FireApril 5, 2025· 8 min
Fire and Smoke Damage: The Full Claim Checklist
Fire claims involve structure, contents, additional living expense, and code upgrades. Missing any category leaves money on the table.
A fire loss claim has four major buckets: dwelling (Coverage A), other structures (B), contents (C), and additional living expense/loss of use (D). Smoke and soot remediation, HVAC cleaning, code upgrades, and content pack-out/cleaning are frequently underpaid.
Keep every receipt from the day of loss forward — hotels, meals over your normal grocery budget, pet boarding, laundry, rental furniture. These are reimbursable under most homeowners policies but only if documented.