Organize a fire insurance claim

Keep the policy decision and the repair decision clear

The adjuster’s coverage decision and the contractor’s proposed repair scope answer different questions. A contractor can explain work without deciding what your insurer will pay. An insurer can request documentation without defining every construction detail. Keep both discussions in the same project file, with the person responsible for each answer.

Report the loss promptly through your insurer’s published process. Ask for the claim reference, the adjuster or team handling it, the documents needed now and the preferred way to send them. Review your actual policy, including limits and exclusions, rather than relying on a general description of home insurance.

Source: Insurance Bureau of Canada · making a claim.

Create a claim file you can hand to another person

Use stable file names such as a date, room and short subject. Preserve original photos and add captions in a separate list if possible. Ask your adjuster how to handle items that need urgent disposal without losing the evidence the claim requires.

Ask about temporary living costs before assuming coverage

Tell the insurer why you cannot use the home and what your household needs. Ask which expenses may be considered, what limits or approvals apply, and what documents to keep. Accommodation, food, transport, pet care and storage should be discussed individually if relevant. A receipt proves an expense occurred; it does not by itself establish coverage.

Keep ordinary living costs distinct from additional costs caused by displacement. Record the reason for an expense while you remember it. If you need an advance or a different payment arrangement, ask directly and keep the response.

Make the contents inventory usable

• Group items by room or a clearly labelled box.
• Record a description, quantity, brand or model where known, approximate purchase information and available evidence.
• Keep assessed condition separate from your requested outcome.
• Mark items that have been removed, cleaned, stored, returned or disposed of.
• Get the required agreement before disposal and preserve a record of who approved it.

Avoid making up a purchase date or value to complete a blank. Mark it unknown and collect other evidence such as photographs, receipts, account records or product information through your own secure records. The project record worksheet helps keep decisions together.

Read an estimate line by line

Check that rooms and quantities match the assessed scope. Ask about exclusions, allowances, storage charges, taxes, code-related work, owner upgrades and responsibility for amounts outside the insurer’s payment. A larger estimate can include additional work; a smaller estimate can omit it. Compare the scope before negotiating the total.

If a decision is unclear or disputed

Ask for the decision and its reasons in writing, the relevant policy wording, the evidence considered and the insurer’s next review step. Keep a concise issue list with the outcome you are requesting. Avoid mixing a coverage disagreement with an unrelated workmanship complaint.

Canadian insurers have an internal complaint process. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada explains how to use it and where further help may be available. The correct outside body depends on the insurer, product and jurisdiction; use the current official instructions.

Source: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada · insurance complaints.

See the estimate-dispute guide for a structured issue sheet.