home insurance property claims

Before you call us at 1-800-332-3226, first make sure you’re safe:

• Stay out of your home if it has been severely damaged.
• If your home has been broken into, contact the police immediately to file a report and fix or replace your locks.
• If there’s been a fire in your home, avoid breathing ashes and soot by covering your nose and mouth with a handkerchief or face mask.

With Safeco RealTime Review™, you can video chat with a claims representative, who will view your property remotely, take screenshots, and complete a damage estimate. All you need is a portable device capable of video chat. For example, a smartphone or a tablet with FaceTime or Skype. It’s fast, easy, and convenient - everything you want out of a claims experience.

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Please understand that RealTime Review is not suitable for all claims. But, no matter the assessment method, we’ll do our best to act quickly and keep your claim moving forward.

In the event of theft, your claims representative will ask you for a list of missing items, along with any receipts for those items. Photographs, videos, owner’s manuals, serial numbers, and credit card statements are useful to document personal belongings that may have been damaged or stolen.

We recommend keeping a home inventory in a location other than your home, such as with a relative, in a bank safe-deposit box, or online, such as with the Safeco Home Inventory app with free cloud storage.

This is a team effort. We’ll do our part. But we need you to help out by taking some steps to protect yourself and your property from further damage:

• Board up broken windows and doors.
• Cover roof damage with tarps or plywood and remove debris.
• Save all receipts from temporary repairs.
• If possible, place any damaged items in a safe, secure area where they can be inspected later.
• Do not attempt to clean fire or smoke damaged items. Cleaning without the proper equipment can make it worse.

Please wait until a claims adjustor assesses the damage before starting permanent repairs. We encourage you, however, to schedule permanent repairs as soon as possible. Find a local, licensed, bonded and insured contractor with the free Safeco contractor referral service. Do you need help with water damage? Ask your claims representative about using one of our Water Mitigation Program Vendors.

If you are unable to live in your home while the damage is assessed and your home is being repaired or rebuilt, Safeco will help pay for additional living expenses, for up to 24 months. If repairs take longer than the period of time covered in your policy, you may be eligible for additional assistance from federal emergency programs.

Safeco will replace damaged items and materials with the same type and quality of materials you had before your home was damaged. For example, if you had a fiberglass roof, we will pay to repair or replace the damaged area with fiberglass, but we won’t pay to replace it with more expensive slate tile. If you decide to upgrade your house with better or more expensive materials, you’re welcome to do so, but you’ll need to pay the additional expense out of your own pocket.

Any time you make improvements to your property, be sure to talk to your local independent agent to find out if your coverage is still enough, and if you’re eligible for any home insurance discounts.