For policyholders with property damage
Your claim.
Your rights.
Hold everyone accountable.
After a fire, flood, or water loss, the insurance company has adjusters, engineers, and lawyers. You have a policy you paid for. Learn what it promises, what a proper restoration requires, and what the law demands of your carrier, before you sign, settle, or accept “that’s all we can pay.”
01
Know your policy
Your policy is a contract. Read the declarations, the coverages, and the duties it puts on both sides, not just the summary the adjuster gives you.
02
Know the standard
The IICRC standards set out how water, mold, and fire damage are properly restored. A lowball scope often leaves out work the standard calls for.
03
Know the law
State claim-handling laws require insurers to respond, investigate, and pay on time, and to explain denials in writing. Hold them to it.
“Approved contractor?”
“Certified vendor?”
These labels describe a business relationship, not a credential. A preferred vendor often has a program agreement with the insurer or a claims firm it hires, which can include the insurer’s pricing guidelines. In most cases you have the right to choose who repairs your home. Ask questions before anyone starts tearing out walls.
You choose your contractor- “We need a recorded statement today.” Read your policy’s duties first. A recorded call is often a request, not a policy condition.
- “Depreciation is final.” On a replacement cost policy, withheld depreciation is often recoverable after repairs.
- “Just dry it and paint.” Contaminated water and smoke residue have specific removal requirements under the IICRC standards.
- “That’s our final offer.” You can dispute it with evidence, invoke appraisal, or file a complaint with your state regulator.
Learn the claim before it’s your claim
Plain-English guides, each backed by statutes, regulations, and published standards, with sources listed.
The claim process
What to do, say, and keep from the first hour to the final check.
5 guides →
Your policy
Read the contract you paid for, and know what it really promises.
3 guides →
Restoration standards
What the IICRC standards say the job requires, in plain English.
3 guides →
Disputes & pushback
Denials, lowball offers, appraisal, complaints, and who can help.
4 guides →
Insurance law
The claim-handling rules insurers must follow, and what bad faith means.
4 guides →
For contractors
Documentation and conduct that protect your customer and your invoice.
1 guide →
Property claims in the news
Lawsuits, regulatory actions, verdicts, and investigations involving property insurers, updated automatically from news coverage. See how claim disputes are playing out, and what to ask on your own claim.
- More State Farm 'hot documents' made public in Oklahoma insurance lawsuits
KOKI FOX 23 ·
- L.A. County investigates FAIR Plan’s claims practices after widespread complaints
Los Angeles Times ·
- Ex-LA deputy mayor sues insurer Chubb over Palisades fire cleanup
The Real Deal ·
- FAIR Plan becomes third insurer facing county fire-claims investigation
Westside Current on MSN ·
- Austin Beutner is the latest to sue Chubb over smoke-damaged Pacific Palisades home
Los Angeles Daily News · · also covered by Hoodline
- Universal Property verdict collapses after homeowner breaks leg at courthouse
Insurance Business ·
Headlines link to independent news outlets. Lawsuits and investigations contain allegations that may not be proven. See the carrier record for sourced summaries of regulatory and court outcomes.
Accountability runs every direction
Everyone on your claim answers to someone
The carrier
Must follow your state’s claim-handling laws and the policy it sold you, including deadlines, written explanations, and fair investigation.
The adjuster
Is licensed by the state in most cases. Get every decision, estimate, and engineer’s report in writing.
The contractor
Should be licensed, insured, and working to the IICRC standard, with photos, moisture logs, and an itemized scope to show for it.
You
Have duties too: prompt notice, preventing further damage, and documenting the loss. Meet them, and nobody can use them against you.
Standing with the advocates
Restoration Education is independent. These organizations do essential work for policyholders and the restoration industry, and we send readers to them.
United Policyholders
Nonprofit voice for insurance consumers, founded in 1991. Its Roadmap to Recovery program and free claim-help library walk disaster survivors through documenting losses, negotiating, and knowing their rights.
Restoration contractorsRestoration Industry Association (RIA)
Trade association for restoration and cleaning professionals. It advocates for the industry, offers advanced credentials, and sets expectations for how restoration work is documented and done.
Contractors and policyholdersIICRC
Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. It certifies technicians and firms and develops the ANSI-accredited standards (S500 water, S520 mold, S700 fire and smoke) that define a proper restoration job.
Is your claim going sideways?
Delays, shrinking scopes, a denial letter that doesn’t quote your policy. Check the warning signs and your next steps.