If you’ve experienced a fire in your home, then you understand that the problems don’t stop once the flames are gone. Oftentimes, you’re left with more than just structural damage—there’s also water damage from the fire being put out, as well as smoke and soot contamination.
Even if the flames were able to be contained to one area, smoke and soot particles can easily spread throughout your property and get into your walls, furniture, clothing, and electronics. When this happens, you may be left wondering what is and isn’t covered by your homeowner’s policy. Will your insurance company replace your waterlogged couch? Your smoke-stained carpet? Your HVAC system clogged with soot? Read on to learn what protections you have in the event of smoke, soot, and water damage after a fire.
Smoke, Soot, and Water Damage: Are They Covered After a Fire?
The short answer is yes—in most instances, smoke, soot, and water damage are covered in the event of a fire and do not need to be purchased separately. Standard homeowner’s insurance policies often offer a few layers of protection (outside of just fire damage) and include coverage for:
- Water damage from fire suppression: This includes water damage caused by sprinklers on your property or by firefighter efforts.
- Smoke & soot damage: This covers the cleaning or restoration of surfaces, furniture, or other items damaged by smoke or soot.
- Personal Property Replacement: If any of your belongings have been damaged by smoke, soot, or water, you can receive compensation to replace them.
- Additional living expenses (ALE): In the event that smoke, soot, or water damage makes your home unlivable, this covers the cost of temporary housing.
Here’s a sample scenario: Let’s say a fire starts in your kitchen. Although the flames were contained to that one room, your living room furniture got soaked by water from the firefighters, and soot managed to spread into your bedroom and all over the carpet.
In this instance, depending on your coverage limits and the circumstances of the incident, you’ll be covered for the repairs to the kitchen, the replacement of your living room furniture, and the professional carpet cleaning of your bedroom.
How to Know If You’re Covered
While smoke, soot, and water damage are often covered, like all insurance policies, there are always exceptions. You may not be covered if:
- The fire that resulted in smoke, soot, or water damage was caused by negligence or illegal activities.
- Your property is in a high-risk wildfire area, and you don’t have specific wildfire coverage
- The smoke and soot damage is caused by a poorly maintained chimney or HVAC system, which resulted in a buildup.
Because fire is a covered peril in standard homeowners policies, the most important part in determining coverage is proving where the fire came from that caused the smoke, soot, or water damage. Check out the chart below to get a better understanding of when you would be covered.
| Causes of Smoke, Soot, or Water Damage | Covered | Not Covered |
| Electrical fire | X | |
| Kitchen Fire | X | |
| Vandalism | X | |
| Lightning | X | |
| Neglect | X |
At the end of the day, it’s important that you take the time to double-check the terms and conditions of your policy! Every policy is different, and although it’s rare, a small portion of insurers do not provide coverage in the event of smoke or soot damage. If that’s the case, you may want to consider buying separate coverage.
What are the Dangers of Smoke, Soot, or Water Damage After a Fire?
Smoke and soot are considered hazardous and should be treated as such. Exposure to these materials can lead to long-term health and safety issues, so it’s important to be cautious when moving about your home after a fire. Wait until the fire department tells you it’s safe to enter, and wear protective gear, such as gloves, masks, and sturdy footwear, if you choose to go inside.
And although water damage may seem harmless when compared to soot or smoke, it’s not. Water damage can lead to mold, which can then cause asthma attacks, respiratory infections, or allergic reactions. Mold doesn’t only grow in places that are easy to find with the naked eye—it can also be found behind walls and under carpet. So while there may be no visible signs,your health can still take a toll.
Why Would an Insurance Company Deny Smoke, Soot, or Water Damage After a Fire?
The unfortunate reality is that your insurance company does not have your best interests in mind. They’re trying to pay you as little money as possible, so even if you have a legitimate smoke, soot, or water damage claim, they will try to minimize the settlement or deny the claim outright. Here are some reasons they may give:
1. Claim the Damage Was Pre-Existing
Your insurance company may try to claim that the smoke, soot, or water damage was pre-existing and did not come about as a result of the fire. This is why proper documentation is so important—you’ll want to provide photographs, videos, and even time stamps that prove the damage wasn’t there before. It’s a good practice to keep documentation of the interior and exterior of your property (updated yearly) to use as evidence in these cases.
2. Argue That the Damage is “Cosmetic”
In the event of a fire, your insurance company may try to claim that the smoke and soot damage is “cosmetic” and therefore does not impact the structure or functionality of your home. However, just because it’s cosmetic doesn’t mean it’s harmless, and it will still need to be removed from your home.
3. Deny the Claim Based on Policy Exclusions
Insurance companies are sneaky, and they may put fine print exclusions into your policy to deliberately avoid paying your claim. An example may be an exclusion for “failure to mitigate damages”, where your insurance company would argue that you, the homeowner, should have tried to put the fire out sooner with the extinguisher you had on the property.
How to Document Smoke or Soot Damage
Although water damage is easy to document and photograph, smoke and soot damage can be a little harder. Oftentimes, smoke or soot particulates are too small for a camera to capture. If this is the case, you’ll want to:
- Put on a clean pair of disposable gloves
- Get a prepackaged alcohol wipe
- Swipe it horizontally across any surface
- Take a picture of the dark ash on the wipe
- Repeat this process, room by room, with a new wipe
Take notes as needed, such as the lingering smell of smoke in the air. Share these findings, along with the photographic evidence, with your insurance company during the claims process.
Contact Fortitude Public Adjusters for Help With Smoke, Soot, or Water Damage
After experiencing a devastating house fire, the last thing you probably want to do is deal with your insurance company, especially if you’re also trying to recover from soot, smoke, and water damage. Your insurance company will deliberately make the claims process difficult to understand in order not to pay you the settlement you deserve. If this is the case, you are entitled to consult with a public adjuster to help you with your claims process!
At Fortitude Public Adjusters, we are here to help streamline the claims process and ensure your rights as a policyholder are protected. Our team of experts possesses expertise in assessing damages, estimating costs, and negotiating with insurance companies, ultimately maximizing your claim settlement.
If you’ve experienced a house fire and need help getting coverage for the total extent of the damage, then contact us today.
