Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Georgia

I rented a house. Moved everything I owned in the house in a six day period. Did not have time to get insurance as I had yet to stay a day there. The house burned to the ground and I lost everything I owned. I do not have the cause of the fire yet though I had been gone from the house 5 hours before the fire started so it is not my fault. What legal recourse do I have right now? If they cannot find cause, do I legally have a claim as it was less than a week since the lease was signed and I had not began living there? I lost about $36k worth of things not to mention countless things that are irreplacable. What do I do? Been waiting three weeks to hear something but no one has said anything yet.


Asked on 5/04/11, 8:09 pm

3 Answers from Attorneys

Glen Ashman Ashman Law Office also dba Glen Ashman Attorney

Unfortunately, your loss is your fault as you made a choice (a bad one) not to get insurance right away. It is always a mistake to not have insurance, and, no, you don't get to blame someone else because you didn't take a few minutes on the phone to get insurance. You should have had it the moment you moved your items, and it only would have taken minutes to get a rental policy.

What can you do? Learn from your mistake. I don't know who you're waiting to hear from, but you don't get paid for not buying insurance.

The next time you move, call your car insurance agent the moment you rent something. They can bind you over the phone in minutes, effective the day you call.

I know it doesn't help you, but your post will remind others not to procrastinate with insurance. Losses can happen at any time.

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Answered on 5/04/11, 8:36 pm
Scott Riddle Law Office of Scott B. Riddle, LLC

6 minutes or 6 months - it makes no difference for being uninsured and there was likely plenty of time to get it. It also is not necessarily the case that you were not the cause because ou left 5 hours earlier. Many things can contribute to fire a few hours later. Finally, you ask about a "claim" against someone (who, you failed to say) but if you don't know how the fire started and who was responsible, we certainly don't know. I am not sure how you expect an answer about that.

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Answered on 5/05/11, 4:15 am
Glenn M. Lyon, Esq. MacGREGOR LYON, LLC, Business Attorneys

While I agree with the other answers regarding the insurance, it is not possible to tell if you have a claim until it is determined who started the fire. If it was not you, then you may have a claim for your damages against the party responsible.

If you would like to discuss any issues further, please feel free to contact my office. The link to my contact information is below. Thank you.

The foregoing is general information only, not specific legal advice. No attorney/client relation has been created or should be implied.

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Answered on 5/05/11, 6:33 am


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