How a claim works when you have a broker
The reason to use a broker becomes obvious on the day you claim. Here is the sequence, and the timings we hold insurers to.
Day one: tell us
Call the claims line or your named broker. Give us the date, what happened and what is damaged. Photos help. We notify the insurer the same day and send you the claim reference. You do not need to ring a call centre.
Days one to three: the insurer responds
For small claims (a cracked windscreen, a stolen bike, a leaking tap that ruined a ceiling) the insurer will usually agree the claim from the photos and the description. For larger claims it appoints a loss adjuster. We brief the adjuster before they contact you, so they arrive knowing what the policy covers.
The adjuster visit
The adjuster’s job is to establish what happened and what it will cost to put right. Our job is to make sure the policy is read in your favour where it is ambiguous, and that nothing is left out of the schedule of loss. If a repair quote is needed, we can arrange it from a contractor we know.
Settlement
Once the amount is agreed, payment normally arrives within ten working days. If it does not, we chase it. If the insurer offers less than the policy supports, we argue it, in writing, with the policy wording in front of us. Around one claim in six on our book is revised upward at this stage.
If it goes wrong
If an insurer declines a claim we think should be paid, we take it to the insurer’s complaints team, and beyond that to the ombudsman on your behalf. It is rare, and it is the part of the job we are here for.
