What Is a Proper Inspection of Fire Damage in New York?
If you experience a fire in your home, there will likely be damage done to its overall structure along with your personal possessions. Hopefully, you have an insurance plan that is meant to aid you in disasters such as this. Though, it is still likely that your insurance company will try to minimize your payout as much as possible. Or, they may even improperly inspect your fire damage. Continue reading to learn what is considered a proper inspection of fire damage and how one of the experienced New York residential fire damage claim attorneys at Craig Blumberg can serve you.
What is considered a proper inspection of fire damage in New York State?
After your fire, your insurance company is required to send out an inspector to make a detailed report of your damages. With that being said, a proper inspection of fire damage is supposed to include the following elements:
- Roof inspection: the burning embers may destabilize the roof structure. Or, the wood underneath the roofing material may be water-stained, with mold likely to develop.
- Stucco, siding, and concrete inspection: the burning embers may spall and crack the stucco. The siding may also melt, along with being water-stained and prone to mold. The concrete needs core sampling and X-ray testing to detect damages.
- Structural steel or iron inspection: the transfer of heat may destabilize the steel or iron structure.
- Interior walls and framing inspection: the internal walls may need to be opened to establish if there are any signs of mold or destabilization of the internal structure.
- Plumbing and heating system inspection: the piping and ducts need to be checked for signs of damage, along with being cleaned to not compromise the health of you and your family.
- Window inspection: the window frames may melt, and the window glass may warp or discolor. Importantly, warped windows are prone to mold.
Therefore, if you believe that an inspector did not conduct a full examination of your home, you must retain the services of one of the skilled New York residential fire damage claim attorneys. We will serve as your advocate, and ensure that your insurance company is not compromising the safety of your home.
What else should I know about fire damage claims?
If your home was damaged due to a fire, this is considered a “partial loss.” With this, your insurance company should provide you with a payout that will repair your home.
However, insurance companies are notorious for cutting costs. This can be seen by conducting an insufficient inspection of your fire damage, along with the following:
- Hiding damages.
- Insufficiently cleaning damages.
- Insufficiently removing damages.
- Using cheap repair materials.
- Using materials that were not originally used to build your home.
And so, to avoid being taken advantage of by your insurance company, contact our firm today.
