Making a Home Insurance Claim Guide

In an ideal world, we hope that you won’t need to make a claim with us, but we all know this isn’t always the case. If you should need to contact us to make a claim please rest assured we have a dedicated team ready to help you.

Our contact centre is open 24/7 to take your call and we will make the whole process as clear and as quick as possible.

To make life easy, our phone numbers are:

Car insurance       0344 412 2142

Van insurance       0344 412 2142

Home insurance   0344 412 2143

What should I do if I’ve been burgled?

If you have been the victim of burglary, for your safety and to report the crime, please call the police before contacting us. The police may need to visit the property to undertake a forensics examination as soon as possible, so it’s best to ensure that nothing is touched until the police have completed their investigations. Additionally, the police will issue you with a police reference number which you will need when you contact us to proceed with making a claim on your home insurance.

You will then need to call our 24 hour claims helpline on 0344 412 2143 to notify us and we will explain the next steps to you.

If there is damage to any of the entries to your home, rest assured we will arrange for someone to come out to you to make it safe.

What should I do if my house has been flooded?

If your home has been flooded, it’s best to turn the water supply off and call our 24 hour claims helpline on 0344 412 2143 to notify us and we will explain the next steps to you. A couple of key things to note are:

  • Keep receipts for any emergency work you have paid for
  • Don’t instruct any builders, or repair the damage yourself until you have spoken to us

How do I make a claim?

It’s really simple, just call our 24 hour claims helpline on 0334 412 2143.   All we will need initially is your policy number and your name and address, and our team will then be able to help you with your claim.

It’s also useful to have your police reference number to hand if you have one, along with details of the issue and any photos and receipts which may be helpful.

After you have made the initial call to us there are a number of things which will happen next and we will talk through these with you. Depending on the type of claim we have outlined some of these below.

Buildings claims

What happens next?

  • If your property in uninhabitable we will find alternative accommodation for you as soon as possible
  • For some claims a loss adjuster may be asked to visit your property to assess the claim. This is someone who will review the damage and gain any additional information in order for your insurer to determine whether the claim is valid and ensure the amount paid to you is correct
  • Depending on the type of claim your insurer will arrange for the relevant tradespeople (e.g. builders, plumbers etc.) to attend the property and to complete any repairs required
  • If you have tradespeople you would prefer to use we may ask you to provide three quotes and your insurer will advise which company they would prefer you to use

Contents claims

What happens next?

  • If your item can be repaired we will usually advise you to use an approved repairer as notified by your insurer. However if you have someone you prefer to use we may ask you to provide three quotes and your insurer will advise which company they would prefer you to use.
  • If your item is to be replaced you and your insurer will usually agree whether to replace the item with a specific supplier or in some cases they will agree a value for the item with you and pay the funds direct to you
  • If you prefer not to replace an item which has been damaged or stolen your insurer will agree a value with you and pay the funds direct to you

Do I have to make a claim for all incidents?

Not all accidents or incidents will result in a claim being made on your policy. It’s your decision whether you want to claim on your insurance or pay for any damage to your property and/or contents yourself. It may be that depending on the excess on your policy that for some smaller repairs it may be cheaper to pay for them yourself rather than making a claim and paying the excess.

However, you do need to notify us in all cases to ensure that our records are correct and your policy has the correct level of cover.