Tag: Fire Damage

Sand Fire Insurance Claims: Get Legal Help / Santa Clarita Fire

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A wildfire sweeping over 38,000 square feet of land, the 2016 Sand Fire Santa Clarita Wildfire, began in Santa Clarita, California. The fire has spread toxic smoke, ash, soot, and other fire byproducts throughout Southern California, seriously impacting air quality. A large number of California areas, cities and towns are affected by the Sand Fire, including Santa Clarita, the San Fernando Valley, Valencia, Sun Valley, Burbank, Castaic, Palmdale, Lake Hughes, La Crescenta, Glendale, Lake Elizabeth, La Canada Flintridge, North Hollywood, Pasadena, and most of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. The toxic byproducts produced by the fire can sink into the buildings of commercial and residential properties and the surrounding land, necessitating a thorough cleanup.

If you are a homeowner or a property owner impacted by the Sand Fire through soot and ash damage to your home or other real estate, you could be entitled to compensation through the insurance benefits provided under your homeowner or dwelling insurance policy.

Sand Fire
Santa Clarita, CA, USA – July 22, 2016 – Sand Fire engulfing 2500 acres on the northeast side of 14 freeway in Santa Clarita area on July 22, 2016.

Expert Legal Help for Sand Fire Claims
Our law firm, Grun & Associates experts in sand fire insurance claims. You can benefit from the knowledge and experience of a lawyer on your side when filing your claim and advocating for your interests. We can work with you, no matter your insurance company; some of the most popular homeowner policies include Mercury, State Farm, AAA, Allstate, Progressive, Wawanesa, Geico, USAA, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, The Hartford, Travelers, Fireman’s Fund, The Hanover, and other insurance companies.

If you and your home have been impacted by the Sand Fire, reach out today for legal advice. Call Grun & Associates at (818) 433-7742 to speak to one of our experienced legal team members.

Coverage for Sand Fire Damages
The vast majority of homeowners’ insurance and commercial insurance policies provide coverage for soot and ash damage, as well as other claims based on property smoke damage. Our firm can help you file your claim with your insurance company and ensure that one of our lawyers is present when the company comes to inspect your property for Sand Fire damage. If necessary, we can also arrange an alternate and independent expert inspection to verify the insurance company’s assessment.

Damages Caused by the Sand Fire
Homes throughout Southern California have suffered serious and often times permanent damages as a result of the wildfire. Toxic soot, ash, smoke, and other products of the fire can settle into the ground and into buildings. These fire byproducts can have long-term impacts on the health of you and your family if they are not properly mitigated.

Sand Fire
Sand Fire in the mountains near Santa Clarita.

Impacted Communities
Large swathes of Southern California have faced severe impacts to the land, the environment, and air quality due to the Sand Fire. You may have a claim for the compensation needed to address the soot and ash damage suffered by your home and property. We can help homeowners in all impacted cities and towns, who have an insurance policy with any company.

Do I need a Lawyer?
Our experienced law firm has helped many satisfied clients to handle insurance claims for property damage. In a complex and large matter like the Sand Fire, you could benefit from the help of a knowledgeable lawyer to navigate the insurance process and lead in the filing of your claim. Our firm can retain independent inspectors to examine your property and assess the potential value of your insurance claim. Once we have studied your specific circumstances and the damage to your property, we can work with you to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve.

Whether you live in any of the impacted cities or towns, including Santa Clarita, La Canada Flintridge, Glendale, La Crescenta, Pasadena, Sunland, Sun Valley, Valencia, or much of Los Angeles, Grun & Associates can help to pursue your claim. Call our experienced legal team at (818) 433-7742.

Costs of Seeking Legal Help
If you work with Grun & Associates on your Sand Fire property damage claim, you’ll pay nothing up front. We’ll only get paid when you receive your compensation from the insurance company; our legal fee is a percentage of the payment made by the insurance company to you, and associated costs.

Call our law firm, Grun & Associates, at (818) 433-7742. We’ll provide a clear overview of the financial aspects of your Sand Fire property damage claim

Free Consultation
Use our online contact form or call Grun & Associates at (818) 433-7742 to find out more about seeking legal representation for the damage suffered by your property in the Sand Fire. We’ll keep your information completely confidential, and only contact you about your claim. We’ll be happy to provide a free consultation with our experienced legal team to learn more about your claim.

Filing An Insurance Claim After A Fire Damage

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Every year wildfires cause major fire damage in Southern California. When this happens, insurance companies help victims of wildfires rebuild their homes. Even if a fire victim does not have all the required paperwork or information, they should still file a claim with their insurance. It’s important they start the insurance claim process as soon as possible.

Fire Damage 2
Fire Damage 2

When a home burns down, will the homeowner’s insurance company pay the cost of rebuilding it? A standard homeowners insurance policy in California will cover damage to a home caused by wind, lightning, water and fire. When a homeowner’s residence is completely destroyed by fire or if parts of the residence is damaged by fire, the insurance company should pay the cost for rebuilding the home or repairing any part of the home as a result of the fire damage.

Contents
The insurance company should also pay for the damage and any loss of clothing, furniture, appliances, tools, decorations and more. A homeowner can also be paid for the loss of certain structures on their property such as a tool shed or garage. The amount paid to the homeowner for such items will be determined by the limits of their insurance policy.

Claim Information
There are some standard information required by an insurance company to process a claim. Insurance companies will need to know the date of loss as well as the type of damage or loss, area of damage and more. A homeowner will have to provide an estimate for the damages to the home, list for the damaged contents and documentation for additional living expenses. A police report should also be provided.

Fire Damage 2
Fire Damage 2

Damage to the Landscape
The standard homeowner’s insurance policy does cover damage to plants, trees, shrubs and lawn on a homeowner’s property. Most insurers will pay 5% or less of the policy liability limits.

Temporary Housing
It is likely for a homeowner’s insurance policy to cover temporary housing expenses. This type of coverage will pay for the use of housing similar to the home that was damaged or destroyed. It will cover the time a house is being repaired or rebuilt. It may also cover for permanent relocation. These payments are not designed to cover for the homeowner’s lost earnings or wages.

Repair Documentation
A homeowner should maintain an accurate record of any expenses for repairs done to the home, this can include an estimate prepared by the contractor hired by the homeowner. Before starting the repairs, the insurance adjuster should inspect the damaged home.

Determining the Extent of the Loss
After a fire, a homeowner needs to make a list of what was damaged or destroyed. There are two types of lists a homeowner must provide. First is the contents list. This includes all the contents of the homeowner that was damaged from the fire. Second is an estimate of the dwelling prepared by the homeowner’s contractor which lists all the repairs needed to bring the house in a condition it was in before the fire. The estimate should be divided into categories such as entertainment room, kitchen, bedroom living room and more.

Legal Help
After filing a claim for fire damage with the insurance company, the insurance company may not pay the amount a homeowner is entitled to based on their insurance policy. When this happens, it is recommended to get the help of a legal professional. At Grun & Associates we have the knowledge and experience to help you recover the maximum coverage from your policy.