Your Fire Damage Claim Is Worth More Than Your Insurer Is Offering
Fire destroys quickly — but insurers take even longer to pay what you're owed. Smoke, soot, structural loss, contents, and temporary housing costs are routinely missed or undervalued. Claimpress fights to recover every dollar.
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Find out what your fire damage claim is really worth
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A fire damage specialist will review your claim and advise you on next steps — at no cost.
Fire Damage Claims We Handle
A fire claim involves far more than burned walls. Smoke, soot, water from firefighting, and displaced living costs all add up — and all belong in your settlement.
Structural Fire Damage
Burned framing, roofing, flooring, and load-bearing elements. We document all structural loss with expert contractor assessments.
Smoke & Soot Damage
Smoke infiltrates every surface, cavity, and HVAC system. Soot damage is routinely undervalued — we ensure full remediation costs are claimed.
Water & Firefighting Damage
Firefighting efforts cause their own damage. Water, foam, and chemical suppression agents cause significant additional loss that belongs in your claim.
Contents & Personal Property
Furniture, clothing, electronics, jewelry, appliances — we prepare a full itemized contents inventory at replacement cost value.
Additional Living Expenses
Hotels, meals, laundry, storage — if your home is uninhabitable, we claim all temporary living costs under your ALE coverage.
Electrical Fire Damage
Electrical fires affect wiring throughout the home. We document all damaged systems — not just the obvious burn point.
Commercial Fire & Business Interruption
Business owners face property loss plus lost income. We claim structural damage, contents, and full business interruption losses.
Denied & Underpaid Claims
Already received a lowball offer or a denial? We challenge the insurer's scope and valuation — and consistently win more for our clients.
What to Do After a Fire — And How to Protect Your Claim
The decisions you make in the first 48 hours after a fire can determine how much your insurance company pays. Follow these steps to protect your rights.
Call Claimpress Before You Call Your Insurance Company
Every word you say to your insurer's adjuster becomes part of your claim record. Insurance company adjusters are trained to gather information that minimizes settlements. Once you call Claimpress, we handle all communication on your behalf — ensuring nothing you say is used to reduce what you're owed. Call us first at (212) 658-0988.
Your Action Timeline After a Fire
Ensure Safety First
Do not re-enter a fire-damaged property until the fire marshal or building inspector confirms it is structurally safe. Never touch or remove anything before your public adjuster has documented the scene.
Document Before Anything Moves
Photograph and video every room — including areas not directly burned. Smoke and soot damage extends far beyond the fire's origin point. Capture all contents, surfaces, ceilings, walls, and structural elements.
Call Claimpress — Before Your Insurer
We will advise you on how to notify your insurance company, what to say, and how to protect your right to a full settlement. Our adjusters can be on-site in NYC within hours of your call.
Secure the Property & Begin Board-Up
Insurance policies require you to prevent further damage. Board up openings, cover the roof, and prevent unauthorized entry. Keep all invoices — emergency board-up and tarping costs are covered.
Arrange Temporary Housing
If your home is uninhabitable, your policy's Additional Living Expenses (ALE) coverage pays for your hotel, meals, and more. Keep every receipt from the day of the fire forward.
Full Claim Submission by Claimpress
We file a comprehensive, professionally documented claim covering structural loss, smoke and soot damage, contents, water damage from firefighting, code upgrades, ALE, and all emergency costs.
Critical Do's & Don'ts
Document everything before cleanup
Photograph all damage in detail before restoration begins. Once soot is cleaned and debris removed, the evidence of your full loss is gone.
Keep all damaged items
Do not throw away burned or smoke-damaged furniture, clothing, or personal property until documented. Your insurer owes you replacement cost — but only for items that are properly documented.
Save every receipt from day one
Hotel nights, meals, laundry, storage, boarding, tarping — every dollar spent because of the fire may be reimbursable under your policy's ALE provision.
Don't give a recorded statement without us
Insurers use recorded statements to establish a version of events that limits their liability. Never speak with your insurer's adjuster without Claimpress present.
Don't start repairs before documentation
Starting reconstruction before a thorough damage assessment destroys evidence and gives insurers grounds to dispute the scope and cause of loss.
Don't accept the first settlement offer
Insurers' initial fire damage offers are almost always below actual replacement cost. Our clients recover 2–4x the first offer on average.
The Benefits of a Public Adjuster for Your Fire Damage Claim
Fire claims are among the most complex in the insurance industry. The insurer has experts on their side — you should too.
We Document the Full Scope of Loss
Fire damage is not limited to burned areas. Smoke and soot travel through every room, duct, and cavity. Water from firefighting causes separate, extensive damage. Our adjusters perform a room-by-room inspection and engage structural engineers, smoke remediation specialists, and contents appraisers to capture every dollar of loss.
We Maximize Your Contents Settlement
Contents claims after a fire are notoriously underpaid. Insurers apply aggressive depreciation to everything from furniture to electronics to clothing. We prepare a full replacement-cost inventory — every item, every room — and fight for full current market value rather than pennies on the dollar.
We Claim Code Upgrade Costs
When your home is rebuilt after a fire, it must meet current building codes — which may be significantly more expensive than restoring to pre-fire condition. Most homeowners never know their policy's "Ordinance or Law" coverage pays for these upgrades. We always include them.
We Handle All Communication & Negotiations
From your first call to the final settlement, we manage every interaction with your insurer. We handle adjuster visits, respond to requests, dispute underestimates, and negotiate aggressively — so you can focus on your family and recovery.
We Fight Wrongful Denials
Fire claims are denied on grounds including alleged arson, disputed origin and cause, policy exclusions, and lack of documentation. We respond to denials with expert reports, forensic evidence, and legal policy interpretation that forces insurers to pay what is owed.
No Fee Unless We Win
Claimpress works on a contingency basis only. There is no hourly rate, no retainer, and no cost to you unless we recover money on your behalf. Our fee is a percentage of your settlement — so we are financially motivated to get you the maximum possible payout.
Public Adjuster vs. Going It Alone
See the difference Claimpress makes at every stage of your fire damage claim.
From Fire Damage to Full Settlement
Our proven four-step process handles everything — so you can focus on your family and recovery.
Free Claim Review
We review your policy, assess the damage, and tell you exactly how much more you're owed — at zero cost and zero obligation.
Complete Damage Assessment
Our team inspects every affected area — structural, smoke, soot, contents, and water — and engages specialists to build a comprehensive damage report.
Claim Filing & Negotiation
We submit a fully documented claim and manage every interaction with your insurer — adjuster visits, disputes, supplemental claims, and negotiations.
Maximum Settlement
You receive the full settlement you're entitled to. We collect our fee only after you're paid — our success depends entirely on yours.
Real Fire Damage Wins
NYC homeowners and business owners who trusted Claimpress — and got paid what they deserved.
"A kitchen fire spread to the walls and ceiling of three rooms. The insurance company offered $45,000. Claimpress documented the smoke damage throughout the entire apartment and the full contents loss. We settled for $218,000. Truly remarkable."
"An electrical fire in the walls of my brownstone caused structural damage the insurer barely acknowledged. Claimpress brought in a structural engineer, documented code upgrade requirements, and got me $340,000 — triple what the adjuster initially offered."
"A fire in the unit above mine sent smoke and water through my entire apartment. My insurer said it was 'minimal.' Claimpress documented every damaged surface, appliance, and piece of clothing. I received $97,000 instead of $12,000. Hire them immediately."
Fire Damage Claim Questions
Everything NYC homeowners need to know about filing and maximizing a fire damage insurance claim.
Don't Let Your Insurer Underpay Your Fire Damage Claim
Tell us what happened. We'll review your claim for free and tell you exactly how much more you're owed — no obligation, no pressure, no upfront cost.
Request Received!
A fire damage specialist will contact you within 1 hour. For urgent situations call (212) 658-0988.
Fire Damage Insurance Claims in New York City
Fire damage claims are among the most significant and complex property insurance claims a New York homeowner will ever face. Beyond the immediate destruction of the fire itself, claimants must navigate smoke and soot damage throughout the entire property, water damage from firefighting efforts, total contents loss, temporary housing costs, and the complexities of policy coverage limits, depreciation schedules, and code upgrade requirements.
Insurance companies send their own adjusters to fire scenes — professionals whose job is to assess damage in a way that minimizes the insurer's payout. A licensed public adjuster from Claimpress works exclusively for you, documenting every element of your loss and fighting to recover the maximum settlement your policy allows.
Fire Damage Claims Across All Five Boroughs
Claimpress handles fire damage claims throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, as well as Long Island, Westchester, northern New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Why Smoke and Soot Damage Is Consistently Undervalued
Smoke and soot are among the most damaging and expensive fire-related losses — and the most frequently underestimated by insurance adjusters. Soot is acidic and continues to corrode surfaces, electronics, and HVAC systems long after the fire is extinguished. Smoke permeates insulation, ductwork, and structural cavities. Professional remediation of smoke and soot damage often costs more than the structural repairs from the fire itself. Our adjusters document smoke migration throughout the entire property — not just the rooms with visible fire damage.
The Importance of Ordinance and Law Coverage in NYC
New York City's building stock includes millions of residential units built under older codes. When fire damage requires partial or full reconstruction, current building codes must be met — and the cost difference between restoring to pre-fire condition and meeting current code requirements can be substantial. Most homeowners are unaware their policy includes Ordinance and Law (code upgrade) coverage. Claimpress includes this coverage in every applicable fire damage claim we handle.