How Long After a Fire Can You Move Back In?

Published on October 26th, 2022

A house fire is one of every homeowner's worst nightmares. Once you're past the initial shock of the event and started down the road to a physical recovery process, dealing with your home, the fire damage, smoke damage, and everything else can seem overwhelming.

Questions will start mounting about your personal belongings and what has been affected by smoke and fire damage caused by the fire. The fire department will be conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire, your insurance company will be calling to discuss your options, and then reality will set in - when can you move back into your home?

Throughout this article, we will discuss what you as a homeowner need to do step by step after a house fire, even a small house fire, and how long it will take for you to be able to move back into your home.

The Initial Steps - Working with the Local Fire Department and Your Homeowners Insurance Company

Immediately following a house fire of any size, your local fire department will assess your property for structural damage with their fire investigator. This assessment of your house after a fire will let you know if the fire caused minor or extensive damage to your home.

If you had a small fire that didn't cause major damage, then your home might be cleared for you to visit. This process will not be overnight. Fires can take some time to cool off or dry out, even with small fires.

Once your home is deemed safe to enter, firefighters will let you know. Enter signs will be placed on safe entrances and exits around the property to allow you to access your personal property inside the home, such as personal items, medical records, birth certificates, social security cards, household items, and other important documents.

Being safe to enter a building doe snot mean that it is safe to re-inhabit. Do not allow family members to spend the night in a home, even with minimal fire damage, until an experienced professional has deemed your property safe to do so.

Calling Your Insurance Provider

Once everyone in your household is safe, you have found temporary housing, and your health risks from smoke inhalation have been assessed, you will want to begin the process of starting an insurance claim through your homeowners insurance company.

Once you reach your insurance provider, you will discuss your homeowners insurance policy, what your insurance coverage is, and how much damage was caused by the fire to the best of your knowledge.

Then your insurance company will likely send out their own fire investigator to review the property, and the damage caused by the fire, check for smoke alarms if possible, and assess the overall health risk the damage in your home poses.

Once this investigation is complete, you will know exactly what is covered and how to proceed in moving forward.

Moving Forward with the Restoration Process After a House Fire

Your insurance carrier will help connect you with local disaster relief services, the salvation army, and other restoration companies to help you through these trying times.

Finding and working with an experienced fire restoration company will be vital, no matter the level of damage your home has sustained. Smoke particles, fire damage, smoke odor, roof damage, and water damage can be a real threat to your home and pose significant health risks if you were to move in without repairs.

Figuring out a plan for the fire restoration process once the fire has been extinguished should be your top priority. Working hand in hand with professionals will ensure that you are on the right track with repairs and your timeline for moving back into your home.

The restoration process can take days, weeks, or even months - it really all depends on the level of damage your home sustained and where.

Small house fires, like minor kitchen fires or fires that only damaged one room in the home, might be safe to live in within days of the fire damage. Most homeowners will still want to check with professionals for their recommendations depending on the fire source and particles or toxins it could have released.

Medium sized fire damage with damage to several rooms but no damage to the roof will likely take a few weeks to months to repair. In this situation, you will want to discuss your immediate needs and find a home more suitable to live in right away while repairs are being made.

In the worst-case scenario, your home sustains major fire damage with considerable damage to the structural integrity. The repairs could take many months and even make your home uninhabitable.

As noted prior in this article, it's vital to speak with licensed professionals before making the decision to move back into your home after it sustains any level of fire damage, no matter how minor you may think it is. House fires can be destructive to not only your home but your life, and it can be difficult not knowing where to turn for advice or solutions to your issues. Finding a good source of information and family members to help you, through, will prove to be essential.

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