Making a Home Insurance Claim
How to Make a Home Insurance Claim after Property Damage
Experiencing a stressful situation at home that requires you to file a home insurance claim can be overwhelming. However, we're here to assist and provide guidance throughout the process. Our team at PDLA strives to ensure that making a claim on your insurance policy is a seamless experience that leaves you feeling reassured.
An accident can make your home unsafe and very costly to repair
What to do when making a Home Insurance Claim
The first step in a home insurance claim is to contact your insurance agent, insurance company or independent broker as soon as you realise there has been damage to the property. You must do this promptly to ensure the claim process is completed efficiently, and you should also be sure to follow your insurer's guidelines for reporting and filing your claim.
It is important to note how serious the damage is before you make a claim. It's not always necessary to file a claim if the damage is minor and repairs will cost less than your policy's deductible.
If the damage is more serious, you should make a claim as soon as possible to help ensure the repairs are done quickly and professionally. This will also speed up the recovery process and make it easier to get back to normal life, allowing you to focus on restoring your home.
Gather your essentials!
- Before you begin your claim, gather and document any items that have been damaged or stolen. The more accurate you can be about the value of your belongings, the faster and more accurately your insurance adjuster can estimate the amount of compensation you're entitled to receive. Our qualified assessor can create an accurate list of costs to ensure that you don’t leave out any repair essentials.
- Once you've compiled this information, go room to room and take lots of pictures or video of the damage. These can then be used as evidence when the insurance adjuster inspects your home and tries to determine how much it will cost to repair.
- You'll want to compile a list of your possessions, listing their description and when and where you purchased them. It's also a good idea to keep this information on file for future reference.
- Next, you should prepare a list of the expenses that were incurred during the period between the time of the loss and the time you made the claim. Save all receipts, including those related to temporary housing or materials that were used for emergency repairs.
- Next is the meeting with an adjuster from the insurance company. Our assessors can meet and negotiate the levels of damage if required.
As a rule, your insurance company will assign an adjuster to your claim. This person is your point of contact throughout the claims process, so it is best for them to understand the severity of the damage and get an appropriate estimate of damage caused. This is a crucial part of the insurance claims process because it will allow you to be reimbursed for the actual cash value, i.e. replacement cost minus depreciation, of your possessions. These estimates or building contractor quotes will help you compare costs and ensure that your insurer is offering the fairest compensation.
To initiate a claim on your home insurance policy, you can reach out to our 24/7 helpline at 087 2061411 for a no obligation discussion about your claim.
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