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Making a claim

Need to claim on your insurance? Follow these simple strategies to make the whole process as painless as possible

How to claim
Before you make a claim, ring your insurer's 24-hour Helpline and ask for details of how to go about it. How you make a claim depends on who you are insured with and what you are claiming for.

Making a claim on your home insurance policy
Ring your insurer's 24-hour Helpline and ask for details of how to make a claim. Depending on the type of claim, you may need to do certain things before you proceed. For example if your home has been broken into you may need to:

Report it to the local police station within 24 hours
Get a crime reference number and a copy of the report for you to be able to make a claim
Make a list of everything that has been taken

Making a claim on your motor insurance policy
Ring your insurer's 24-hour Helpline and ask for details of how to make a claim. Again, you may need to do certain things before you can claim. Remember if you are involved in an accident to:

Think about calling the police
Exchange all relevant details with the parties involved, like details of insurance companies and contact details
Write down details of the accident and draw a sketch map of what happened. If you have a camera, take photos
Note the names and addresses of any witnesses

Don't get any repairs or work done before agreeing with the insurance company, or you could end up with a hefty bill to foot.

Making a claim on your travel insurance policy
Ring your insurer's 24-hour Helpline and ask for details of how to make a claim. Depending on the type of claim you may need to do certain things. For example if your bags are stolen abroad you may need to:

Report it to the local police station within 24 hours
If you can't get to the police, report it to your holiday rep or your hotel
Get a crime reference number and a copy of the report to be able to make a claim

Making a claim on your pet, life and health insurance policies
Ring your insurer's 24-hour Helpline and ask for details of how to make a claim.

Remember when making a claim on any type of insurance policy

Always telephone your insurer's 24-hour Helpline and ask for details of how to claim straight away
Never commit to anything before checking that your insurer will cover the costs - else you could end up with hefty bills you have to pay yourself
If you are making a large or unusual claim, the insurance company may ask a loss adjuster to look at your claim before they pay it

How to make a complaint

If you feel your insurer has been slow to settle your claim or should have paid your claim in full and they haven't, you can complain
You must follow the company's complaints procedure first, but if you still aren't happy you can contact the Financial Ombudsman