How to Start an Insurance Claim After a House Fire (and What No One Tells You)

After our house fire, I had no idea what to do first. We were in shock, displaced, and overwhelmed — but the reality is, starting your insurance claim quickly and correctly is one of the most important steps in your fire recovery.

If you’re wondering how to start an insurance claim after a house fire, this post walks you through the process — with hard-earned tips I wish someone had told me upfront.

how to start an insurance claim after a house fire

📞 Step 1: Contact Your Insurance Company Immediately

Once everyone is safe and the fire is out, call your homeowner’s insurance company as soon as possible — even if you don’t have all the details yet. You’ll be opening what’s called a homeowner’s fire claim.

• Ask for your claim number right away

• Request a copy of your full policy (you’ll need to read it)

• Ask if you qualify for ALE (Additional Living Expenses) coverage — this can help cover hotel stays, clothing, food, and more

The best advice I received — standing outside while my house was still burning — came from a firefighter. He looked me in the eyes and said:

“I know this is a lot, but I need you to take a deep breath and call your insurance company right now. Get the claim started.”

He told me, “It’s going to take time. But this first step matters. The sooner you get this going, the sooner you’ll have a plan. You need to know what to do next so you and your family are taken care of.”

I was in total shock, still watching flames coming from our roof, but his calm urgency grounded me. That call set everything in motion.

As soon as you’re able, call your homeowner’s insurance company and start the claim. How to Start an Insurance Claim Even if you don’t have every detail yet, starting the process immediately gets your case moving and opens the door to benefits like Additional Living Expenses (ALE) coverage — which can help pay for your hotel, food, clothing, and essentials while you’re displaced.

Here’s what to do on that call:

• Get your claim number

• Request a copy of your full policy in digital form

• Ask if you qualify for ALE coverage

• Ask what documentation they’ll need from you moving forward

💡 Pro Tip: How to start an insurance claim.? Once you receive your insurance policy document, download ChatGPT and run it through the tool. Ask it questions like:

• What does my ALE coverage include?

• Is personal property covered at replacement value or actual cash value?

• Are code upgrades covered during rebuilding?

It helped me understand my policy before I talked to the adjuster — and that knowledge made me feel way more confident and less vulnerable on those early phone calls.

✅ Tip: Keep a notebook and write down every call, name, and what was said — this will help you stay organized later.

📝 Step 2: Start Your Personal Property Inventory

Yes, it’s as brutal as it sounds.

You’ll need to list everything you owned that was lost or damaged in the fire. Your insurance company may ask for:

• Item name & description

• Approximate value

• Date purchased (or how old it was)

• Place purchased

• Receipts or photo proof (if possible)

📁 Tools that helped me stay sane:

• Fireproof Document Bag — to store any remaining papers or photos

• Google Sheets or Excel — I tracked all items by room – Your insurance company might  have there own way. I will post more about this.

• Amazon Order History — great for pulling past purchases and receipts- Did you know you can do this on amazon? It was such a life saver!

✅ Pro Tip: Start with the biggest items and go room-by-room to avoid getting overwhelmed.

📸 Step 3: Take Photos and Save Evidence

How to Start an Insurance Claim will all depend on these things next :

Before cleaning or throwing anything away, document every area of the house, inside and out. Take wide-angle photos, close-ups of damaged items, and even video walk-throughs. These visuals can help support your claim if there are disputes later.

Photos and videos are your most powerful tools when it comes to proving your losses — and without them, many claims will be denied.

Depending on how bad the damage is, do what you can to get photos or videos of everything that’s left. If you don’t have proof you owned something, your insurance company may not pay for it — no matter how honest or detailed you are.

In my case, I was told I wasn’t allowed to re-enter the house… but I did anyway. I put on a hazmat suit and walked through what was left. I took hundreds of photos and videos — drawers, closets, every scorched corner. I’m so grateful I did, because I’ve used every single one to help win my personal property claim.

📱 Capture these areas, if possible:

• Every room from multiple angles

• Inside closets, drawers, cabinets

• Garage, attic, shed, outdoor areas

• Any visible remains of high-value items (TVs, appliances, tools, tech)

🎥 A video walkthrough is especially helpful because it captures scale, location, and condition in a way photos can’t.

✅ Pro Tip: Upload everything to Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud so it’s backed up and ready to share with your adjuster.

✅ Use cloud backup (like Google Photos or Dropbox) so you don’t lose your photos again and I was still learning on how to start an insurance claim while doing this whole part.

🧾 Step 4: Submit Supporting Documents

Your adjuster may ask for:

• Fire department report

• Police report (if arson/theft is suspected)

• Temporary housing receipts

• Estimates for damaged structures

• Your personal property inventory spreadsheet

✅ Save everything in one shared folder. I used Google Drive and shared the folder with my adjuster. You will need all this information, it will help you with how to start an insurance claim.

how to rebuild your life after a fire

💡 What No One Tells You About Fire Insurance Claims

Lets teach others How to start an insurance claim.  Here’s the emotional truth: filing a claim after a house fire is like taking on a second job. You’re still parenting, working, grieving — while also chasing down receipts, disputing depreciation amounts, and answering the same questions repeatedly.

Some days I felt like a detective, therapist, and project manager — all before 10 a.m and I was still learning on how to start an insurance claim.

If you’re in the thick of it, you’re not alone. If you’re just starting this journey and wondering how to start an insurance claim after a house fire I know, This process is hard, but having the right tools and mindset makes all the difference.

🛒 My Favorite Amazon Finds That Helped with the Claim Process

• Fireproof Organizer Bag – Kept my documents safe and all in one place

• Clipboards & Binders – Helped track every document I sent in

• Portable File Box – Great for bringing documents to meetings with contractors or insurance agents

See all my recommended tools here: My Insurance Claim Essentials List- Lets teach others How to start an insurance claim.

❤️ Final Thoughts

If you’re just starting this journey and wondering how to start an insurance claim after a house fire, know this: it’s okay to feel overwhelmed. No one hands you a playbook for this. But step by step, day by day, you’ll get through it — especially if you stay organized and learn how to advocate for yourself.

You do not need to hire a private adjuster. – Lets teach others How to start an insurance claim.

Yes, they’ll promise to “fight for you” — but what they don’t mention up front is that they typically take a large percentage of your insurance claim payout, sometimes 10% to 20%. That’s money that could go toward replacing your furniture, upgrading appliances, or making your house feel like home again. How to start an insurance claim.

Remember: you paid for everything in your home with your hard-earned money, and you have the right to recover it. You can absolutely do this yourself with good documentation, photos, receipts, and support — and save yourself thousands.

Also keep in mind: insurance doesn’t pay you everything at once. You get paid in small increments as you prove what you had and provide receipts or inventory. If you give a chunk of that away to a private adjuster early on, you may end up short on funds when it’s time to rebuild or replace major items later. Lets teach others How to start an insurance claim.

This recovery process is long and emotional — but it’s also possible. And you’re more capable than you think.

If you’re just starting this journey and wondering how to start an insurance claim after a house fire, know this: it’s okay to feel lost at first. You’ll get more confident each day, especially if you stay organized and advocate for yourself.

You’ve already survived the fire — you can handle this next part too.

If you found this post helpful, share it with someone going through the same thing — or leave a comment below with your own experience or tips. We’re stronger when we share 💛 Lets teach others How to start an insurance claim.

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains Amazon affiliate links. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you shop through these links. Thank you for your support!

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase — at no extra cost to you. I only share products I personally use or genuinely recommend during my recovery journey.