifer, Evergreen, Bailey, and the surrounding mountain communities.
