Note: This content is provided for information purposes only. This is a general guide and may not be totally true for your provider. We have probabley missed stuff out, so if you think of anything please email us using the contact page.

Firstly, DON’T PANIC.

Ok, now we’ve got that cleared up, read below for a quick guide on claiming.

Check

Make sure you check that what you want to claim is covered. Even if the item is covered, whatever happened to it might not be (e.g. accidental damage for instance).

Information

Write / Get as much information as possible about your item and what happened to it. This involves state, damage, events if loss/theft. This will all help when contacting your insurance provider.

Proof of ownership

Most insurance providers ask for proof of ownership, if it has been lost / stolen. This involves receipts, invoices, guarantees certificates, photos etc. As long something can genuinely prove that you owned the item, you can use it to report the item to your insurance provider.

Time

It is seriously recommended to tell your insurance provider as quickly as possible. You probably won’t be able to make a claim on something which got stolen 2 months ago for example.

Report/Police

If the claim relates to malicious damage, theft, vandalism or any other activity which can be considered as criminal, you usually must report this to Police with 24 hours of discovery. Many insurance providers require you to report such activity to the police so you can make a claim.

Don’t Lie

Lying to an insurance provider = FRAUD. As well as it being criminal to do so, the insurance provider may send out a staff member / Loss Adjuster to visit you. This is a normal activity so don’t be shocked if you are informed that someone will be visiting you.

Damage

If you have a damaged item, do not throw it away, even if looks nothing like it did when you bought it and smells like .... The insurance provider may wish to inspect it.

Contact

You should contact your insurance provider via the procedure that they have stated. This may be in the policy documentation which you should have or visit their website for more information. Some may involve downloading a form, so make sure you have a printer handy if so.

WHAT!!! / HELP!!!

If you unsure about anything, give your insurance provider a call. There number is probably on any correspondence you have from them or give their website a visit.

Other points:

Mobile

If you’ve lost your mobile, report it to your phone network ASAP with IMEI number ready. They will be able to block your mobile and SIM card from use so you do not lose any call time. Don’t worry, if you do find it, they should be able to unblock. You should then follow the previous steps stated.

Misc

If you are covered for factors such as legal cover, tutition fee cover or any other "non-typical" service, contact your insurance provider if you need to make use of the cover.

Online Database

If you have lost an item, you could register the item on immobilise.com. Then if someone finds your lost / stolen item, they can look it up on the database and get in contact with you.