Fire & Smoke Damage Public Adjuster

Yes. Standard homeowners (HO-3) policies cover fire and smoke damage as a named peril, including damage from the fire itself, smoke and soot contamination, water damage from sprinklers and fire department suppression activity, and consequential mold growth from saturated framing. Commercial property policies cover the same components under different policy forms. The covered scope is typically broader than carriers initially scope on the first inspection. Both residential and commercial policies also include Additional Living Expense (homeowners) or Business Interruption (commercial) coverage for the period the property is uninhabitable or the operation is shut down.

Smoke spreads beyond the burn zone through three transport mechanisms — HVAC distribution (smoke pulled through return air and pushed back through every supply register), convective spread (smoke rises and spreads laterally along ceilings and into attics), and material absorption (drywall, insulation, fabric, and porous surfaces absorb smoke at a microscopic level). The visible deposit you can see on walls is a small fraction of the actual contamination. Hidden contamination inside HVAC components, behind walls, in insulation, and inside contents continues to off-gas particulate for months unless properly remediated. Industrial hygienist testing is the most reliable way to define the actual contamination zone, and it is the foundation of any properly scoped fire claim.

It depends on the contamination level. Carriers consistently push for HVAC duct cleaning rather than full system replacement because the cost difference is significant. Cleaning is sometimes adequate when smoke contamination is light. On meaningful fire claims, smoke penetrates duct insulation, contaminates coil fins, deposits inside motors and blowers, and absorbs into porous duct components — and full system replacement is the actual policy obligation. We coordinate industrial hygienist testing of the HVAC system specifically and use the test results to support replacement when cleaning will not adequately remediate the contamination.

Yes — if the contamination level supports replacement rather than cleaning. Furniture, mattresses, clothing, books, and porous contents absorb smoke and continue to release odor for months after the fire. Cleaning is rarely effective on heavily contaminated contents. Carriers commonly pay surface cleaning when the actual policy obligation is replacement. We document the contamination level on a contents-by-contents basis, evaluate which items can be remediated versus replaced, and pursue replacement on items where cleaning will not restore them to pre-loss condition. This is one of the largest underpaid components of residential fire claims.

Most homeowners policies include Additional Living Expense (ALE) coverage that pays for temporary housing, increased food costs, pet boarding, storage, and other living expenses while the home is uninhabitable. ALE coverage is typically capped at 12-24 months of dwelling coverage with daily rate limits. On significant fires, the actual rebuild often takes 6-18 months — sometimes longer when permitting, contractor availability, or insurance disputes delay reconstruction. We document actual displacement costs and push the ALE recovery through the full reasonable rebuild period rather than the carrier's preferred shorter timeline. Commercial policyholders have the same coverage under different names — typically Business Interruption (BI) and Extra Expense — which we cover in detail on our commercial claim service page.

Fires of suspicious origin trigger Special Investigations Unit (SIU) involvement at the carrier. SIU teams typically request examinations under oath from the policyholder, document subpoenas, financial records, and extended claim timelines. The vast majority of these claims are ultimately paid because the carrier cannot meet the burden of proving arson. We coordinate with the policyholder on EUO preparation, ensure the carrier complies with statutory pay-or-deny deadlines (Florida 627.70131, Minnesota 72A.201, Wisconsin OCI rules) even during investigation, and apply pressure through formal demands when investigations exceed reasonable timelines.

If your policy includes ordinance-or-law (also called Building Code Coverage or Increased Cost of Construction), yes. This coverage pays for the increased cost of rebuilding to current code rather than to like-kind-and-quality replacement of pre-loss conditions. Florida's post-Surfside SB 4-D and the increasing severity of state and local fire codes mean code-upgrade costs are a meaningful portion of every fire rebuild. Carriers commonly limit recovery to like-kind-and-quality and resist the upgrade scope. We identify the applicable ordinance-or-law coverage in your policy, document the code requirements that apply to your specific rebuild, and pursue the upgrade scope as part of the claim.

Yes. Lightning strikes and the resulting power surge damage are covered perils under standard homeowners and commercial property policies. The visible damage from a direct strike is dramatic, but the indirect damage is often the larger claim — power surges damage HVAC compressors, refrigerator and appliance circuit boards, electronics, security systems, garage door openers, pool pumps, and well pumps. Florida leads the nation in lightning strikes, and consequential damage frequently emerges days or weeks after the strike event. We document the strike with weather and lightning detection data and pursue the full scope including consequential damage that emerges over time.

Straightforward fire claims with strong documentation can settle in 60 to 120 days. Larger or more complex losses — significant smoke contamination, multi-peril coordination, SIU investigation, or commercial claims with business interruption disputes — often run 6 to 12 months. Florida's 60-day statutory pay-or-deny window (with additional time available during Governor-declared emergencies) sets the floor for initial response, but final settlement on a complex fire loss almost always extends past that window. Recoverable depreciation collection continues past the initial settlement as repairs are completed. The biggest factor in compressing the timeline is documentation quality on the front end.

Yes. Water damage from fire suppression activity — including fire department hose water, sprinkler discharge, and water used to extinguish the fire — is covered as part of the overall fire claim. Standard homeowners and commercial property policies treat fire suppression water as a covered consequence of the fire peril. Carriers occasionally try to fragment the claim by treating the water damage component separately, which can affect deductibles and sub-limits unfavorably. We file the claim as a single integrated multi-peril loss, ensuring water damage from suppression is covered under the same fire claim umbrella. Water damage handling is built into our fire claim process.

Possibly. Post-fire mold growth is common because fire suppression saturates framing and wall cavities with water, and mold can begin colonizing within 48-72 hours. Most fire claims include some level of post-fire mold remediation as part of the integrated multi-peril loss. Carriers commonly resist mold coverage on fire claims by arguing the mold is a separate peril or that policyholder failure to mitigate caused the growth. We document the moisture source (fire suppression), tie the mold growth to the covered fire event, and pursue remediation as part of the fire claim. Our mold damage service covers this in more detail.

Public adjuster fees are contingent — calculated as a percentage of the settlement we collect. Each state caps the percentage by statute. In Florida, the cap is 10% of recovery for claims filed within twelve months of a Governor-declared emergency and 20% otherwise (Florida Statute 626.854). In Minnesota, the cap is 10% of the entire settlement. In Wisconsin, the cap is set by the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and typically falls between 10% and 12.5%. The exact percentage is fixed in writing in the engagement letter before any work begins, and Florida policyholders have a 10-business-day right to cancel at no cost. There is no upfront fee and no fee at all if the claim produces zero recovery.

Yes. We routinely take on fire claims that have been denied or substantially underpaid. The process starts with a full review of the denial letter or settlement offer, the policy provisions cited, and any supporting documentation already in the file. We identify whether the position relied on a misapplication of policy language, an incorrect deductible, missed coverage under an endorsement (ordinance-or-law, ALE, contents replacement cost), or a procedural failure that can be challenged. Where the position is reversible through documentation and pressure, we file a supplemental claim or formal demand. Where the dispute requires legal action, the claim file we build becomes the evidence base for an insurance attorney to pursue coverage litigation.

As early as possible — ideally before any mitigation or restoration work begins. Once damaged materials are removed, demolition is started, or contents are cleaned or disposed of, the documentation window narrows significantly. We prefer to inspect the property in its post-fire condition before any work begins so we can document the contamination zone, scope the multi-peril damage, and coordinate mitigation contractors who will preserve evidence rather than destroy it. If mitigation has already started, we still take the engagement — but the earlier you bring us in, the more thoroughly we can document the claim and the larger the recovery typically is.