Guides
Help for the weeks after a loss.
Step-by-step answers to the questions people search for after a fire, theft or flood. Each takes a few minutes, and none of it needs an account.
- House fire inventory list: how to list everything you lostAfter a house fire, your insurer settles your belongings from a list. The list you send decides what you're paid, so it's worth building carefully, one room at a time.6 minute read
- Recoverable depreciation: how to get your withheld money backIf your insurer paid less than it costs to replace your things, part of the difference may still be owed to you. Here is how to tell, and how to claim it.6 minute read
- Insurance claim without receipts: how to prove what you ownedMost people don't keep receipts, and insurers know that. You can still show what you owned and what it was worth. Here's where to look.6 minute read
- How to read a depreciation schedule from your insurerA depreciation schedule lists every item in your claim with what it costs new, how much value the insurer took off for age and wear, and what they'll pay now. Reading it line by line is how you find the mistakes.5 minute read
- Actual cash value vs replacement cost: what it means for your belongingsActual cash value pays what your things were worth used, after depreciation. Replacement cost pays what it costs to buy them new today, usually in two payments. Which one your policy has can change a contents settlement by thousands of dollars.6 minute read
- What a public adjuster does, what they charge, and when to hire oneA public adjuster is a licensed claims professional you hire to handle your insurance claim for you, usually for a percentage of what the insurer pays. They are worth it on some claims and not on others, and the fee is the thing to understand first.6 minute read
- How long does a home insurance claim take?A small, simple home insurance claim can be paid in a few weeks. A large one, like a house fire with most of your belongings lost, often takes several months, and the last payment can come a year or more after the loss. Most of the wait happens in a few predictable places.5 minute read
- How much personal property coverage do you need?Enough to replace everything you own at today's prices. On many homeowners policies the figure was never worked out from your belongings: it was set as a share of the dwelling limit. The only way to know if it is enough is to estimate what your things would cost to buy again.5 minute read
- Home inventory checklist, room by room, with a free templateYou don't have to list everything today. Start with the rooms that hold the most, and write each line so the person pricing your claim can only price it one way.5 minute read
- Loss of use coverage: what your policy pays while you can't live at homeIf a covered loss makes your home unlivable, loss of use coverage pays the extra it costs you to live somewhere else until you can go back. It covers the increase over your normal costs, not everything you spend, so the receipts you keep decide what you get.5 minute read
- Insurance claim denied? Why it happens and how to appealA denial is the insurer's position, not the last word. Get the reason in writing, find the policy wording it relies on, and answer it with evidence. If that fails you can use appraisal for a dispute over the amount, complain to your state, or bring in a public adjuster or an attorney.5 minute read
- How to file a renters insurance claim, step by stepReport the loss to your insurer quickly, file a police report for a theft, and send a list of what you lost with proof of what it was worth. Your landlord's insurance covers the building, not your things, so your own renters policy is what pays for your belongings.5 minute read
- Proof of loss: what the form asks for, with a free worksheetA proof of loss is a signed, sworn statement of what you are claiming and why. Your insurer sends the form and sets a deadline. It asks for a few dates and a short run of figures, from what it would cost to replace everything down to the amount you are claiming after depreciation and your deductible.5 minute read
- What is a loss report? What goes in one, with an exampleA loss report is the itemized list of the belongings you lost, with what each one would cost to replace. Your insurer prices your claim from it, line by line.5 minute read
- What to do after a house fire: a checklist for the first 30 daysThe first days after a fire are a blur. This is the order to do things in, from the first night to the list your insurer will ask for, so nothing that costs you later gets missed.5 minute read
- Does homeowners insurance cover water damage? What's covered and what isn'tUsually yes, when the water is sudden and accidental, like a burst pipe or a split washer hose. A standard policy usually doesn't pay for flooding from outside, a leak that went on for months, or sewer backup unless you added that cover. The cause decides the answer, so it is the first thing the insurer asks.6 minute read
- What does an insurance adjuster do? What to say, and what not toAn insurance adjuster looks at your loss, checks it against your policy, and works out what the insurer should pay. The adjuster the insurer sends works for the insurance company, not for you, so be accurate, keep everything in writing, and don't agree to a number on the spot.5 minute read
- Homeowners insurance coverages A, B, C and D, explainedA homeowners policy is split into lettered parts. Coverage A pays for the house, B for other structures like a fence or shed, C for your belongings, and D for living costs while you can't stay at home. E and F cover liability and medical bills for guests. Each has its own limit on your declarations page.5 minute read
- Does homeowners insurance cover theft? Limits, valuables and how to claimYes. Standard homeowners and renters policies cover belongings stolen from your home, and usually from your car or a hotel room too. Jewelry, watches, cash and a few other things have much lower limits for theft, so an expensive ring may only be paid in part unless it was listed on your policy on its own.5 minute read
- Does homeowners insurance cover mold? When it's covered and when it isn'tSometimes. A homeowners policy usually pays for mold that grows after a sudden, covered event like a burst pipe, if you report it and dry things out quickly. It usually doesn't pay for mold from a slow leak, high humidity or flooding, and many policies cap mold at a few thousand dollars even when it is covered.5 minute read
- Does homeowners insurance cover roof replacement? Damage vs ageOnly when something sudden damaged it, like wind, hail, a fallen tree or fire. Insurance doesn't replace a roof because it is old or worn out. And on many policies an older roof is paid at its depreciated value, so a 15-year-old roof may bring a check for well under half of what a new one costs.5 minute read
- Does homeowners insurance cover tree removal? Fallen trees explainedUsually, if a covered storm knocked the tree onto your house, garage, fence or another covered structure. Removal is then part of the repair claim. If the tree fell in the yard and hit nothing, most policies pay little or nothing to remove it, unless it blocks your driveway.5 minute read
- Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage? Roofs, cars and deductiblesYes, on most policies. Hail is a standard covered cause of damage to the roof, siding, windows and the belongings inside. Two things catch people out: a separate wind and hail deductible, often a percentage of the home's insured value, and exclusions for dents that don't let water in.5 minute read
- How much renters insurance do you need? A quick way to work it outEnough to replace everything you own, which for most renters is more than they guess. Add it up room by room, round up, and pick replacement cost rather than actual cash value. Liability of at least $100,000 is a common starting point, and your landlord may require a set amount.5 minute read
- The appraisal clause: what to do when you disagree with your insurer's numberMost home insurance policies have an appraisal clause. When you and the insurer agree the loss is covered but disagree on how much it's worth, either side can ask for appraisal. Each side hires an appraiser, the two choose an umpire, and any two of the three set the amount. It is usually faster and cheaper than a lawsuit, but it can't decide whether something is covered.5 minute read