Chimney Fire Damage Insurance

A chimney fire is a frightening occurrence and can be potentially dangerous to your property our client contacted us to say that she noticed a crack on the chimney breast internally and a crack on the chimney stack. Our assessor visited the property to inspect the damage. It was apparent that some form of damage was caused to the chimney and she arranged for a cctv survey to be carried out to examine the flue. The survey confirmed damage to the flue as a result of a chimney fire. Clearys loss assessors reported the claim to insurers on our clients behalf and met with the loss adjuster to agree scope of work s required to remedy the damage.

If our survey reveals that you have had a fire you could claim off your household insurance for the damage to be rectified. When making an insurance claim the property owner/insured person would contact their insurance company to initiate the claim process and will be assigned a loss adjuster. From this point, we will deal directly with the loss adjuster on your behalf by sending a full written survey report with photographs and a copy of the cctv footage. We will endeavour to get this information to the loss adjuster prior to them undertaking their assessment at the property to make this process as quick as possible for you the homeowner.

Background the complainants made a claim under their farm multiperil policy for damage allegedly caused by a chimney fire which was declined by their insurer. The claim was declined on the basis that policy conditions had not been complied with to provide cover for the chimney fire section of the policy. The complainant’s case the complainant claimed that he suffered a chimney fire and states that a crack in his chimney stack was visible which was not there prior to the chimney fire. The complainant made a claim under his farm multiperil policy which was declined by the insurer due to failure on the part of the complainant to provide “evidence of an insured peril in operation” and also the complainant had prejudiced the insurer’s position by carrying out permanent repair works.

Oftentimes our customers get the cost of their chimney repairs covered under their home insurance policy. We work with registered professional property loss assessors who can assist you with free claims advice, or alternatively they can handle all aspects of a fire damage claim on your behalf. These assessors operate on a “no win no fee” basis structural damage like fire damage can spread to areas within your house that may not be visible to you. Often smoke and soot damage can extend to areas of a fire damaged property where the fire did not even reach. This means that it is vital that your fire damaged home is professionally cleaned to prevent any further long term damage.

When the worst happens.

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Contact us for a free phone consultation on 086 382 1282 we are here to take the hassle away & to deal with your insurance company on your behalf for all your house or commercial insurance claims. We work on a no win, no fee basis.

We work on a no win no fee basis our first appraisal is free of charge and we work on a no win – no fee basis. If you’d like to use your own builder, your insurer’s builder or want a cash settlement, we can negotiate any of these options for you. In these cases, we charge a small percentage of the claim value. If we do have to charge a fee, we always expect it to be offset by the increase in settlement we achieve. It costs nothing to seek our advise on any situation. Please give us a call on 087 2673390.

Chimney fire damage to your property.

Like anything else in your home, there are circumstances in which your homeowners’ policy will cover damage and circumstances in which it won’t. You can expect your homeowners’ policy to cover chimney damage if it is shown to be the result of what’s referred to as a “sudden occurrence,” like a fire, wind damage or an earthquake. A chimney professional will be able to determine whether or not the damage you’re seeing falls under the category of a sudden occurrence. Your insurance company won’t cover damage, however, if it is shown that it was the result of a poorly or improperly constructed chimney, or from negligence/lack of maintenance.

Each winter in ireland the fire brigade deal with thousands of chimney fires and many more chimney fires occur without the householder even knowing until further damages show weeks and sometimes months later. In 2018 of the 6634 fires with identified causes dealt with by the fire services 34% of these related to chimney fires alone. However, most chimney fires would be preventable if households had their chimneys cleaned annually by a professional chimney sweep. Chimney fire damage not only causes damage to the chimney itself but long term can cause damage to attic space, internal walls and ceiling.

Did you know that your homeowner’s insurance may pay for chimney damage repairs? whether it’s masonry damage, chimney crown rebuilding, a chimney fire, or even a structural collapse, your insurance will often pay for covered repairs to restore your chimney, fireplace, and other attached heating appliances.

Peoples idea of a chimney fire is a street filled with smoke and flames coming out of the flue or you could have an explosive noisy fire but both are rare. Quiet and slow burning chimney fires are most common and that’s why people have them unbeknownst to themselves. Here are some tell-tale signs that you’ve had a fire. Broken or cracked flue tiles in your fireplace damaged or melted roofing materials a discoloured chimney cap or flue cracks in the chimney breast (possibly soot in the cracks). Smoke smells at ground level or in bedrooms above the fireplace cracks in chimney in the attic space.

How we will help you with your chimney fire damage insurance claim

Your insurance will not typically get involved with issues due to the normal wear and tear of your chimney. Chimneys must be cleaned and maintained regularly to stay in proper working condition. Without proper maintenance, you may not even discover minor damage like flue cracks. If not repaired, minor damage can get worse and become a major expense to repair later on. Homeowner’s insurance for chimney repair excludes damage from lack of routine maintenance and normal wear and tear. Since many types of chimney damage occur with the normal passage of time, or because you didn’t maintain the chimney properly, many chimney claims get denied.

Household insurance can be invalid if your chimney is not swept properly at least once per year. That poses a massive problem if you did have a chimney fire because it means you may not be able to claim for damages. This is an important issue, which requires careful consideration. Do you own or rent your home? if you’re the homeowner, the responsibility is yours. But if you are a tenant, then you need to check with the landowner. Remember too, if you are moving to a new home – ask the estate agency or relevant authority when the chimney was last swept.

On the other hand, there are “expected” damages, usually caused by neglecting to have regular chimney cleaning, repairs and inspections performed. Guardian chimney sweep technicians encounter damage-due-to-neglect on a regular basis when servicing our houston-area customers’ chimneys. When left alone, chimneys will eventually fall into disrepair. Much of the trouble often involves compromise to the masonry structure or water damage. Problems that can arise when a chimney isn’t properly cared for include: deteriorated bricks and mortar damaged chimney crown, cap, or flashing rusted or broken fireplace damper interior masonry deterioration a chimney that leans or collapses homeowner’s insurance providers usually won’t pay for these and other types of chimney damage that results from the homeowner not doing his or her due diligence in keeping the chimney maintained.

Simple safety measures can help avoid accidents. If you plan on using a fireplace or stove, here’s how to make sure it’s safe. Check your insurance. Some policies state that chimneys must be swept a certain amount of times to minimise the risk of fire, particularly if a property has a thatched roof. If this isn’t done and a fire spreads, you could have your claim declined. Get your chimney swept regularly. The national association of chimney sweeps recommends getting it swept at least once a year. Make sure your chimney isn’t capped off or blocked. Check which fuels can be burned on your fire or in your stove.

4. We will make a thorough assessment

Transfer of high temperatures can lead to smouldering of timbers until combustion occurs. Insurance cover with adequate sums insured and proper assessment of the loss and damage can help. Otherwise the only option is lenghty and costly legal action against the installer. Assessor balcombes balcombes claims management brokers business interruption claim claims consumer protection code consumers expert insurance claims advice fire flood insurance insurance broker insurance claim insurance policy loss adjusters loss assessor loss assessors property claims public loss assessor balcombes claims management is ireland’s longest established and leading firm of loss assessors. We have developed a systemised process that focuses our resources and attention on solving your insurance claim problem.

Our tradesmen can carry out a full inspection of your chimney from the fireplace, stove or appliance right up to the chimney pot. This inspection should help uncover any indication of damage in the flue shaft and establish if there is any damage to the chimney stack. The inspection will also enable us to provide you with an assessment of the damage should you need this for you insurance company. If after the inspection further investigation is required or the cause of the damage is not clear then we can carry out cctv inspection of the flue shaft from top to bottom.

At first call claim we provide insurance claim assistance and loss assessments for houses that have been damaged in a fire. A house fire can result in serious structural and superficial damage. The superficial damage may be easy to see but the structural damage is usually harder to detect. In addition to the flames, smoke and soot can spread throughout the house and cause damage in places the fire did not even reach. This soot is particularly dangerous and when it breaks down it becomes corrosive and will result in further damage down the line. Damage may also be caused by the water used to put the fire out.