How to file an insurance claim

In the unfortunate event that you need to file an insurance claim, it’s important you know the relevant steps to take and what to consider before you do so.

Prepare yourself

Depending on the type of claim you are making, you might be required to produce some evidence. For example, if you have items stolen or damaged due to a home invasion, you might need to present your insurance provider with receipts and/or proof of purchase. That’s why it’s always good practice to keep receipts (or photographs of receipts) when purchasing large and expensive items.

Also, you should regularly take photos of your home, car or any product that could be lost or stolen so you have more proof to back up your claim with.

Don’t bin it

If you come home to a break-in and are faced with broken and damaged items, do not throw them away. They can act as evidence and will help support your claim as most insurance companies will want to assess the level of damage. Keep your damaged items to one side until your insurance company tells you that it is ok to get rid of them or contact them to make sure beforehand.

Use the help of a loss assessor

If you’ve never made a claim before, it could be quite challenging to understand what you are actually able to claim for and whether the claim will be worth it due to things like excess charges. If you are claiming on your home insurance, your insurer will often send over a loss adjuster who can view your property and explain what the next steps will be.

Alternatively, a loss assessor can work on your behalf to ensure the loss adjuster is being accurate with what they say you can claim for and that nothing is missed during the visit. These claims specialists will work with you and in your best interest but do come at an additional cost.

Costs to consider when making a claim

In some cases, claiming might not always save you money. In fact, some claims might mean you end up having to fork out a fair amount to get back something that was stolen when it might have been ready for updating or not a necessity.

You could also risk your home insurance premium rising from making a claim – this varies from one insurance provider to the next, so you can’t be sure what will happen.

Often with smaller claims, it might be more reasonable to just consider your other financial options when replacing your goods.