In a claims situation, most mistakes are not made out of bad faith but out of haste: evidence gets cleared away, the report is delayed, the file is incomplete. This article is the calm timetable – worth reading in peacetime, and at claim time, simply follow it.
- Loss mitigation and people's safety come first – the damage must be stopped from spreading; this is also an obligation.
- The primary route for notification is the insurer's own claims line or online portal – the deadline is set out in the policy conditions.
- Document before you report: photos, video, a list – before anything is cleared away.
1. Immediately: safety and loss mitigation
The first round is not an insurance matter but a matter of common sense: get people to safety, shut off the hazard (water, gas, power), and stop the damage from spreading further – a tarp over the hole in the roof, shutting off the water, moving stock out of the wet zone. Loss mitigation is also an obligation set out in the policy conditions, and its justified cost is typically borne by the insurer – keep the receipts. What you should not do, though: begin final restoration before the inspection.
2. Same day: documentation
Before anything is moved: photos and video of everything – overview shots and close-ups, dated. A list of the damaged items, the names of any witnesses if an outside party was involved (storm, break-in, third party), and the related official records – for a break-in, a police report. The detailed list is in a separate article: documenting the damage at your company; printable version: claim-notification checklist.
3. Notification: through the insurer's line
The primary route for notifying a claim is always the insurer's own claims line or online portal – that is where a claim number is generated, and the process starts from there. The contact details are on the policy and the insurer's website; the notification deadline is set out in the policy conditions – typically a short period counted from when you become aware of the event, so do not delay. For the notification you will need: policy number, the time, place and description of the event, an estimated loss amount, and contact details. Under a broker mandate, I help with the notification where I can – but the fastest route is always the direct line.
4. Afterwards: inspection, requests for further documents, decision
The insurer may arrange an inspection and request documents – requests for further documents are not harassment but part of the process: fast, precise answers speed the case up too. In the end a decision is made: compensation, partial settlement, or rejection with reasons given. If the case stalls, drags on disproportionately, or the reasoning is questionable – that is where I step in: stalled or disputed claims: how the broker helps. And the lessons of a closed case feed back into the portfolio: turning claim experience into renewal-time action.
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