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Insurance
Dealing
with your insurance company
Contact your
insurer as soon as possible and request a claim form
Complete the
claim form and keep a copy
Check with
your insurer if you have to move into alternative accommodation as
the cost is normally covered under a household policy
Make sure
your insurance company knows where to contact you if you have
to move
out of your home
Make notes to
help your insurer deal with your claim including the time of flood
warning;
time the
floodwater entered your home; maximum depth of the flood, how long
the flood water was in your home, presence of any
contaminants, what damage was done to
building and
contents
Photograph
the damage
Try to keep
an inventory of correspondence after the flood (e.g. letters to
Local
Authorities, builders, insurers and loss adjuster)
If your claim
is substantial, you may want to employ loss assessors to access
your claim. Make sure they are members of the Institute of
Public Loss Assessors. (Tel: 01494 782342.) Get details
of all fees and services in writing before any work is carried
out
Do not
arrange for permanent repairs to be done without your insurer’s
permission. Your insurers may ask a claims inspector or
loss adjuster to visit you, to investigate your claim
If your claim
is accepted, your insurer will either arrange for a company to do
the
repairs, or ask you to get estimates for their approval before
going ahead with any work
When you
may not be covered
For normal
wear and tear
If you do not
keep to the conditions of your policy (you must take all
reasonable steps to prevent loss, damage or injury)
For any
exclusions in your policy
If you are
under insured it means your home was not insured for its full
value. You may
only get a
proportion of your claim
If there is a
limit on the amount that can be claimed for a single
item
If you have
to pay an excess
If your home
is at risk of regular flooding you may find that your insurers will
only insure
you if you pay a
bigger premium or have a higher excess on your policy
How to
make a complaint
If you have a
problem with your insurance claim check your policy
first. You should then write to your insurer, giving
all the details of your complaint, and how you would like it to be
resolved. If you are not satisfied with their response you
should make a formal complaint in writing using your insurer’s
complaints procedure.
If you are
not satisfied with the outcome consider taking the complaint
further. All insurers must be covered by the rules of the
financial watchdog the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
This means if you have a complaint you can take it to the Financial
Ombudsman Service. It is a free service available to
policyholders who have first followed the insurer’s complaints
procedure. | 