Michigan property claim help
Property damage in Michigan? Understand your claim before you sign anything.
Plain-English answers about fire, water, storm and mold damage, and how homeowners insurance claims really work. Written by the restoration team at Select Restoration.
What happened?
🔥 Fire or smoke
What to do now, where you’ll stay, and how fire claims work.
đź’§ Water or flooded basement
Burst pipes, sewer backups, sump pumps and what’s covered.
🌩️ Storm, hail or ice
Roof damage, ice dams, tarping and storm chasers.
⚠️ My claim has a problem
Low estimates, delays, denials and your options.
The first 72 hours, in short
- Get safe. Call 911 if anyone’s in danger. Don’t enter a building that hasn’t been cleared.
- Report the claim and write down your claim number.
- Stop further damage: tarp, board up, extract water. Keep receipts.
- Photograph everything before it’s moved or thrown out.
- Don’t sign anything you don’t understand.
Most-read guides
- Smoke Damage Claims: Why “It Just Smells” Is Still Real DamageHow smoke and soot spread through a house, what a complete smoke damage claim often includes, and how to avoid common disagreements.
- Your Insurance Check Has Your Mortgage Company’s Name on It. Now What?Why lenders are named on insurance checks, how loss draft departments release repair money, and tips to avoid delays.
- Hail Damage on Your Roof: How to Tell, and How Michigan Hail Claims WorkWhat hail damage looks like, a step-by-step claim process, deductibles, older roofs, matching, code items and avoiding storm chasers.
- Ice Dams and Ceiling Leaks: What Michigan Homeowners Policies Usually CoverHow ice dams cause leaks, what homeowners insurance typically covers, what to do right now, and how to prevent them.
- What Is an Insurance Supplement, and Why Do Most Claims Need One?Why the first estimate is usually a starting point, how supplements for hidden damage work, and what they mean for homeowners.
- How to Read Your Insurance Adjuster’s Estimate, Line by LineXactimate estimates decoded: what each column means, a six-step review, overhead and profit, code upgrades and what to do if items are missing.
How a claim actually works
- Report the loss
- Emergency mitigation
- Adjuster inspection
- Proof of loss
- The estimate
- First payment
- Repairs & supplements
- Final payment
Free claim tools
Contents inventory sheet
Room-by-room list of damaged belongings.
Damage photo checklist
What to photograph before cleanup starts.
Claim diary
Log every call, email and promise.
Need the work done?
Restoration Advocate is written by Select Restoration, a fire, water and storm damage restoration contractor serving Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties. If you need damage documented and repaired, we’re available 24/7.
This guide is general education about Michigan property insurance claims, not legal advice or claim adjusting. Your policy wording controls your coverage. For advice on your specific claim, talk to your insurance agent, a licensed public adjuster or an attorney.