Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration Companies Near You, by City

What to do right now

1. Don't go back in until the fire department says the home is safe.
2. Call your insurer the same day. Ask about board-up, emergency cleaning and Additional Living Expenses.
3. Photograph every room and every damaged item before anything gets cleaned or thrown out.
4. Keep receipts for hotels, meals and clothing you have to buy while displaced.

Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration: what homeowners should know

After a fire, even a small kitchen fire, smoke and soot travel through vents, hallways and wall gaps. The smell gets into clothes, mattresses and furniture, and soot residue is acidic, so it keeps damaging surfaces the longer it sits. Water from firefighting adds a second problem that needs drying.

Homeowners policies generally cover fire and smoke damage to the house and your belongings, and most include Additional Living Expenses (also called Loss of Use) that pays for a hotel or rental while the home is unlivable. Call your insurer the same day and ask what they will authorize for board-up and emergency cleaning.

Restoration companies that handle contents cleaning can pack out your belongings, clean them off site and store them until you move back. Ask whether they work directly with your insurer and whether they provide an itemized inventory, which you will need for the claim.

How much does fire & smoke damage restoration cost?

Smoke odor and soot cleaning for a room or two can run from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Jobs with structural damage, water from firefighting and contents pack-out often run from about $3,000 to well over $25,000. For a covered fire, insurance usually pays most of this minus your deductible.

If you rent: who handles what

Repairing and cleaning the building is the owner's job. Cleaning or replacing your belongings falls to your renters insurance, which also usually pays for a hotel while the unit is unlivable.

If the fire started in another unit, the building's insurance covers the structure and your own renters policy covers your things. Your insurer may then try to recover what it paid from whoever was responsible.