Experiencing the loss of your home from a fire is a traumatic experience that not many people prepare for, so it’s hard to know what to do once the dust settles.

After the initial shock from the trauma wears off, there are steps you should take to protect yourself financially and get back on your feet as soon as you can after your house burned down. 

Five Steps You Must Take After Your House Burned Down

What happens if your house burns down? Follow these five steps to get back on your feet. 

1. Call Your Insurance Agent

You insurance agent will be able to be an emotional support while also handling all of the logistics so you don’t have too much on your plate. Your agent should be the first person you call as soon as you can; ideally at the scene of the fire once you and your family are safety out of your home. 

File your loss of home report with your agent right away, and take photos and videos to include in the claim. 

2. Use Your Policy to Secure a Place to Live

If your home is completely burned down and unlivable, you insurance policy will cover a place to live that is on par with your standard of living. Some policies may also cover things like laundry and meals. To get the most out of your policy, keep every receipt and report every expense to your insurance company while you’re displaced.

3. Get a Copy of Your Fire Report

Call your fire department or fire marshal to obtain a copy of your fire report, which documents the state of your home when the firefighters arrived. It also lists other important information, like your incident number, that you may need to attach to your insurance claim. 

4. Contact Your Landlord or Mortgage Lender

Call your landlord or mortgage lender to let them know about the accident, and if necessary, make a new plan for your payments. If possible, you should continue paying your mortgage on time even while you’re rebuilding.

Another option is to pay off your mortgage with your insurance settlement, but then you’ll have to find a different way to finance your rebuild and get a new mortgage once the rebuild is complete.  

5. Start Rebuilding Your Home

As difficult as this experience is, starting the rebuilding process as soon as possible will give you something to be excited about, and you’ll be able to get back to your life sooner.

When searching for a contractor for the rebuild, go with a fire restoration contractor. They’ll have specific experience with rebuilding after a fire and will be able to start working on your home quickly.    

Protect Yourself After Loss

Following these five steps after your house burned down will get you back in your home sooner, and hopefully restore your peace of mind. 

If this tragedy hasn’t happened to you yet, make sure you’re prepared with a top-notch home insurance policy. We also recommend backing up important files and memories into a cloud system and building an emergency savings fund in case the worst happens.

For more home and real estate tips, check out the rest of our blog.