How to be prepared during fire season

Being stuck between a rock and a hard place is never comfortable. The last thing you want is to be stuck between a raging wildfire with no escape route and then only to discover you have inadequate insurance coverage. Ouch. This too can happen.

It’s no surprise that BC’s Interior is one of the high-risk fire zones in the summertime. 2021 is no exception given the extreme heat Western Canada and the USA experienced in early July.

This is why companies like Insurely exist. We want to insure your property of course, but what really gets us excited is educating our customers on each and every policy to ensure you’re adequately covered for the worst-case scenario. Including fire damage and if that worst-case scenario does happen, there is a headache-free way to make a fire claim.

We’re here to help and today we wanted to share with you tips on how to make a fire claim easier.

1. Take pictures, make an inventory list and possibly videos of your contents. This will help document your belongings that are covered.

2. Keep receipts and appraisals in a fireproof safe or upload them to “the cloud”.

3. Have an emergency plan in the event of a fire. This includes:

   • A safe exit route
   • An emergency kit with extra clothes, essentials and documents – including the phone number of your brokerage
   • Make sure you set up your account online so you can submit a claim on your own after hours, where you would stay in the event of an evacuation. Insurely makes this super easy because we’re entirely online.

4. Verify that your reconstruction cost & content limit is sufficient. Ensure it’s up to date (contents is typically around 70% of dwelling limit mark).

As escalating claims are paid out, there will surely be some homes that are more difficult to insure. Our five-star Insurely guides will assist you in finding the right policy for your situation. Call us today to set up an appointment.