Potential claim report

The advent of “referral fees” and “no-win, no-fee” solicitors has fuelled the compensation culture in which we now find ourselves. However, if you provide your insurer with sufficient information about a potential claim, it may help to reduce the size and number of payouts.

Because insurers are being taken to the cleaners, they are passing on the costs to those they insure. However, if you provide the insurer with details of a potential claim in good time, you can help to minimise the payout and, of course, the impact on your renewal premium. 

What’s covered?

The document asks you to provide the following information:

• policyholder’s name
• policy number
• Your contact details (address/e-mail/telephone)
• date of incident
• location
• description of incident (providing as much detail as possible)
• injured party’s details (name/address/e-mail/telephone)
• details of any witnesses (name/address/e-mail)
• details of emergency services in attendance, if applicable
• description of injury/property damage
• what caused the incident/who was responsible.

Time is of the essence

In the event of an accident or incident which could end up as a claim, it’s vital that your insurer has the above information as quickly as possible. Ideally, you should supply this information within 48 hours.