Passing along this information from reader Lynne Olson:
My husband and I would like to remind all in the area that they are able to claim fire/soot/ash damage from the Station Fire. We had heard of many start-up companies advertising they will help homeowners secure claims from private insurers… for a 30% fee. We felt this was out of line for an insurance claim that is by right ours to settle as consumers. My husband did some pretty exhaustive research and ended up talking to licensed public insurance claim representative who work for themselves but help a claimant get the best settlement from their insurance company and (ethically) charge only 10%. They actually told us to go directly to State Farm (our insurance company) and begin there, and then call them for additional help if we felt our insurance company settlement was insufficient.
To make a long story short, within 2 weeks we had a State Farm claim settled with what we felt was a generous amount, and at no additional cost (i.e. a 10- 30 % fee). The adjuster was extremely helpful and did a very thorough investigation- showed us evidence and photos of soot and ash build up on out attic insulation, etc. He even gave us the go ahead to get funds to clean oriental carpets off-site when I said I preferred that to on-site cleaning. The 26 page report we expect from SF details all findings and gives us estimates for each area, inside and outdoors, to be cleaned. We were also told to report any cleaning estimates that exceed the insurance company estimate and told that SF will consider them if necessary. All in all, we will be able to clean and or change out insulation, venting, carpet and so forth.
By the way, we live in west Altadena 3 blocks south of the evacuation area. I have friends who live much further east who also have evidence of damage- all Altadenians should contact their homeowner's insurance agency for an adjuster to come and check their property! Be warned- your insurance company will not send you information about this- it has been word of mouth so far, Also, all claims must be made by the end of this December. Settlements we have heard about average at least $1,000/SF.
