by Lori Crawford

Created on: November 15, 2007

Having a fire destroy your home is a devastating thing to endure. While having insurance is a blessing, the companies have the potential to make a bad situation ten times worse once they get involved. So this doesn't happen to you, I'm going to relay the lessons I learned when my apartment building went up in flames in December 2006.

1. Read Everything your insurance company gives you.

Sounds simple enough, right? It is, but let's take it a step further to Understand Everything. The forms the company will want you to sign will be chock full of legalese. To everyone outside of the lawyer set, these documents can be extremely daunting. Don't let it intimidate you. Take your time and read over it paragraph by paragraph if you have to.

2. Listen to what your insurance company is telling you vs. what others tell you.

Especially where these documents are concerned. If someone says that the document just does this or that, read it to make sure that the person is correct. Look for clauses that contradict their statements. Have them point out the section they're talking about. Read that section for yourself. If it doesn't say what they claim it does, do NOT sign the form until you have clarification.

In the aftermath of my fire, I was convinced to sign forms that released the cleanup company that my landlord hired from all liability. I was told that the form needed to be signed before my insurance company could even go in to assess the damage. My insurance company urged me to sign the form. They even downplayed my concerns and reassured me that it was just so they could enter the premises.

Additionally, the abatement company forced all the tenants to sign the form again when we came to pick up our salvaged property. We were told that the form just allowed them to release the property to us. By then I'd wised up a little and read the form with an eye to understanding. It said nothing about releasing the property to us. What it did say was that we agreed not to sue the company for any damage they did to our property. When the form didn't say what I was being told it said, I questioned the liaison about it. He even pointed out the section in the contract, but it still didn't say what I was told. I read it aloud proving him wrong and was still able to gather the first round of my belongings. That leads me to:

3. Question Everything.

If something doesn't make sense to you, ask about it. If you don't understand a term, ask for the other party's definition of the term. If you don't

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