Home insurance Making a claim
Some insurers have 24-hour helplines which you can call to start your claim
When to claim on contents insurance
The vast majority of insurers will put your premiums up at renewal if you make a claim, even a small one, so try and include a premium hike in your calculations along with things like repair cost and your excess.
Watch out for accidental damage claims. If your claim can be attributed to wear and tear, your insurer may turn down your claim. Likewise, if you haven't taken reasonable precautions - covering furniture while painting, for instance - your claim could be rejected.
If you're unsure, you can always ask your insurer how much your premium is likely to increase if you make a claim, but you're not guaranteed an answer. If you do speak to your insurer, be clear about whether you are making a claim or not.
Things are even less clear-cut if you have a no-claims discount, as a claim will mean you lose your discount and your premiums may go up on top of that.
Health warning
There are instances when it is best to inform your insurer of a potential claim. There relate to serious safety issues, such as an engineer discovering faulty wires behind your walls or, most recently, the Beko fridge freezer recall. If you suspect that there may be a problem that could possibly lead to a claim, you should inform your insurer. It is unlikely that your cover will be affected, but should you fail to inform them, you run the risk of having a subsequent claim rejected.
How to claim
• If you're dealing with more than one insurance company (for example, because you're claiming on both buildings and contents policies), make sure you sort out who's doing what; get the companies to talk to each other and to you.
• Always read the policy terms and conditions thoroughly to make sure you're covered for everything you think you are. Read them again if you have to make a claim.
• Check regularly that you have enough insurance.
• Know which company you're insured with, or think about how you would contact your insurer if you had to leave your home in an emergency.
• Keep your insurance documents safe and keep a note of where they are.
• If you're not happy with how your company is dealing with your claim, contact the Financial Ombudsman Service.
It's free to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you've reached deadlock with your bank
If you have a dispute with your insurance company or broker (whether it's about a claim or some other aspect of its service), complain first to the company.
In most cases, the company should resolve the problem. However, if it doesn't, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Since the Financial Services Authority took over the regulation of general insurance on 14 January 2005, all unresolved disputes and complaints are now handled by the FOS.
The FOS will look at a case only if you've already been through the company's own complaints procedure and reached deadlock. In reaching a decision, it considers the terms of the policy, and also what's 'fair and reasonable'. Decisions against the company are binding, but if you're dissatisfied, you're still free to go to court.