How Fire Damage Can Affect The Value Of Your Property

CONTENTS

• What damage do fires cause?
  • How much does fire damage restoration cost?
• Removing smoke odours
  • Other fire damage cleaning services
• Selling your fire damaged home
  • Call us today

A house fire is a devastating event – even if, thankfully, nobody is hurt. It can destroy your fixtures, fittings and belongings and, in severe cases, damage the structure of your property. 

If you’re selling your property after a fire, you’ll need to take a serious hit on the asking price or factor in cleaning, odour removal and restoration costs. 

So, how can you go about smoke odour removal and fire damage cleaning? Here at ICE Cleaning, we’re experts in restoring buildings nationwide to a safe, clean condition after fire. We’ve put together a quick guide to house fire damage restoration.

What damage do fires cause?

There are 4 broad types of fire damage.

1. Fire itself will burn just about everything, potentially causing damage or collapse. It leaves behind dense particles of ash. 
2. Soot pollutes the air, and coats your home and possessions with black oily dirt. It can spread around your home and get into electrical fittings, causing them to short-circuit. There are health risks linked to breathing in soot particles. 
3. Smoke odours linger long after the fire, particularly in soft furnishings. It’s an unpleasant smell, and difficult to eradicate through regular cleaning. 
4. Plus, water from fire engine hoses or damaged pipes can flood your home, causing damp, rot and mould if not dried out quickly. 

All in all, even a relatively small fire can make your home an unpleasant place to live. 

How much does fire damage restoration cost?

According to Checkatrade, the average cost of fire damage renovation is more than £35,000. But of course, there is huge variation depending on the extent of the damage.

A thorough clean-up will be at the lower end of the scale, while structural damage could mean your property requires extensive rebuilding. 

You might well be tempted to tackle cosmetic damage and cleaning yourself. However, you could quickly find that you’ve underestimated the task! The costs, in terms of materials and time, can easily add up. There may be health risks, too. 

Getting in professional fire damage cleaning services will be more effective, safer, and better value for money. Plus, your home insurance company is likely to cover the costs. 

Removing smoke odours

Even when the fire damage is only superficial, you’re likely to find that the smell of smoke lingers. 

This is extremely off-putting to potential buyers: nobody wants to be reminded of house fires while trying to relax and enjoy family life. Plus, smoke particles are linked with health conditions such as respiratory problems. 

Neutralising smoke odours involves removing all curtains, textiles and soft furnishings from the premises. You’ll need to get them professionally cleaned. Surfaces need to be mopped or wiped down, perhaps several times. And your home should be ventilated as much as possible to replace the smoke-filled air with a fresh breeze. 

It’s a huge amount of work, and needs to be tackled fast. Here at ICE Cleaning, we have teams who are experts in fire smoke odour removal stationed around the country, who can be with you within an hour of your phone call, day or night.

Other fire damage cleaning services

If you’re looking to sell your home, you’ll want it looking at its very best. So professional fire damage cleaning is a must to help you get your maximum price. 

ICE Cleaning teams are fully qualified to deal with soot, ash and waste removal, as well as deep cleaning after a fire. They are kitted out with personal protective equipment, and have specialist tools to do the job safely and to an extremely high standard. 

Their aim is to get your home looking as close to its pre-fire state as possible, ready for you to move back in or welcome potential buyers for viewings. 

Selling your fire-damaged home

If your home has been severely damaged by fire, you might feel that your best option is simply to move as soon as you’ve dealt with formalities such as police reports and insurance claims.

However, the process of selling your home is going to be very different from what you’re used to.

Your buyers are likely to be builders, investors, property developers or possibly skilled DIYers. They’ll be looking to make at least a 20% profit after the cost of labour and materials, so will be on the look-out for cheap properties.

Plus, mortgage companies won’t lend for uninhabitable properties, so your potential buyers will have to pay in cash. That further reduces the pool of people able to purchase your home, and the amount they’re prepared to pay. You can expect at least a 10% reduction in the value of your home if it’s only available to cash buyers. 

Estate agents may offer to market and sell your fire-damaged property for you, but you should be aware that their expertise really lies in selling inhabitable homes. They might be able to secure you a promising offer, but this could well be reduced when the potential buyer realises what they’re letting themselves in for!

Instead, an auction is likely to be your best bet. Here, tradespeople looking for a project will bid against each other, potentially driving up the price. It’s likely to be a quick sale too, enabling you to buy a new home and move on with your life. 

Even if you’re selling your property, it’s still a good idea to invest in fire damage cleaning services to get the maximum price possible. Plus, you need to ensure your property does not present a safety hazard to members of the public while it’s still in your possession. 

Call us today

We know that the first 24 hours after a fire are crucial for the clean-up operation. That’s why we have fully qualified and equipped teams stationed around the UK, ready for your call. As soon as the fire service declares your building safe, we can get started, making the operation as stress-free as possible for you and your family. 

Give us a ring on 0208 066 0360 or email us on enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk to discuss your fire damage cleaning and fire smoke odour removal options.