Claim Guidance Library

Taking it in and Getting Started

• Top 10 Insurance Claim Tips
• Sample Letter Requesting Complete Copy of Homeowners Policy
• Returning to your home after a wildfire: A post-evacuation checklist
• First Steps After a Wildfire

Expand Hide

Arranging Temporary Housing

• Survivors Speak: Additional Living Expense (ALE)/Loss of Use
• Sample Letter Requesting Information About Insurance Benefits for Temporary Living Expenses (“ALE” or “Loss of Use”)

Expand Hide

Getting Organized

• Organizing Carrier-Specific Disaster Survivor Groups
• Speak UP: How to communicate with your insurance company
• Insurance Accounting Spreadsheet
• FAQ’s about Property Damage Insurance Claims
• Insurance Claim Tips For Partial Loss Fires

Expand Hide

Getting Debris Removed

• Debris Removal After a Partial or Total Loss

Expand Hide

Creating Your Home Inventory and Navigating Your Contents Claim

• Sample Letter Asking for a Waiver of the Contents Itemization Requirement
• 10 tips for settling the contents portion of your claim
• Depreciation Basics
• Sample Letter Asking for a Personal Property Claim Settlement
• Survivors Speak: Strategies for preparing your home inventory

Expand Hide

Making Financial Decisions

• Updating your home insurance after a loss…Staying protected without wasting money
• Survivors Speak: Coping With Underinsurance
• Getting Your Mortgage Company To Release Insurance Proceeds
• Tax Tips for Disaster Survivors
• Underinsurance 101
• Tax Information for Disaster Survivors

Expand Hide

Choosing a Contractor

• Survivors Speak: Working With Your Contractor
• Survivors Speak: The Rebuilding Process
• Questions to ask a repair/rebuilding contractor
• Guidelines For Reviewing Adjusters’ And Contractors’ Estimates
• What’s UP with Overhead and Profit?
• Rebuilding 101: A Guide to the Reconstruction Process

Expand Hide

Working with Your Mortgage Company

• Getting Your Mortgage Company To Release Insurance Proceeds
• Sample Letter Requesting Mortgage Company Release Insurance Proceeds

Expand Hide

Getting Help If/When You Need It

• A Policyholders Guide to Mediation
• Examinations Under Oath – “EUO”
• Getting Help From the CA. Dept. of Insurance
• Hiring an Attorney for an Insurance Claim
• Insurance Appraisal Simplified
• Making the Best Choice When Hiring a Public Adjuster
• Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Public Adjuster
• Hiring Professional Help for an Insurance Claim

Expand Hide

Being Pro-Active in Documenting and Valuing Your Losses

• The Scoop on “Scope” (of loss)
• Xactimate Demystified
• Insurance Recovery Tips for the Dwelling Part of Your Claim
• Smoke and ash damage from a wildfire
• Reimbursement for Claim Preparation Expenses
• Survivors Speak: Partial Loss Remediation Tips
• Thermal (“extreme heat”) damage from a nearby wildfire

Expand Hide

Overcoming Obstacles

• Policyholders Can Win in Appraisal
• Sample Letter for Requesting Copies of Claim-Related Documents
• Sample Letter Requesting Claim Payment History
• Resolving Claim Disputes

Expand Hide

Taking Care of Yourself Along the Way

• Survivors Speak: Observations from a Teenage Wildfire Survivor
• “Survivors Speak” Tip Series
• Survivors Speak: Self-Care After a Disaster

Expand Hide