How to claim

Experiencing damage, loss or theft to your home or belongings can be a stressful time. All of our insurers offer an efficient and sympathetic claims service based on getting you back to normal as quickly, and as smoothly, as possible. Think they can improve? Tell us – We're listening.

Know what you're covered for

It’s a bore reading the full policy document, but it’s important to know what is and isn’t covered. Most claims are rejected because there’s no cover in place. Home insurance isn’t a maintenance contract – insurers won’t pay out if the problem’s been caused by wear and tear or poor maintenance of your property.

Making a Home Insurance claim

How to claim - FAQ's

Step 1 - Making a claim

Call your insurer as soon as possible

  • Their telephone number and opening hours will be on your Schedule. You can access your Schedule here.

    Not got it handy? Call the Policy Expert Customer Services team on 0845 4 100 801 (Mon - Fri:, 9am - 6.30pm, Sat 9am - 2pm) and we’ll transfer you.

  • If there’s a risk to anyone’s safety or a crime has been committed, call the appropriate emergency service immediately. Your insurer will need any Crime Reference Number provided by the Police.

  • If your insurer’s claims department is closed, try and limit further damage yourself, including organising a tradesperson to make emergency repairs. Then report it to your insurer as soon as they re-open.

Policy Expert: How to claim

Help yourself

If you have had to organise your own tradesperson, try and get a good value price from the tradesperson and keep the quote and/or invoice as your insurer may need it.

Step 2 - Reviewing your claim

Your insurer will gather details from you and where appropriate, third party specialists such as surveyors, the Police and loss adjusters, so they can establish exactly what’s happened, how big the loss is and what caused it. As part of routine fraud detection & prevention, insurers also check a variety of third party databases.

They’ll then decide whether what happened is covered by your policy and tell you whether your claim is accepted or rejected. If it’s rejected, you should receive a clear explanation of why it has been rejected.

Help yourself

  • Keep damaged items, including frozen food. Gather receipts, bank statements, valuation certificates and photographs. Take photographs of the damage wherever possible.
  • For claims where a crime’s been committed, insurers usually need the police report for their claims assessment. It takes the Police on average 45 days to respond to the insurer. If you have a copy, or can request a free copy from the Police and send it to your insurer, it can speed things up a lot.
  • Make sure your insurer has the right contact details and knows how and when is best to contact you.

Step 3 - Fixing it

  • You’ll need to pay the first part of the claim, the excess, to your insurer. They will tell you how much this is and it’s also on your Schedule.
  • Most insurers will try to replace belongings first. They’ll replace with like for like products and for most items will work on a ‘New for old’ basis so you’ll get a brand new item. If they can’t source a replacement, they’ll make a cash settlement. If you request cash and the insurer can get a replacement, they’ll give you an amount equal to the cost to them of sourcing the replacement so expect it to be less than the retail value.
  • For Buildings claims, your insurer will appoint one of their approved contractors to complete the work. If you want to use your own contractor, ask your insurer.
  • For complex claims involving multiple contractors, your insurer should act as a project manager to coordinate all of the work.
Policy Expert: How to claim

Need to report a claim on your Legal Expenses insurance?

Call us ASAP on 0844 800 0128 as soon as you think a legal issue might arise.

Policy Expert: How to claim

Got Home Emergency Cover? Call us 24/7

Call 0844 557 8066 any time - we're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Frequently asked questions

Your claims questions answered:

QWhere do Policy Expert come in?

A We’re not an insurer so we can’t influence the decision of your insurer. As your broker, it’s very important to us that you are satisfied with the claims service you receive and our panel of insurers are achieving high standards of service. If we can be of any help, be it chasing updates for you or a friendly pair of ears, call us on 0845 4 100 801. If you’d like to give us any feedback about your claims experience, please click here – we use feedback like this to ensure you get a good service from every insurer we work with.

QHow long will it take?

A It depends on the circumstances of your claim. A straightforward damaged TV could be sorted in a couple of days, whereas a claim involving water damage where there is ongoing bad weather could take several months as the property needs to dry out fully before it can be fully repaired. Insurers aim to close claims as quickly as possible as it keeps the cost down for them. If you’re experiencing delays, contact your insurer in the first instance or alternatively call Policy Expert and we’ll chase for you.

QWill my premium go up next year?

A This depends on the individual insurer’s pricing rules. Usually if you have made a claim that’s incurred a cost to the insurer (this can include rejected claims if a contractor has had to visit your home), your premium will increase at renewal as you may lose No Claims Discount. Your premium is determined by a number of factors of which claims history is only one so although it’s likely to increase your premium, it may not always.

QCan I appeal if my claim is rejected?

A Yes. Your insurer will have a complaints process which is detailed in your Policy Wording. They will review their decision and come back to you with a final response. If you are still unhappy with their decision, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (their details are also in your Policy Wording). If Policy Expert can be of any help, please contact our Customer Services team on 0845 4 100 801 – we can’t change your insurer’s decision but can chase updates and help jargon bust.