We lost our family home of 55 years in the Eaton Fire. It was a total loss. Most of the furnishings are antiques, persian rugs, paintings etc. in a 2600 sq ft. house. My insurer wants to do a 2-3 hour interview with me to calculate the claim. I can’t imagine how it would be possible to come up with a fair and reasonable settlement amount after doing just a 2-3 hour interview. Nor am I confident that I can provide a comprehensive description of what was lost. Is it reasonable that I ask them how they will take that information to determine a settlement offer? I have heard that they record these interviews and then later use them against the insured in some way. Any suggestions or information you might provide would be so appreciated!
Kathy Goddard asked 4 days ago 1 Answers
Hi Kathy, we are sorry for your loss. It is common that carriers will start a claim process with an in person interview. They want to get to know you, your family, your interests and lifestyles. Be honest and detailed about your lifestyle and items. You have nothing to hide. You know your contents better than anyone else and are in the best position to provide this information to your carrier. You can certainly ask family members or a friend to be at your side during this meeting and take your own notes/recordings of the meetings so that you have support and something to refer back to.
Since you’ve lived in your home for so many years, we would expect that this suggested 2-3 hours will certainly not be enough time for the carrier to create a complete total loss inventory for your claim. Rather, think of this as the start of your content process. We would recommend that you ask your adjuster for more information about this meeting, the content process, what to expect and scheduling followup meetings.
It is very common for a carrier to start an inventory, price and source the the items and issue a ‘non disputed’ payment to you based on this inventory. This does not mean that your contnet inventory process is done. You will receive a copy of the inventory, which you can review for accurateness and pricing, and dispute items if they are incorrect. We would recommend to provide detailed information for high $$ value items unique items to your carrier; this will help the carrier accurately price your inventory.
It is also very common for items to be missed or omitted from your inventory. So, don’t worry if there are items that you remember after starting this inventory process with the carrier. You can submit supplemental inventories.
UP has some great resources on the contents inventory process, which you may find useful:
https://uphelp.org/claim-guidance-publications/home-inventory-and-contents-claim-tips/
https://uphelp.org/claim-guidance-publications/
We are cheering for you! UP Staff
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