After a fire or other serious loss, follow emergency responders’ instructions and return only when it is safe. Notify the insurer promptly. Ask for the claim number, adjuster’s contact information and written instructions about emergency work, inspections and documents. Keep one dated record of calls, emails, payments and outstanding questions.
Ontario’s fire-insurance statutory conditions address prompt written notice and a sworn proof of loss containing particulars of the property and claimed damage. Ask which conditions apply to your policy and request the required forms. Do not assume that an initial telephone call completes every obligation.
Sources: Ontario Insurance Act, including sections 148 and 267.5 · Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Making an insurance claim
A claim raises two questions: does the policy cover this loss, and how much is payable? Building damage, contents and additional living expenses may be addressed under different parts of the policy. Review exclusions, limits and the deductible before treating an estimate as a promised payment.
Actual cash value reflects depreciation. Replacement-cost coverage may pay the cost of comparable replacement, subject to the policy’s conditions. Ask whether repairs or replacement must occur before a further payment is available. A policy limit is a ceiling, not an automatic entitlement to that amount.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Home insurance
List each damaged item or affected area, with photographs, approximate age, purchase information and available estimates. Retain hazardous items only as safety permits; discuss disposal and inspection with the adjuster. Keep cleanup and temporary-accommodation receipts. Additional living expense coverage generally addresses increased costs caused by displacement, rather than every normal household expense.
For a fire claim, distinguish visible burning, smoke effects and other observed damage. Describe what you actually know about the loss, and label uncertain information clearly. Avoid signing an inventory or settlement document you have not checked.
Sources: Insurance Bureau of Canada: How to file a home insurance claim · Ontario Insurance Act, including sections 148 and 267.5
Request a written explanation identifying the disputed coverage clause, valuation or missing document. Escalate unresolved service or claim-handling concerns through the insurer’s complaint process. The General Insurance OmbudService may help with eligible disputes; FSRA deals with regulatory concerns and is not a substitute for a court deciding compensation.
The appropriate next step depends on whether the disagreement concerns coverage, the amount of damage or another issue. Obtain advice about policy and legal deadlines before assuming that an internal review or complaint protects a claim. Keep all offer and denial letters for that review.
Sources: FSRA: Insurance complaint process
Useful starting documents are the complete policy and endorsements, claim correspondence, inventory, photographs, estimates, receipts and any proposed release. An automobile property-damage claim involves different coverage rules from a household fire loss and should be identified separately when requesting assistance. Describe the type of issue briefly and ask how confidential records should be provided.
General information for Ontario readers, prepared October 1, 2026. This is not legal advice. The facts, policy wording and applicable deadlines must be reviewed for an individual claim. Contacting the firm does not by itself create a lawyer-client relationship.
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