Fire damage restoration: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering fire damage restoration
You clean and repair properties after fires, removing soot and debris, deodorizing, boarding up openings and coordinating structural and rebuild work. Customers depend on you for a safe, documented cleanup and a clear plan from the cleared structure to the finished home.
What customers ask
- Is the building cleared, and who confirmed the structure?
- What will you save, and what will you replace?
- How will you deal with the smoke odor?
- What documentation do you provide for my insurer?
- Will you handle the rebuild?
- Are you licensed and insured for this work?
How to win the job
- On the first call, ask whether the building is cleared, the rooms affected, the water used and the contents, then say how you will assess the structure before you quote
- Walk the building with the owner and the engineer or building official, and note the structural concerns in the job file
- Put the boarding, the debris removal, the cleaning and the deodorizing in the quote as separate phases, with the materials named
- Explain how each surface and each content item will be tested and cleaned, and what will be replaced
- Document every room with dated photos and an inventory, and send the record to the owner and the insurer
- Show the rebuild scope and the permit path in the proposal, and name the licensed trades who will do the work
What to put on your profile
- Post before, during and after photos of fire jobs, with the rooms and the phases labeled
- List the cleaning and deodorizing methods you use, including the HVAC cleaning
- Show a sample inventory and the insurer documentation you prepare
- State your license, your insurance and the trades you coordinate for rebuilds
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Offer an HVAC and duct check after the rebuild, to confirm the odor has not returned
- Suggest a smoke alarm and a fire extinguisher check for the rebuilt home, with the placement the building needs
- Offer to keep the job file, the inventory and the permit records on hand for the owner's future insurance needs
Licenses and permits
Fire restoration contractors commonly need a general contractor license or registration for the rebuild, and structural, electrical and gas work are often limited to licensed trades. Permits are often needed for the repairs. Check with your state and local licensing agencies and your local building department for the rules that apply before you take the job.
Questions
What do I do if the engineer says the structure needs more work than the owner expected?
Stop the affected work, share the engineer's findings with the owner in writing, and put the revised scope and schedule in the proposal before work proceeds.
How do I handle contents the owner wants saved that cannot be cleaned?
Test the item and show the owner the result. Explain why it cannot be made safe, and document the decision in the inventory with the owner's signature or written approval.
How do requests reach me on infinibell?
Customers describe the job and pick the pros they want by name, and only the pros they picked see the request. Joining is free. You pay only for the leads you accept, and you can decline a request for free. Every pro is reviewed before going live.
About this guide
This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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