Orlando Fire Damage Attorney

With smoke alarms, electrical codes and other fire prevention aspects, the number of properties catching fire has significantly diminished, but they still happen. It is not uncommon for a person to forget to put out a candle before going to the store or accidentally leaving a potholder by a hot stove.

Even a small fire can cause major damage to a house and often the smoke is more damaging than the actual fire.

Luckily, traditional homeowners’ and renters’ insurance covers most property damage from fire and smoke, but working with your insurance company to ensure you received the proper compensation can be difficult as they look for reasons to deny or lessen your claim.

At The Orlando Law Group, our attorneys know how insurance companies try to avoid paying claims and when you work with The Orlando Law Group, you’ll have the expertise of our attorneys every step of the way.

Why does insurance deny claims of fire damage?

It seems simple that insurance would cover a claim when you experience fire damage. Most fires are truly accidents like described above and the damage is obvious after a fire. It is not like flood damage where issues can be hidden.

But insurance companies hate paying claims to people who have their insurance. Lending Tree has a great list of why fire insurance claims are often denied. They are:

• “Vacant home: Homes that don’t have anyone living in them aren’t covered by insurance, unless you have a special policy for vacation homes.
• “Electrical work that isn’t up to code: A fire is caused by wiring in your home that doesn’t conform to your area’s building codes.
• “Nonpayment: Your home insurance policy is inactive because you haven’t paid the bill.
• ”Illegal activity: Evidence of illegal activity is found, such as manufacturing drugs.
• ”Arson: Your insurer suspects you set the fire intentionally.
• “Fraud: Your insurer believes you intentionally lied or misrepresented something about the claim, such as the value of your property.
• “Underinsured: The total coverage amount of your homeowners’ policy isn’t enough to pay to replace or repair all your belongings.”

The attorneys at The Orlando Law Group can work on your behalf on any of these types of denials. And even Lending Tree’s article advises consumers to work with a law firm to negotiate on your behalf.