How to make a Claim - Home & House Insurance UK

First, let us disavow you of a notion, that, unbelievably, some people still share. If your house is in danger of burning down, or it is quickly flooding, or cracks are appearing in the walls, you do not actually have to get house insurance company clearance before you carry out the work on it. This is NOT car insurance, and if you can stop the damage getting worse by getting temporary work carried out, this should be covered by your house insurance company.

However, you should check with your house insurance company now, before an accident occurs, as to what you should do if an emergency occurs, and whether temporary repairs will be covered. Then, you will have the peace of mind that you will not have to wait until your claim is processed until you do what you need to do to stop the damage worsening.

House insurance companies will have an emergency help line for you to call to ask advice should rouble occur. You would be well advised to keep this number in a location that is both accessible to you and safe.

Before you claim, you will want to work out which house insurance policy you should claim under. A rule of thumb for this is that if the possessions that are damaged, stolen or lost would be removable should you move home, they should be claimed for under a contents policy, whilst buildings insurance covers the fixtures and fittings in your home as well as it's structure.

Once you have decided the policy under which you are claiming, call your insurance company, and tell them exactly what happened in as much detail as possible. They will send you a claim form, which should be filled out with estimates for the cost of replacement or repair.

You may find that estimates are hard to find, which may be because after a flood, experts will be in demand for estimates so you may have to wait for an available one. This shouldn't stop you returning your claim form, you can do this and tell your insurer that you will forward estimates as soon as you can.

You should keep your damaged items as proof of ownership, as well as receipts, warranties and any other evidence for your losses.

You insurance company will either pay your claim on receiving your claim form, or send round a claims assessor to clear up your queries, and agree a basis for your claim to be paid. A loss adjuster may also visit who should be able to advise on repairs or replacement.

Finally, if you've been burgled, call the police first, and if your credit cards have been stolen, cancel them before you worry about calling your insurance company.

 

 

 

 

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