Home insurance is one of those things that everyone needs, but no one hopes to use. You know it can be stressful, if you've experienced a property loss, whether by fire, water damage or theft. Once you've had a loss, the first step is to report the loss promptly to your home insurance company. The will do a short interview with you to find out what happened and evaluate how severe the damage is. If you have immediate needs, in most cases, they'll offer the appropriate assistance.
Your first priority should be your personal safety. Always remember to stay out of your home if it has been severely damaged. Contact the police immediately to file a report, and fix or replace your locks, if your home has been broken into. If there's been a fire in your home, avoid breathing ashes and soot by covering your nose and mouth with a handkerchief or face mask.
Do what you can to mitigate the loss - this is your responsibility. This means that, with the resources available to you,you are expected to minimize further damage by taking immediate action for emergency repairs or tasks within your control. Preventing future damage is also your responsibility, so do any immediate repairs that you can, like getting a tarp over a leaking roof. You can be reimbursed for these expenses, so make sure you save the receipts from the supplies you use.
There is usually a claims form that you are required to fill in and send back within a certain number of days, for small and standard claims. For the items you are claiming on, you will also need to include the receipts as proof of purchase. If you can't lay your hands on the receipts, try digging out credit card statements which can prove the purchases instead. Ask your bank or credit card provider to send the relevant months' statements if you don't have these either.
Photographs are also accepted as evidence. Your home insurance claim will be smoother and quicker if you produce more documentary evidence.
Don't expect to make a claim on your home insurance if you just let a part of your home decay to the point of falling apart. Sometimes people attempt to make claims for maintenance because they are unaware that it is one of the main exclusions. Home insurance cannot and does not cover upkeep. A claim on your home insurance to check or replace roofing, relating to maintenance, will never succeed. But, if a storm caused damage to your roof, you'd likely make a successful claim.
Items that may be cleaned or repaired should be separate. If you plan to throw away items you plan on claiming as damaged, first confirm with your claim representative whether you should do this. Also, be sure to review your policy for specific coverage information if you have not done so on a regular basis.
Your first priority should be your personal safety. Always remember to stay out of your home if it has been severely damaged. Contact the police immediately to file a report, and fix or replace your locks, if your home has been broken into. If there's been a fire in your home, avoid breathing ashes and soot by covering your nose and mouth with a handkerchief or face mask.
Do what you can to mitigate the loss - this is your responsibility. This means that, with the resources available to you,you are expected to minimize further damage by taking immediate action for emergency repairs or tasks within your control. Preventing future damage is also your responsibility, so do any immediate repairs that you can, like getting a tarp over a leaking roof. You can be reimbursed for these expenses, so make sure you save the receipts from the supplies you use.
There is usually a claims form that you are required to fill in and send back within a certain number of days, for small and standard claims. For the items you are claiming on, you will also need to include the receipts as proof of purchase. If you can't lay your hands on the receipts, try digging out credit card statements which can prove the purchases instead. Ask your bank or credit card provider to send the relevant months' statements if you don't have these either.
Photographs are also accepted as evidence. Your home insurance claim will be smoother and quicker if you produce more documentary evidence.
Don't expect to make a claim on your home insurance if you just let a part of your home decay to the point of falling apart. Sometimes people attempt to make claims for maintenance because they are unaware that it is one of the main exclusions. Home insurance cannot and does not cover upkeep. A claim on your home insurance to check or replace roofing, relating to maintenance, will never succeed. But, if a storm caused damage to your roof, you'd likely make a successful claim.
Items that may be cleaned or repaired should be separate. If you plan to throw away items you plan on claiming as damaged, first confirm with your claim representative whether you should do this. Also, be sure to review your policy for specific coverage information if you have not done so on a regular basis.
About the Author:
To learn more, visit insure your Alberta condo, or if you're insuring your apartment visit www.squareoneinsurance.ca.