Property & Fire Loss
Property & Fire Loss Investigations
Investigations into property and fire losses to establish relevant circumstances, damage information and supporting facts.
Overview
What this service covers
A property or fire loss has to be understood before it can be assessed: what was there, what was damaged, how the loss came about, and whether the account given fits the physical evidence left behind.
We attend the site, record what remains, trace and interview the people present, and establish the ownership, occupation and recent history of the property involved.
Typical situations
When You May Need This Service
The cause is unclear or disputed
The circumstances of the loss have not been established to the satisfaction of the insurer.
The loss followed a change in circumstances
Recent changes in occupancy, financial position, security or cover warrant independent enquiry.
Contents cannot be substantiated
Items claimed cannot be confirmed from the documentation provided.
Ownership or occupancy is in question
Who owned, occupied or had access to the property needs to be established.
Scope
What We Investigate
The enquiries below are the ones most often required. Scope is agreed for each instruction, so a file only carries the work it actually needs.
- Loss circumstances
- Site attendance and recording
- Ownership and occupancy verification
- Contents and stock enquiries
- Witness and neighbour enquiries
- Security and access enquiries
- Supporting documentation review
Methodology
Our Approach
Each instruction follows the same sequence, so findings can be traced back to how they were established.
Site attendance
Investigators attend the property, record the condition in which it was found, and photograph the damage and surroundings.
Circumstance enquiry
Occupants, neighbours, security personnel and other witnesses are traced and interviewed.
Ownership and history
Ownership, occupancy and the recent history of the property are established from the sources available.
Consolidated reporting
Physical observations, witness accounts and documentary findings are drawn together into a single report.
Output
What You Receive
Reporting is the product. Every instruction closes with a written record that sets out what was established and on what basis.
Loss investigation report
The circumstances established, the enquiries made, and the basis for each finding.
Photographic record
A dated visual record of the site as found.
Witness accounts
Statements from occupants, neighbours and other people traced.
Ownership and occupancy findings
What could be established about who owned, occupied and had access to the property.
Related
Related Services
Insurance Investigations
Independent investigations into insurance claims and related circumstances, helping insurers establish facts, verify information and understand the circumstances surrounding a claim.
View service
Fraud Detection & Prevention
Investigative support for identifying inconsistencies, suspicious circumstances and indicators that may require further examination.
View service
Employee Fraud & Fidelity Investigations
Discreet investigations into suspected employee misconduct, dishonesty, fraud and fidelity-related matters.
View service
Questions
Frequently Asked
If your question is not answered here, our team can usually give you a direct answer before you commit to anything.
We establish and document the circumstances surrounding the loss. Determining technical origin and cause is a specialist forensic discipline and a separate expert instruction.
Attendance is arranged as early as the instruction allows. Sites deteriorate and are cleared, so early instruction materially improves what can be recorded.
Yes. Commercial losses usually involve additional enquiries into stock, records, access control and staff, and the report reflects that.
The enquiry continues through witnesses, documents and surrounding circumstances, and the report states clearly what could no longer be observed directly.
Talk to us about Property & Fire Loss Investigations
Tell us what needs to be established. Our team will confirm scope, turnaround and reporting requirements before any work begins.