A house fire is bad enough without the confusion of claims, loss adjusters and building work that follows. Insurance reinstatement simply means restoring your home to the condition it was in before the fire, paid for under your buildings policy. Here is how the process actually unfolds, stage by stage, and what to expect at each point.
Once the fire brigade has finished, your two immediate jobs are to make the property safe and to tell your insurer. Most policies require you to report the loss promptly, and almost all cover emergency works, so boarding up windows, propping unstable structures, isolating gas and electrics and securing the site can usually begin straight away without waiting for a full claim decision.
Keep every receipt from day one, including emergency call outs and alternative accommodation. If your home is uninhabitable, most buildings policies include alternative accommodation cover, and your insurer should confirm what they will fund before you commit to anything long term.
For anything beyond minor smoke damage, the insurer will appoint a loss adjuster to visit, assess the damage and agree what the policy covers. The adjuster works for the insurer, not for you, so it is worth having your own contractor or surveyor present when the scope is agreed. On larger claims some homeowners appoint a loss assessor to represent them, typically for a fee of around ten percent of the settlement.
The outcome of this stage is a schedule of works: an itemised list of everything to be stripped out, repaired and reinstated. A reinstatement contractor prices against this schedule. Getting the scope right at this point matters far more than anything later, because smoke and water damage often extend well beyond the room where the fire started, into ceiling voids, insulation and wiring.
Reinstatement rarely starts with rebuilding. First comes the strip out: removing fire damaged plaster, charred timbers, contaminated insulation and anything holding smoke odour. Water used to extinguish the fire soaks into floors and walls, so dehumidifiers and moisture monitoring often run for one to three weeks before any new materials go in. Rebuilding onto damp structure causes mould and failed finishes later, so a decent contractor will not be rushed here.
Smoke decontamination is its own trade. Soot is acidic and corrosive, and residues travel through a whole house via voids and ductwork. Expect specialist cleaning, odour neutralising and sealing of affected surfaces before redecoration.
Once the property is dry and clean, reinstatement proceeds much like a normal refurbishment: first fix electrics and plumbing, plastering, joinery, kitchens and bathrooms if affected, then decoration. A single fire damaged room might take four to eight weeks end to end. A serious fire affecting the roof or several rooms of a typical South London terrace can take six to twelve months, including drying time and any structural engineer or building control involvement.
Costs vary enormously with severity. Minor smoke damage to one room might run to a few thousand pounds, while a major structural fire in a London property can exceed one hundred thousand. This is largely the insurer's concern rather than yours, but check whether your sum insured reflects genuine London rebuild costs, because underinsurance can leave you paying a share of the shortfall.
When works finish, you should walk the property with the contractor and agree a snagging list before signing anything confirming satisfaction. The insurer then releases final payment, sometimes minus your policy excess, which is usually deducted at the start or end of the claim.
You are generally entitled to choose your own reinstatement contractor rather than accepting the insurer's nominated firm, provided the price is reasonable against the agreed schedule. A local contractor who knows Victorian and Edwardian construction, which is most of the housing stock around Balham, Tooting and Clapham, can be a real advantage when matching original features like cornicing, sash windows and lath and plaster detailing.
No. You can usually appoint your own contractor, and the insurer pays them directly or reimburses you, provided the quote is reasonable against the agreed schedule of works. Insurer networks can be slower on smaller domestic claims, so a local firm is often quicker.
Most buildings and contents policies include alternative accommodation cover, often up to around 20 percent of the sum insured. Confirm the limit with your insurer in writing before committing to a rental, and keep all receipts.
Hidden damage behind plaster or under floors is common after a fire. Your contractor should stop, document it with photographs and agree a variation with the loss adjuster before proceeding, so the extra work is covered rather than disputed later.
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