Making an insurance claim often comes at what is already a very stressful time. Whether you’ve experienced accidental damage through fire or flooding, the last thing you need is a difficult claims process.
At INSUREPAIR, we want to make sure you feel as equipped as possible when it comes to knowing what to expect when making an insurance claim. It may seem like a daunting process, but with help from your home cover provider, and a little effort on your part, the claim process shouldn’t be more than a minor inconvenience.
Note: If you have been burgled then it is your number 1 priority to contact the police. They will give you a crime reference number that you will be able to pass on to your insurer.
First things first, we recommend reading over your policy details to check whether you’re covered for the claim you want to make in the first place. Doing this at the outset can save you a lot of time down the line and help you feel prepared and confident about what you’re eligible to claim for. Doing this will also help you figure out what questions you may need to ask your insurer before moving on with the claims process.
Once you’ve gone over your policy and have a good understanding of where you stand, give us or your insurer a ring and explain what has happened. Try and provide as much detail as possible – the more we know, the better. Your insurer’s phone number will be on your policy documents. We also recommend having these documents to hand during the phone call as they will have your policy number on them, which you will be asked for during the call.
After speaking with us or your insurer, you will be advised to gather as much evidence of the loss or damage as possible. To do this, make sure to take plenty of pictures, make notes about certain damaged areas, and keep all of your receipts from here on out. We find that even witness statements can sometimes prove useful in making sure you receive the amount you are claiming for.
If you are unable to get estimates and quotes for the repair work straight away, we recommend completing the claims form first. You can then return it and send the other information to your insurer later. We suggest this purely because you have a fixed length of time in which you can return the claims form, and you don’t want to miss this deadline.
Thankfully, with INSUREPAIR, this isn’t something you need to worry about. Our claims management service provides you with all the services you need (including provisioning estimates) in a timely manner to help you make a successful insurance claim.
Furthermore, we also project manage the repairs to the damage and always strive to reinstate the property to its pre-loss condition as swiftly as possible.
This is the information that your insurer needs in order to progress your claim to the next stage. You may choose to contact a service, like INSUREPAIR, directly or you may be referred to us through your insurer. Whichever route you take, we promise to take excellent care of your property and its repairs.
Your insurance provider may recommend a particular contractor for the repairs but it is worth remembering that you are not obliged to use any contractor that you are not comfortable with! You may wish to source quotes from local builders, recommendations etc, but the quote must be competitive and must ‘show value’.
Note: If your home needs repairs, you need your insurer to agree to the work before you get in contractors and start paying for materials. But if it’s an emergency, insurers are usually understanding and should reimburse you if you need to make urgent repairs.
We highly recommend keeping any damaged items that you are claiming on, even if it means piling up wet carpets in a shed or spare room. We know this isn’t a very pleasant thing to consider doing, but this will mitigate the potential outcome of an insurer requiring more photographic or physical evidence in order to approve the amount you are claiming for.
Small claims are usually settled fairly quickly, but for larger claims, your insurer may send a loss adjustor to your home to talk about the claim and decide on the claim’s value.
If you happen to disagree with the loss adjustor’s decision, you can appoint your own loss adjustor for a second opinion. Loss adjustors are independent of insurers, but paid by them. We find that in most cases, they will make fair and reasonable decisions.
Get in touch with INSUREPAIR today and we’ll make sure your claims process is as swift as possible, with no added stress to yourself.
Still a bit confused about the insurance claim process? Talk to one of our friendly team members today and we’ll do all we can to help put your mind at ease.
📞 0131 478 3391
📧 help@insurepair.co.uk | insurepair.co.uk