Pembroke Property Management helps Leaseholders with insurance claims in our managed blocks throughout London, Kent and Sussex.

When making an insurance claim, the first port of call is to consider whether or not making an insurance claim is worthwhile. Insurance policies have a figure called the excess to consider. The excess is the part that you must pay yourself.

Claimants must also consider the reinstatement value, this is what the insurers will be paying for, an example of this would be a leak into the ceiling. The insurance claim will cover the cost of investigating the leak and repairing the ceiling, but it does not cover the cost of repairing the leak.

It is also worth noting that your insurance premium could increase when you renew the policy or the excess can also increase at renewal.

What steps should you take?

Once you have decided that a claim is worthwhile to pursue, you must ensure that the correct steps are followed:

• You must contact your insurer and ask for a new claim to be opened, they will provide you with a claim number that you will use for reference going forward.
• In the case of buildings insurance, you must get a minimum of two quotations to repair the damages caused by the incident. These quotes must be sent to the insurers for approval to proceed.
• You must then take photographic evidence of the completed repairs to satisfy the insurers that the work has been completed.
• If the insurers are satisfied that the work has been completed and the claimant is content with the work, the insurers will settle the contractor’s invoice.

A few tips for a successful insurance claim.

• File the claim as soon as the incident occurs. Some policies have a time limit to launch claims when the incident arises.
• Make a record of everything. Do your best to record accurate times and dates of the incident(s). This includes visits from contractors and any conversations with the insurers.

Use reputable contractors. You personally need to be satisfied with reinstatement works. Ensure you use reputable contractors who have experience of similar projects. The insurance claim will not cover any further works down the line.

Clients of Pembroke Property Management benefit from the guidance of an experienced team that have experience of many types of insurance claims. Our main priority is to work for you, if something goes wrong, we make it our mission to put it right. We have the expertise to put together the right people to investigate complex issues for example leaks coming into a flat from another flat or another part of the building.

An insurance claim is never something that we hope you have to make, however, using the steps and tips above it can be a relatively stress free procedure.