If you have a house of your own, it is understandably very precious to you. So, it is a given that you want it to be secured against damages or any unforeseen events. Therefore, having home insurance is a wise choice to safeguard your house.
Although we do not think about it when we are caught up in our everyday routines- life is unpredictable and natural or man-made calamities can occur anytime. This can cause damage to our property that we so lovingly purchased. Under such circumstances, having home insurance will ensure that it doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket and protect your finances in the long-term.
So, if a man-made or natural disaster has struck your home, you can make a home insurance claim to recover the financial losses. Let us discuss how you can do this-
- Inform your insurance company: If you want to claim your home insurance, the first step is to inform your insurer. You can do this via call, email, or any other digital communication media.
- Provide necessary details: Your insurance company will need certain details to start the process of filing your claim such as the home insurance policy number, photo or video of the damage to your house, details of the equipment damages, approximate loss incurred, and any other details the insurance company requires.
- Check documents: You might want to check with the insurance company the relevant documents required to file your claim. After checking these documents, your insurer will hand it over to the claims department.
- House survey: Once your request is registered at the claims department, a surveyor will be sent to your home to check the extent of the damage; this usually happens in cases when the claims exceed a predefined limit. You can submit relevant information to the surveyor then. Then the surveyor can prepare a survey report and send it across to the insurance company.
- Discuss with insurer: Once the insurance company receives your survey report, talk to them and discuss how much damage they will be covering and how long it will take to file the claim. The insurance company will also tell you if they need any other information.
- Fill the claim form: You will receive a claim form from the insurance company which you will need to duly fill and submit at the earliest along with some documents.
- Claim settlement: Now that all the other steps are fulfilled and the claims department receives your file, it will promptly process and settle the claim.
Please note, your insurance company may ask you for the following documents in case there is a fire-
- Fire brigade report (if applicable)
- FIR (f applicable)
- Reconstruction cost for the damaged residence
- Repair or replacement bills
- Any other documents needed
And in case there is a theft or burglary, then keep these documents ready-
- Original invoice of the stolen items
- Repair or replacement cost
- FIR
- Final report from the police station
So. this is how to file an insurance claim, and you must know this claim process for if the time comes. But before that, do make sure that you choose the right home insurance for your house, and compare the rates through the home insurance premium calculator. Different home insurance quotes can help you shortlist a policy based on the coverage offered vis a vis its cost.
