House burned down, any tips?

[ericschand]

Not mine, but a friends.

From the Calgary Sun:
"Crews were later called to the 100 block of Citadel Heights Estates N.W. about 7:30 p.m., where they found two homes fully engulfed and fire creeping up the side of a third. The first two houses were destroyed. Spokesman Jeff Budai said investigators first suspected the fire was caused by lightning, as a severe storm passed through the area about the same time, but they later learned two boys were seen playing with matches or a lighter in front of one of the homes.
"(Lightning is) what we suspected at first because the storm did go through this side of the city, but we do have a few leads to indicate that's not the case," he said.
Three people suffered minor injuries in the fire and two police officers were treated for smoke inhalation."


Any tips for my friend on dealing with insurance or anything else?


BTW, they have no kids, so it wasn't theirs.


ers

[pepper24]

That sucks. My only time dealing with insurance was a car accident lately where it was the other drivers fault. The insurance company (ING Canada) was great to work with and helped out alot. I have heard horror stories of dealing with insurance companies but this wasn't the case with my file. At the end of the day, no one was hurt which was the big thing.

Hopefully in your friends case, the insurance company is easy to deal with providing funds for temporary residence. Also, glad to hear that no one was seriously hurt. At the end of the day homes can be rebuilt.

Also, I wonder if the parents of these kids could be charged if the fire turns out to be started by these kids. Parents need to be accountable but whether there is a law is a different story. I am guessing not.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by ericschand

Any tips for my friend on dealing with insurance or anything else?

Don't take this as expert advice but simply JMO on things I'd consider.

Start getting independent quotes from contractors on how much it would cost to rebuild the house to make sure you're not getting short-changed. But at the same time remember that your friend won't get as much as the value of the house considering it doesn't take into account the lot.

Scope out the insurance companies contractors that they use for any rebuilding. I remember watching an episode of Holmes on Homes and the message I took from it was that a lot of contractors in this case see the rebuild as "an insurance job" and not one to be tackled with the same diligence as a private client. Does the insurance company guarantee the work of the contractor?

Condolences to your friend. I was in a nasty fire once as a teenager and it's no joke.

http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/f...ire/index.html

[Claeren]

Oh wow! I was just south of Citadel when the storm went through and the lightening was insane so I just assumed it was that caused the fire, crazy to think it was actually stupid kids....




Claeren.

[zukes]

I work for an insurance company but not in Calgary, obviously. I handle property claims so this is right up my alley. I know that we guarantee the work of our contractors and only work with tthe very best. If your friend is insured with our company he is in good hands.

Some tips

- gather up any possible eveidence of contents, pictures (from relatives since I assume there is much left), receipts from stores, bank statements, credit card statement etc. If they plan on replacing everything it is tedious but sometimes necessary. If there was a bunch of stuff that isn't worth replacing, cash settling on contents is probably the easiest way to go.

- for additional living expense, start working on what they normally spend per week on food, heating etc. This comes off of any payment for hotels, food etc. It is called "additonal" as in what you pay above and beyond what you normally pay

If they have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.... I am pretty sure property claims are handled much the same as they are here.

[MoneyGuy]

Wow, sorry to hear this. This reminds me to remind everyone to take a video camera around your house to record all your stuff. Include an audio commentary on when things were purchased and such.

[macker]

Request an inventory guide from your broker. Itemize as much as you can. Keep this along with all major purchase receipts in a fire safe or your freezer if you don't have a fire safe. Keep kids away from gas & matches...

The only bad thing about insurance is that you can't buy it when you need it!

[Dion]

Sorry to hear about this - has to be very traumatizing.

I don't have anything to add but best wishes and a sincere hope that things work out ok for your friend.

[zukes]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Wow, sorry to hear this. This reminds me to remind everyone to take a video camera around your house to record all your stuff. Include an audio commentary on when things were purchased and such.

I have seen very few people who have actually done this, but it is the easiest way to make sure you don't lose out. Especially if you are like me and have good stuff that suggests a higher salary than you actually have. I would question me if I was adjusting my own claim so I have done this video thing.

[81flames]

My thoughts go out to your friend and his/her family. I live across the ravine and it was heartbreaking to watch the fire rip through those houses.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by zukes

Some tips

- gather up any possible eveidence of contents, pictures (from relatives since I assume there is much left), receipts from stores, bank statements, credit card statement etc. If they plan on replacing everything it is tedious but sometimes necessary. If there was a bunch of stuff that isn't worth replacing, cash settling on contents is probably the easiest way to go.

-.

This is one of my biggest fears in life. That a fire could destroy all my pictures. I'm a lucky guy in that alot of my friends and family are shutterbugs, so I'm not too concerned about the more recent pictures that are all digital. But all the pictures I accumulated in my teens and early 20s are prints. And like an idiot, I threw away the negatives.
If I woke up and my place was on fire I'd probably risk injury grabbing photo albums and my external hard drive.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by macker

The only bad thing about insurance is that you can't buy it when you need it!

I know what you're saying, but you're incorrect. You need fire insurance when you have a house and possessions, life insurance when you have dependents who rely on you and your income, disability insurance when you have loved ones who depend on your ability to earn an income. That's when you need insurance.

Everyone should use this as an excuse to review their insurance program. On that note, I just had my insurance company review my house insurance plan. It was outdated because my house would cost far more now to rebuild than a few years ago when it was insured, plus I have far more now in possessions that would have to be replaced, so I've upped my insurance coverage. FWIW, it didn't cost me any extra; not sure why, but I added over $100,000 of coverage for no extra premium. Maybe because I'm older and wiser than back then.

As someone in the financial business, I suggest that everyone take this bad news as a wakeup call to review your insurance. I suspect the great majority of us have gaps and/or inadequate coverage.

[iggypop]

Was this the house? My friend just posted these pics on facebook, saying it was just down his street.