Insurance Claims From Insurance By Steve

How Should We Make An Insurance Claim?

You return home from watching Rocky 8 at the movies and find it has been broken into and burgled. Your possessions are strewn around each room, the television has disappeared, the door at the back is swinging open and your most cherished ornament has been smashed to the ground. Many things cross your mind. You are emotionally upset and angry. You want to tidy everything up. You want to find out what is missing. You want the thieves caught and punished. You want to recover your losses. Where do you start?

Many insurance claims begin with a first point of contact. That is the authorities not the insurance company. If you have suffered a theft then phone the police. If it is fire damage then get the fire service involved. If medical treatment is required then get the injured person to accident and emergency at a hospital. Essentially you need the authorities on your side. Their opinion and assessment of your loss will provide a powerful report to support your claim.

If it is a motoring accident then you will need to request the insurance details of the other drivers involved in it.

If there are willing witnesses to the event then get their contact details. The availability of a witness is very short so you should get their contact details before the opportunity is lost. A neighbor's evidence of hearing the sound of a broken window at your house or the observations of a bystander at a car traffic accident is yet further compelling evidence.

Now contact your insurance company by telephone to begin the insurance claims process. The claims handler will provide advice over the phone on how you need to go about making your claim. They will send you the appropriate claim form in the mail. At this point you might not be sure what you are claiming for but it is important that your claim has been declared and been allocated a reference number by the insurance company. There may be emergency repairs that you need to attend to immediately and you should receive confirmation from the insurance company that you can progress with these. This may include replacing bolts and locks, replacing broken windows, fixing water leaks, finding alternative accommodation in the case of a fire or receiving medical care. It may also be necessary to carry out some work just to ensure the area is safe and does not cause further loss or damage such as protecting your property from further flooding.

Once you are composed and in control of the situation, then you need to begin building up the evidence for your claim.

What exactly is missing or damaged? If damaged, what type of damage has taken place? Is it beyond repair or merely devalued? Take some photos of the damaged vehicle or item.

When did the incident take place? What was the date and time you believe the incident occurred?

Where did the incident take place? If out on the road, get the precise name of the road and junction where the accident occurred. If it is a burglary then which door or window did the burglar enter through?

Who was involved in the incident? If you can get the full names of the people and their contact details. What part did they play in the incident?

Why do you think the incident occurred? Was it a forced entry into the house? Were there events that led up to the incident such as perhaps a fire started by someone else or reckless driving.

Is there any electronic evidence to support your claim. Perhaps there are video cameras that caught an image of the incident. Did you take any pictures with your mobile phone at the time of the incident?

The more concise evidence you have of the incident, the more likely your claim will progress smoothly. People who make false claims tend to construct verbal evidence. They have little supporting evidence from the authorities, witnesses or photographs.

You may want to provide a full written report on the incident to the insurance company. This would contain your explanation of the events that occurred, photographs, diagrams, references to police reports, medical diagnosis and pretty much anything that substantiates your claim.