No public adjuster may offer to represent you in these hours, or while the fire department is still at the property.
215 ILCS 5/1590(b)Fire damage claims in Chicago and across Illinois
A fire claim covers the building, your belongings and the cost of living elsewhere, each with its own limit. I inspect the damage, read your policy and build every part of the claim.
The inspection and policy review are free. Nothing to pay upfront.
- IL Public Adjuster #19461872
- IN Public Adjuster #3556317
- HAAG Certified Inspector
- Licensed IL Roofing Contractor
- 10+ years in property restoration
Your policy pays a fire loss in four parts
Each part has its own limit on the declarations page and needs its own proof.
- DwellingThe house: framing, roof, walls, wiring, finishes.
- Other structuresA detached garage, fence or shed.
- Personal propertyEverything you own, proven by a room-by-room inventory.
- Additional living expenseThe extra cost of a hotel or rental while the home is unlivable.
What the doorway photo misses
These five lines are where fire estimates come up short.
What everyone sees
The part nobody argues about: burnt framing, blackened walls, ruined furniture.
- Water from the hosesSoaked insulation, swollen subfloor, ceilings down rooms away.
- Heat above the char lineWarped vinyl windows, blistered cabinets, cooked wire insulation.
- Smoke inside cavities and ductsResidue in wall cavities, the attic and the HVAC return.
- Tear-out and haul-awayDemolition and debris removal are priced lines.
- Code upgrades on the rebuildOpened walls must meet current code; ordinance and law coverage pays only when claimed.
How I work a fire claim
- Inspect to the HAAG standardCause and extent recorded in terms the insurer's adjuster reads.
- Read the full policy before any numbersLimits, sub-limits for jewelry or cash, and the cap on living expense.
- Build the contents list with youItem, age, condition and today's price to replace, room by room.
- Collect the held-back depreciationUsually released only after you replace items. I follow it to the last check.
Your first week after the fire
Cheap to do now, hard to rebuild later.
- Day 1Photograph before cleanupEvery room, then inside closets and drawers.
- Day 1Open a receipts folderHotel, meals, clothes. Living expense is paid against receipts.
- Days 1–3Secure the houseBoard-up and tarps. Keep the invoices and photograph the work.
- Days 2–5Get the fire report numberFrom the responding fire department.
- By day 7Request the whole policyBy email, with every endorsement, so the request is dated.
Tell me about the fire
I inspect the damage and review your policy at no cost, and you pay nothing upfront.
+1 224-481-2095- The fire report number
- Your declarations page or the full policy
- The insurer's estimate, if one has arrived
Three Illinois rules for public adjusters after a fire
No interest in your property's salvage without your written permission after settlement.
215 ILCS 5/1590(e)No public adjuster may claim to be a fire investigator or to speak for the fire department.
215 ILCS 5/1590(m)Fire claim questions I get
Can I throw out what burned before the insurer's adjuster comes?
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Not before it is photographed and listed: burned items prove the contents claim. If something must go for health reasons, record it first.
Who pays for the hotel while we cannot live in the house?
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Additional living expense coverage, if your policy has it. It pays the increase over your normal costs, against receipts, up to the cap on your declarations page.
Will the insurer clean smoke-damaged things or replace them?
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It is the usual argument on a fire claim. I document the material, the residue and each cleaning attempt with dates.
Will you choose my contractor?
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No. Illinois bars a public adjuster from taking a contract or power of attorney that gives them that choice. I write the scope; you pick who does the work.
Licensed under 215 ILCS 5, Article XLV. My client is the policyholder, never the insurer. I am not a lawyer, your policy sets the coverage, and this page promises no result.