Smoke Damage - When It Comes From An Unsuspected Source

You would usually only associate smoke damage in your home with having have someone who smokes tobacco products inside. Smoke damage in your house can also come from using a fireplace regularly and of course, if you have an actual fire of some sort. A grease fire on the stove is a common cause of a kitchen fire. Electrical wires that short out or an outlet that does can cause a house fire too. Hopefully these are caught and extinguished quickly causing limited damage. Any of these things can cause smoke damage that can make your home smell bad and have a layer of smoke and soot to cover some or all of the surfaces in your home depending on the extent of the smoking or fire.

There are other things that can cause your home to be damaged by smoke that you would not think of in a million years. What if the home next door to you catches on fire and is severely damaged or destroyed? Do you not realize that the smoke can travel right into your home through any opening you might have? The vents that might be open that go into your crawlspace is one way smoke can get in. If you have any open windows that you forgot about at the time, smoke will get in there. The vents that can be open on the ends of your attic below your roof is just one more way smoke can find its way in.

When there are apartment fires, those who did not have their unit damaged by the fire can still have extensive smoke and even heat damage to their apartment itself and their belongings. You might also get smoke damage from a wildfire that is going on in your area where your home could be actually threatened by the fire and when it is close enough, you can get the smoke damage. Sometimes people who have homes that are near a factory fire or other type of business or industry fire can get smoke damage to their home. Any of these places that produces a lot of pollution and smoke regularly, can over time, also dirty and possibly damage the outside and even the inside of your house.

So what can you do if one of these kinds of smoke damage happens to your house? You might very well be able to turn it in to your insurance and your policy will likely cover it, but there might be another way to have the damage cleaned and repaired without you having to use your insurance coverage. If the smoke came from a fire next door, speak with your agent about turning it in on their insurance since their fire is what caused your damage. The same can be applied it it comes from a company or industry and you can prove they are the cause. You might not win in a situation like this, but it could be worth a try.