Property damage can occur at any time, often resulting in a significant amount of stress. Property damage can occur as a result of an accident, storm, or damage caused by a contractor. If you are the victim of property damage, it’s important to keep yourself sane by knowing what to expect when it comes to getting compensation for repairs or replacement. This article describes the process of claiming property damage.
What is Property Damage?
Property damage describes damage that occurs to your house, belongings (furniture, etc.), or other property. Damage can result from accidents, weather and/or a mistake by a contractor or repairer.
Property Damage Insurance Claims
With property insurance, you can be covered for only part or all of the damage to your home or belongings. The amount you can claim will depend on your policy.
Here’s what to keep in mind when claiming property damage:
What is covered under your insurance?
Different insurance policies cover various kinds of damages. For example, a standard policy may cover fire or storm damage, but would not typically cover damage caused by a contractor.
Claims Limit
All insurance policies come with a cap on how much the insurance company pays for damages. If your damages exceed that amount, you must absorb the difference.
Excess
Most policies have a deductible, which is an amount that you pay in addition to the cost of your insurance before insurance starts covering costs, so make sure to know what your deductible is.
Proof of Damage
When you make your claim, you need to provide evidence of damage. This could be in the form of photographs or a report from an expert to show the damage that occurred.
How Much Can You Claim for Damaged Property?
While the amount you can claim will vary and depend on several variables, including the type and amount of damage, here is how each of the different kinds of damage could change the claim:
Fire damage
When your claim is for fire damage, the amount you can claim will include repairing or rebuilding, in addition to replacing damaged items located inside the house, such as furniture or appliances.
Storm Damage
Damage from Storms For weather-related damage, such as storms or floods, your loss will represent repairs to the property itself in professional terms, that is, replacing/updating walls, roofs or other damaged components. If the items in the house are also damaged, that could potentially be covered as well.
Damage by Contractors
Damage by Contractors. If you had a contractor cause damage while they were attending to the property, you should be able to claim for repairs. This should generally run through their insurance or your property insurance, depending on the circumstances.
How to Make a Property Damage Claim
Here’s how to start your claim if your property has sustained damage:
Let’s get into it.
Take Photos.
Take clear images of everything as soon as you identify the damage. The more detail, the better. Use your photos as proof to support your claim.
Contact Your Insurance.
Contact your insurance company right away to let them know about the damage.
They will let you know what to do from there.
Complete the Claims Process
Your insurance company may send someone to assess the damage. They may need an estimate for repair costs or other documents, so be prepared.
Provide Relevant Documentation
You will need to supply your insurance policy number, photos of damage, estimates for repair, etc. The more specific and organised you are, the smoother the claims process will go.
Settlement
Once everything is confirmed, the insurance company will provide a settlement offer. This is how much they are willing to pay for your damage. If you’re dissatisfied with the amount, you can negotiate with them.
How Claim Central Can Help
If you’re feeling confused about how to process your property damage claim, Claim Central UK can help. They deliver an easy-to-understand, step-by-step service to help you claim for property damage.
Claim Central is a simple click away to start your claim. Their website is user-friendly, allowing you to report the property damage, track the progress of your claim and get support from a dedicated claims team to guide you through every step of your claim.
Conclusion
Claiming compensation for property damage doesn’t need to be complex. Once you know your insurance, have a proper case, and follow the processes, you can be compensated to allow for fixing or replacing your property that was damaged.
Claim Central can help, and we can work to reduce the complexity in the claims process, as well as help you achieve a fair settlement. So don’t wait any longer, start your claim today and let us support you through your claim.
