Does Home Insurance Cover Cleanup After a Fire?

Fires can be devastating, destroying thousands of homes across the U.S. every year. It is a blessing when no one is injured, but it can still be horrible to lose your home and your belongings. Thankfully, home insurance helps cover a lot of damage caused by fire, including clean up afterward. 

Yet, many homeowners don’t recognize when or how to take action to reclaim all of their coverage. Read on to learn more about what you can do to protect yourself and your assets.  

Each home insurance policy is unique so it is important to review your home insurance policy and speak with an insurance agent about what is covered according to your coverage. 

Take a closer look at your coverage, as most home insurance policies will only provide a basic level of coverage after a fire. That means the policy has a limit. Once the repairs or cleanup occur and you’ve reached that policy limit, you might not have additional coverage.  

Be sure to factor in the cost of cleaning up or replacing your home and make sure you have the funds available for such a procedure, should it ever be necessary. If you don’t, consider increasing your home insurance coverage to fill that gap.  

What Can You Do to Improve Your Policy?  

Be proactive and speak with to your home insurance provider about your current policy. Does it offer enough coverage to rebuild your home? Ask a local builder to give you an estimate on how much it costs to rebuild a home similar to your own. Then, factor in additional costs, such as fire cleanup. Be sure your policy offers plenty of coverage. It needs to be able to reimburse the substantial costs that can arise in the aftermath of a fire.  
 
Recovering from a fire can be draining. However, home insurance generally provides financial protection to help you get back on your feet. Connect with your insurance agent about your policy before a fire ever occurs to make sure that you are covered.