Home insurance claims

Read our guide and find out how to claim on your home insurance policy.

Step 1 – Check your policy

• Your home insurance schedule will list the sections under which your home is insured
• Refer to the appropriate section in your home insurance policy booklet – in it you will find details of the insurance cover which applies, including any exceptions
• Check whether you specified Accidental Damage cover when you took out the policy – this is optional
• Check if you took out optional HomeCALL Legal Protection or Home Emergency Cover with your home insurance

Step 2 – Contact your home insurance company

• Contact your home insurance company using the appropriate telephone number.

• Have the following information to hand when you call them:
  • Your home insurance policy number (this will be on your schedule)
  • Why you need to claim
  • The date the claim arose
• Once your home insurance claim details are logged with your insurance company they will contact you directly to progress to settlement

Important note

Emergencies aside, you should refrain from purchasing replacements or authorising repairs without prior approval. In the event of an emergency, contact the relevant emergency helpline for advice.

Weather damage home insurance claims

If storm debris and flooding has damaged your home, including the garden, then your home insurance provider is more than likely to be prepared for your call.

Such events are a regularly handled by insurers and it’s quite common for a 24 hour emergency helpline to be available to customers, especially when severe weather is expected.

This could come in handy if you have any immediate concerns or serious damage caused by the weather.

If there are any repairs that you need to make immediately, then be sure to take photos before work begins and keep all the receipts.

Most home insurance policies will cover you in the event of weather damage and possibly cover part of the cost of staying in alternative accommodation if your home has been badly damaged.

See our guide to flood insurance if you’re looking for help on what to do after severe wet weather.

Home insurance claims contact details

1. The Domestic Emergency Helpline is a free service for policyholders that will put you in touch with a reliable local tradesman. It does not cover the cost of the work – please refer to our Home emergency Service for this type of cover.

2. See your home insurance policy documents for details of relevant underwriter details or see Step 2 above

Compare and save

The cost of home insurance varies between each provider, so to ensure you have the best value home insurance for your needs, shop around. Instead of wasting time getting quotes from lots of different insurers, let uSwitch do the hard work for you.

Read more…

• Flood Advice Are you covered for flooding, and do you know what to do?
• Accidental Damage What is accidental damage cover and what does it typically cover and exclude?
• Gadget Insurance If you have lots of expensive gadgets then insurance may be worth considering