What you’ll need
It doesn’t take long to claim on your insurance policy, so we can get you back to normal. We’ll just want to know what happened and when, plus what you’re claiming for. We’ll let you know your excess, level of cover and the approximate value of your claim, where possible.
To check what your insurance covers you for, please look through your policy documents. Your policy documents will also let you know who to contact when you need to let us know about your claim.
Stage 1: Check You’re Covered
Before making a claim, take a look at your policy documents to see if you’re covered. For example, some claims can be rejected if they’re caused by accidental damage and you don’t have accidental damage cover on your policy.
You will need to check what type of cover you have, which could be:
- Buildings-only, for the structure of your home such as walls, ceilings, doors and fitted items like kitchen units.
- Contents-only, for carpets and the items you move into your home, such as furniture, TVs and rugs.
- Combined, which is having both buildings and contents insurance.
Your policy documents will also specify the excess you have to pay when making a claim. If your claim is for both your buildings and contents, you will pay both excesses listed in the documents.
Step 2: Telephone the Number Detailed in your Policy
- Once you’ve got your policy documents, ring the claims number. We use dedicated third party providers to support our claims notification service, so don’t worry, you are still notifying your claim to ERGO.
- Keep your policy documents to hand to tell the claims team your policy number.
- There are usually no forms to fill in and you’ll go through what’s happened and what you’re claiming for over the telephone.
- Get your claim started as soon as possible even if you are unsure of the extent of the damage. The important thing is to have your claim on record and further details can be added or confirmed at a later date.
Step 3: What Happens Next?
- Every claim is different. If you’re claiming for just one damaged item, it might be simple enough just to find out the cost of a replacement and transfer the money to you. More complex claims may need photographs of the damage or a visit from an independent loss adjuster before repairs can be approved.
- Once your claim has been reviewed, you will hear from the claims handler looking after your claim.
- Depending on your type of claim, there could be a number of things that could happen next:
- Your claim is settled and your payment is sent to you
- More information is needed and you’ll be kept updated on your claim’s progress
- Your claim is passed on to a specialist if it’s complex or there’s significant damage caused by fire, flood, subsidence or escape of water.
At every stage you will be supported through the claims process. We are here to answer any questions you may have.