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Recovering from a fire

Recovering from a domestic fire may take a long time and some of the things you will have to do will be new to you. The following information should help you organise what you need to do.

Electricity, gas and water

If your electricity, gas or water supply was damaged in the fire, or was disconnected following it, you should contact your supplier to arrange reconnection. You shouldn’t attempt to reconnect or turn on the supply yourself.

Replacement of valuable documents and records

If important personal documents are lost or damaged in your house fire, you will need to contact a range of organisations to get replacements. Use the list below to find out who you should contact about your:

  • driver's licence - contact the DVA, or use the link below to replace your licence online
  • bank books - contact your bank, as soon as possible
  • insurance polices - your insurer
  • passport - the UK or Irish passport services, as soon as possible;
  • birth, marriage and death certificates - the General Register Office; follow the link below to do this online
  • divorce papers - either the court where the decree was issued or the Decree Absolute Service; use the court finder tool below, or follow the link for Decree Absolute Service contact details
  • benefits and social security payments - the Department for Work and Pensions; find the relevant benefit or entitlement in the A-Z listing below
  • credit cards - the issuing company or bank
  • property titles or deeds - the Land Registry; use the link below to contact them
  • stocks and bonds - the issuing company, or your broker
  • wills - your solicitor
  • medical records - your doctor
  • income tax records - the HMRC office where you filed your accounts, or your own accountant; use the link below to find contact details for individual HMRC offices
  • vehicle registration - you can do this online, follow the link below

More useful links