The first week after a house fire is a sequence, and knowing the sequence is most of what makes it survivable. The building has to be made safe and secure before anything else, the claim has to be opened while the evidence is still in place, and the contents inventory has to start before the property is emptied. None of that is obvious at the time, which is why so much of what goes wrong in a fire claim happens in the first seventy two hours.
Safety first: do not go back into fire damaged property
A fire damaged building is structurally suspect, electrically unsafe and chemically contaminated, and the fire service releasing the scene is not the same as the building being safe to occupy. Utilities stay off until each is cleared by the relevant trade. Do not re enter for possessions until you are told you can, and when you do, expect to need boots, gloves and a mask. Soot is an irritant and heavy exposure is worse than it looks. Ask the fire department for the incident report reference before they leave.
Secure the building the same day
An open building takes a second loss from weather and trespass within days, and most policies expect you to prevent that. Board up openings, tarp the roof where it is open, and fence the site if it is unsafe. This is emergency mitigation work and it is normally covered. Photograph the building as it is, from every elevation, before anything is boarded, because the shell as the fire left it is the claim's first piece of evidence and it changes as soon as work starts.
Open the claim, and start the contents list
Report the same day even if you cannot yet say what was lost. Ask what the policy provides for immediate living expenses and get that started, because it usually pays from the first night. Then begin the contents inventory, room by room, from photographs and memory, while the rooms still exist. This task is enormous and it is the single biggest source of under settlement on a fire claim, which is why it starts now rather than after the pack out empties the house.
Renters, owners and a garage fire
A renters policy covers your contents and your additional living expenses, not the building, which the landlord insures; so does renters insurance cover fires has a straightforward answer for contents and displacement and none at all for the structure. An owner's policy covers both plus the contents. A garage fire follows the same sequence with one addition: attached garages share structure and services with the house, so smoke and heat damage inside the house is scoped even when the fire never left the garage.
Questions people ask about what to do after a house fire
What do I do first after a house fire?
Stay out until the building is cleared, get the fire service incident reference, secure the building against weather and trespass, then report the claim and start the contents inventory the same day.
Does renters insurance cover fires?
It covers your contents and your additional living expenses. The building itself is the landlord's insurance, not yours, which is the main difference from an owner's policy.
When can I go back in for possessions?
When the authorities and the relevant trades have cleared the structure and the utilities. Take protective equipment when you do, and photograph rooms before moving anything.
Is a burned down house a total loss claim?
Not automatically. Whether it is settled as a total loss depends on the policy, the valuation and the cost of repair against the limit, and that assessment takes time and evidence.
What house fire damage is not obvious on the first walk round?
Smoke and heat reach further than flame: residue in cavities and ducts, heat-distorted wiring and plumbing, windows whose seals have failed, and water damage from the fire service throughout the floors below. All of it belongs in the claim, and none of it is visible from the doorway of the room that burned.