Dealing with an insurance claim can feel complicated. To help avoid surprises that get in the way of a fast claim process, we’ve made a list of things that you can do to make the process faster and easier.
Incident details
Please provide as many details as you can when reporting your claim. If you weren’t present at the time of the incident, it is useful if you can get a full account from whoever was present or, if making a call to us, keep them within easy reach so you can check details with them.
Proof of ownership
In order to establish the correct value of your claim, we will often ask you to provide proof of ownership. This can take the form of original purchase receipts, dated valuations, bank/credit card statements or loan agreements. In the absence of this documentation, photographs can also sometimes be acceptable. The quicker you can provide proof of ownership, the sooner we can start to deal with your claim.
Estimates
If your property or vehicle has been damaged, it helps speed things along if you get estimates sooner, rather than later. For comparison purposes, we may sometimes require more than one estimate (we will let you know if this is the case).
Third parties
Some claims (particularly motor claims) involve Third Parties. Please provide us with the name, address and contact details for anyone else involved in an incident. This includes people who may have been responsible for causing damage to your home, or anyone who is claiming that you are responsible for their injuries or damage to their property. If the Third Party has insurance, if available, please also provide us with their Insurer’s information (name, contact details and any policy/claim numbers). We will usually liaise directly with Third Parties and their Insurers.
Police or fire department
If the police or fire department attended, or if you reported the incident to them, please provide us with any reference numbers and confirm their contact details.
Key Takeaway
Whilst it is helpful if you can do the above before contacting us, it is more important that you let us know about your claim sooner, rather than later. Some policies stipulate that certain claims must be notified within 14 or 30 days (please check your policy wording for exact details). We’re here to offer help, support and advice and we’d much prefer that you contact us if you are unsure of next steps. Click here to reach out to CG claims representative.
