Making a claim

Section 06

A claim is a request made under a policy, in the way the policy tells you to make it. Dates, reference numbers, and supporting documents are usually the difference between a complete request and an incomplete one.

Read the claims section of the policy for how to notify the insurer, whether there is a time limit, and what you are asked to send. Write down the date you notify them, the method (a form, a telephone line, a postal address named in the document), and any reference number you are given. Keep copies of what you send.

If the policy asks you not to admit liability, or not to have property repaired before it is seen, those are conditions in the document, not informal tips. Follow what the document says, and if you cannot, say so in writing and ask what to do instead.

This page does not tell you whether a particular event is covered, and it does not estimate a payment. Only the insurer, reading the policy that applies and the facts you supply, can do that. If you disagree with a decision, the letter should say how to ask for a review or how to complain; those routes belong on the letter and on the official page of any ombudsman or regulator it names.