After a loss, your head isn't in the mood for lists – which is exactly why it helps to have one ready in advance. This checklist runs from notification to payout: eight steps, one or two sentences each. The most important rule on the route is simple: the insurer's claims line is the primary route, by phone or online – everything else follows from there.
- Mitigate the loss and take photos first, tidy up only afterwards – the insurer needs to see the damage.
- The primary route for reporting is the insurer's claims line or online claim form – write down the case number you get there.
- If the case gets stuck or becomes disputed, that's when the broker steps in – I can help with this.
1–2. The first hours: mitigating the loss and documenting it
- Stop further damage: shut off the stopcock and the power for water damage, put temporary cover over a damaged roof or window. Mitigating the loss is a contractual duty, and its reasonable cost is typically recoverable under the policy wording.
- Document before you tidy up: photos and video of the damaged rooms and items, from close up and further away – and keep the damaged items, if possible, until the site visit.
- After a burglary, file a police report, and leave the scene undisturbed if possible until the police arrive – the detail: what to do after a burglary.
3–4. Reporting: through the insurer's claims line
The report itself takes ten minutes if you have three pieces of information ready – and it also decides how the rest of the case unfolds: every later step is measured against this initial report.
- Report the loss on the insurer's claims line or online claim form – this is the primary route, and it's where the case starts. Have the policy number, the date of the loss and a short description ready.
- Watch the deadline: policy wordings typically give a reporting deadline of a few days from when the loss was discovered – don't put off the call.
- Write down the case number and the instructions you're given – this is your reference in every later letter and call. The full process, explained: how claim reporting works.
5–7. From the site visit to the settlement
After the report, the case moves through a handful of touchpoints – at each one, being prepared rather than rushed is what helps:
- Prepare for the site visit: have the damaged items available to view, with photos, receipts and your home inventory to hand. Wait for the site visit before final repairs – temporary protection can of course go ahead sooner.
- Answer requests for missing documents precisely: a precise, complete reply shortens the case – what to send and how.
- Read the settlement before you sign: what it pays, at what value, what was left out and why – this is still an easy point to ask questions: loss adjustment and settlement.
8. If it gets stuck: this is when the broker steps in
Most claims go through cleanly along the route above. But if a case gets stuck – no meaningful response for weeks – or the amount, or the reason for a rejection, becomes disputed, that's when I can help: I review the case and, where I can, help pull together the missing documents. This is also part of a broker's work, at no separate charge – when and how, or book a time here. And against the next claim, the best move is prevention: loss prevention at home.
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