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What to do if you have to make a home insurance
claim.
Firstly, if your property is getting damaged, do not wait until
you get hold of your insurance
company and they process your claim before you do all you can to
prevent the damage getting any worse. Get temporary work carried
out it. Most insurance companies should cover you for this. Check
with your insurance company if you are unsure, ideally before an
incident occurs.
Insurance
companies tend to have emergency help lines. These will be able
to give you advice in case of trouble. Keep this number in a safe
and accessible place. You do not want to have to search frantically
for this number in an emergency.
When you have an insurance
policy, you should be fully aware of your policy details and which
situation are covered. If you aren’t sure, you should refer
to your policy so you can check that whatever loss or damage you
have incurred is covered by your home insurance policy.
Then decide which policy you want to claim under. Is it your buildings
insurance – which covers the structure of your home and any
fixtures or fittings? Or is it your contents insurance – which
covers your possessions that you could take away with you should
you move?
As soon as you can in an emergency, advise your insurance company
of the situation. But get your priorities straight. If you have
been in a burglary, call the police first. If your credit cards
have been stolen, call your card companies and get them cancelled.
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Telephone your insurance company and tell them what happened. Ask
for a claim form, then fill it out when it arrives and send it back
with estimates for the cost of repair or replacement. Should estimates
be hard to obtain (if there has been a flood, a lot of people will
be wanting estimates at the same time), then return your claim form
anyway, telling the insurer that you will forward estimates when
you are able to.
Keep your damaged items, they are evidence when you claim. Keep
sodden or burnt items in an outhouse if you don’t want to
keep them in your house. You will need your receipts, warranties
and other documents as further evidence of your losses
When your insurance
company receives your claims form, it will take one of three actions.
They may simply pay your claim. Or they might send round a claims
assessor to your property, who will clear up your queries and arrange
with you the basis on which the claim will be settled. Thirdly,
a loss adjuster could be sent to handle your claim. They might be
an expert in an area and could advice on repairs or replacement.
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