Insurance is one of the rare things that you buy in hopes of never having to use. If you have recently been the victim of a fire or a robbery you may be ready to make your first ever renters insurance claim. The process can be a bit intimidating if you’ve never done it before, so here are a few tips.

It may not be the very first thing on your mind, but you need to notify your insurance company as soon as possible that you will be filing a claim. You ideally want to do this within 24 hours. If you wait any longer it can look suspicious.

Next you want to document the damage as best you can. If your apartment is considered a crime scene ask the police when you will be able to have access to it. You also want to gather up any and all evidence you have that shows how much your items were worth. Hopefully you kept that information in a fire proof box or someplace away from the items themselves.

Next you want to get a copy of your policy as soon as possible. If you lost your only copy in a fire, contact your agency as soon as possible and get one or see if you can print one off of the Internet. The reason you need a copy is because some policies will help you pay for things like hotel rooms in case of a fire. There can be plenty in the way of other benefits, as well. Be sure you understand exactly what you are entitled to.

Finally, try to preserve the original scene as much as possible so that the insurance adjuster can see what has happened. Do not make any repairs, otherwise you may have difficulty filing a claim.