New Mexico Wildfire Information

A member of our team will contact you to determine if an inspection is needed or if your loss can be settled by phone. If an inspection is needed, we will schedule an appointment with a claims representative as soon as possible. Because this is a large wildfire event, we’re making every attempt to get to each affected client/member as quickly as possible, but we try to schedule those who have the most serious damage and who have lost their primary home first.

Your policy requires you to protect your property from sustaining any additional damage from a covered loss. Your policy will pay for reasonable costs you incur to temporarily repair covered property to protect it from additional damage or loss. Save your receipts for any reasonable and necessary temporary or emergency repairs and take photos! 

Unless specifically requested by your claims representative, you don’t need to get an estimate prior to our inspection. Your claims representative will prepare an estimate for the damages covered by your policy and provide you with a copy. When selecting a contractor to complete the repairs, we recommend that you do not sign a contract, agreement, or work order until you review the contractor’s estimate and have an agreement on the scope, price, and timeline for repairs to be completed. Consider checking references, licenses, and obtain referrals from a trusted source prior to choosing a contractor or body shop.

Our estimates are based on your geographical market rates using similar kind and quality materials. You should provide a copy of the insurance estimate to the contractor so he or she can determine any differences and contact the claims representative if needed. In many instances, we can resolve the differences over the phone.

Contact your claims representative to agree on a reasonable extension of time to complete your repairs and recover eligible depreciation.

Mortgage companies and lien holders are often named on your policy, and most require that their name be listed on claim payments to protect their interest in your property. You’ll need to contact them to find out how they handle their endorsement on insurance claim payments. If you’ve recently paid off your loan, notify your agent to have the mortgage company or lien holder removed from your policy.

Contact your claims representative immediately so we can determine if your policy provides coverage for these additional damages, and if an additional inspection is warranted. All additional damages should be reviewed and approved by the Farm Bureau adjuster before the repairs are completed.