Need fire damage cleanup? Don’t sign anything until you read this.
The first paper you sign after a fire sets the ceiling on what your insurance company pays. Crossroads documents the full loss first, then brings in vetted restoration crews who work to your scope, not the carrier’s. Licensed Texas public adjusters. We work for you, not them.
Free claim review before you sign anything.
A licensed Texas public adjuster will call you back to talk through what happened and tell you exactly what to do next. No cost, no obligation.
For fire claims, we call you back within 1 hour and visit your property within 24 hours or less.
- BBB A+ Rated
- Licensed Since 2010
- 138+ Google Reviews
- $500M+ Recovered
Free claim review before you sign anything.
A licensed Texas public adjuster will call you back to talk through what happened and tell you exactly what to do next. No cost, no obligation.
For fire claims, we call you back within 1 hour and visit your property within 24 hours or less.
- Handling Texas fire claims
- 16 Years
- Handling Texas fire claims
- BBB rating
- A+
- BBB rating
- BBB awards
- 9
- BBB awards
- Google reviews
- 138+
- Google reviews
- Generation firm
- 2nd
- Generation firm
What happens when you call a restoration company first.
Whose customer are you?
Most big restoration companies are on carrier preferred-vendor programs. The carrier is their repeat customer. You are a one-time job.
The day-one signature
The work authorization you sign on day one usually lets them bill your insurer directly and sets the scope of work. That scope becomes the claim.
What falls out of the scope
They write to the carrier’s price list and the carrier’s walkthrough. The smoke in the attic, the contents in the back bedrooms, the HVAC, the code upgrades: whatever isn’t in that scope is gone.
When a contractor says ‘we’ll handle the insurance for you,’ ask who they’re handling it for.
The right order.
- Step 1
Document before anything is touched
Photos, measurements, and industrial-hygienist testing for smoke and soot in rooms that never burned, captured before cleanup changes the evidence.
- Step 2
Set the full scope
Structure, contents inventory, smoke and soot contamination, HVAC, code upgrades, and additional living expenses, on our own estimates, not the carrier’s.
- Step 3
Then the cleanup
Vetted crews come in and work to that documented scope, so the job they do is the job you get paid for.
You still get your cleanup. You just get paid for all of it.
Recovery depends on your policy’s coverage, limits and deductibles, and on the facts of the loss. Outcomes vary and no specific result is guaranteed.
The first 48 hours: do this now.
Emergency work to protect the house is fine. Signing away the scope is not. Here is where the line sits.
- Photograph and video everything before anyone touches it.
- Do not throw anything away, even if it smells.
- Keep every receipt from tonight forward.
- Board-up, water extraction and securing the house are fine. That is emergency mitigation.
- A full work authorization or repair contract is not. Hold it.
- Don’t let anyone haul contents to a warehouse without an inventory.
- Get a hotel and keep the receipts. Your policy likely covers it.
- Call us before the carrier’s adjuster visit so you’re not alone in it.
What a full fire claim includes
Structure and heat damage
Beyond the char line: framing, drywall, wiring and finishes stressed by heat, not only what visibly burned.
Smoke, soot and odor
Contamination in rooms that never burned, including attics, closets and wall cavities.
Contents, itemized and valued
Every item listed and priced, including what has to be replaced versus what can truly be cleaned.
HVAC contamination
Ductwork and equipment that pulled smoke through the house and hold it there.
Code and ordinance upgrades
What current building code requires on the rebuild, where your policy provides for it.
Additional living expenses
For the whole displacement, not just the first two weeks.
Debris removal and demolition
Tear-out, haul-off and disposal priced as part of the loss.
We coordinate the cleanup.
Crossroads brings its own contents team and vetted restoration and mitigation vendors, and they work to the documented scope. One plan, one scope, and someone on your side of the table the whole way through.
What happens when you call
- 1A licensed adjuster, not a call center, calls you back within 1 hour.
- 2A 10-minute review of what happened and what has been signed.
- 3An on-site visit within 24 hours or less.
In their words.
“on September 15, my homewas damagedby a fire. The fire department respond promptly and spent several hours ensuring everything was safe. Shortly numerous contractors approached me, offering to repair my home and negotiate with the insurance company. I received many business card, but when I met ,Myke McClaflin from CrossRoads Insurance Recovery his approach stood out. He spoke honestly and clearly. Next day I met Dale Terry, Mykes manager, he was extremely knowledgeable, transparent and positive about the process. Barry Gonzalves kept informed”
“After suffering a house fire on 4/29/2024, my husband and I were absolutely overwhelmed. What do we do? Where do we begin? Our first encounter with anyone from Crossroads was with Deidra Muchmore. She was a public adjuster and she was a Godsend! When we met her team, Michael Toth and Amy Corner, we again were blessed. We are so thankful we chose Crossroads Insurance Recovery Advocates. These amazing three people were genuine, very professional and so efficient and knowledgeable at what they do. They took care of everything. Michael dealt with our insurance adjuster for our structure loss with endless emails and phone calls, getting us what we needed to rebuild. Amy carefully and thoroughly documented all of our house contents with no stone left unturned. My husband and I cannot say enough about what these good people did for us through such a devastating ordeal. It is so worth having Crossroads advocate for you! Mark & Rani”
“Maddie and Dale and the entire team at Crossroads were awesome to work with during our house fire. They made the complex process simple and easy to understand in a time of uncertainty. They were Always easy to access for questions and kept us updated as the process transpired. We could not recommend them any higher and are glad to have found them during this trying time.”
138+ Google reviews. BBB A+ rated.
How our fee works
Our fee is a percentage of the recovery. No upfront cost. Nothing is finalized without your approval. Texas law gives you 72 hours to cancel any public adjuster contract, including ours.
What homeowners ask us first
The restoration company said they’d handle the insurance for me.
They can handle the cleanup. But a restoration company’s estimate is usually written to the carrier’s price list and walkthrough, and that scope tends to become the claim. A public adjuster works only for you, documents the full loss, and negotiates it. Your restoration company can still do the work, to the full scope.
My insurance company already sent someone out.
That adjuster works for the insurance company. Their first estimate is a starting point, not the final word. We review it against your policy and the actual damage, and document what is missing.
I already signed something. Is it too late?
Call us today and bring whatever you signed to the free review. There are usually options, and we will look at the paperwork with you. We will tell you plainly what we see.
Will I lose my contractor?
No. If you like the restoration company you have, they can keep the job. They just work to the documented scope instead of the carrier’s.
How fast can you be here?
For fire claims, we call you back within 1 hour and visit your property within 24 hours or less.
Is my claim big enough?
We review every claim and tell you honestly what is there. Smoke and soot spread well past the burn area, so fire losses are often larger than they first look.
Don’t sign the work order yet. Call first.
713-369-4300Licensed Texas public adjusters. We work for you, not the insurance company.
Free claim review before you sign anything.
A licensed Texas public adjuster will call you back to talk through what happened and tell you exactly what to do next. No cost, no obligation.
For fire claims, we call you back within 1 hour and visit your property within 24 hours or less.