Whether you are filing with an insurer, submitting to SCE’s compensation program, or pursuing litigation, the number you receive is driven by the documentation you provide. Families who lost everything are, understandably, the least equipped to document it. This guide is about closing that gap.
Reconstructing the home inventory
Walk the house in your mind, room by room. Start at the front door. List furniture, then electronics, then contents of every drawer and closet. Do it with family members separately; each remembers different things.
Mine your photos. Phone camera rolls, social media, holiday pictures, real estate listings, and insurance photos all show contents in the background. Zoom in.
Pull purchase histories. Amazon, credit card statements, warranty registrations, and email receipts survive the fire. Retailers can often reproduce past orders on request.
A credible, detailed inventory built from memory and photos is accepted evidence. The families who recover the least are not the ones without receipts; they are the ones who stopped listing at the big items.
Direct2Attorney · Claim GuidanceCategories most often missed
Physical losses
Frequently undercounted- Landscaping, mature trees, fencing, hardscape
- Garage, shed, and outdoor equipment
- Clothing, at replacement cost, for every family member
- Pantry, medications, and consumables
Financial and personal losses
Frequently omitted entirely- Displacement: every hotel night, rental, and mileage
- Lost wages and time off for recovery tasks
- Increased commute, childcare, and living costs
- Heirlooms and irreplaceable items, valued separately
Business losses
Tax returns, profit-and-loss statements, and bank records establish pre-fire revenue. Post-fire records show the decline. Include inventory, equipment, leasehold improvements, lost contracts, and the cost of relocating or reopening. If the neighborhood customer base is gone, that ongoing loss is compensable and is often the largest component.
Keep a running file
One folder — physical or cloud — for every receipt, invoice, email, photograph, and estimate from the day of the fire forward. Date everything. Displacement costs accrue daily and are the easiest to lose track of. Firms handling these claims routinely find tens of thousands of dollars in losses that families had not recorded.
What this means if you're considering a claim
Documentation quality is the biggest variable within a claimant’s control. Start the inventory now, keep the file current, and have a participating firm review it before any submission. A free review can identify gaps before they cost you.
Need help building a complete claim?
Free, confidential review by a participating wildfire firm.
Common Questions
Record both when known. Replacement cost is typically what a claim recovers.
Reasonable, good-faith estimates for categories like kitchen contents or clothing are standard practice.
It is a start. Utility claims often cover categories insurers exclude, so a broader inventory is needed.
Weeks for most families. Do not delay a review to finish it; a firm can help structure the work.
No. Direct2Attorney’s review is free, and participating law firms typically work on contingency, meaning fees are generally paid only if there is a recovery. Confirm fee terms in writing with the firm.
