Property Insurance Claims Help

Claims Tips and Advice

If you are experiencing difficulties with an insurance claim following flooding, storm damage, or other adverse weather events, the steps below will help you protect your position and maximise your entitlements

Step One: Understand Your Policy

Understand your policy— Review your insurance policy carefully to confirm what is covered, excluded, and limited. If the wording is unclear, ask your insurer or loss adjuster to explain the clause in plain language. Do not assume their interpretation is correct—policy wording must be applied fairly and consistently.

Step Two: Understand the Damage

Obtain your own independent assessment of the damage.
Do not rely solely on the insurer’s assessment, as it may overlook issues or underestimate the scope of damage.

Engaging an independent ensures you receive an accurate and impartial understanding of the true condition of your property. These can include:

  • Engineer

  • Geotechnical Engineer

  • Builder

  • Quantity surveyor

Step Three: Understand the Repair

Determining the correct method of repair is different from assessing the damage.
You must understand what work is required to return your property to its pre‑damage condition.

An insurer may propose a scope of works that is incomplete, inadequate, or based on cost‑saving rather than correct reinstatement. Independent experts can identify proper repair methodologies and highlight deficiencies in the insurer’s proposal.

Important Advice- Property Insurance Claims Help

Don’t Confuse Damage and Repair Assessments

Understanding damage and repair — It is important not to confuse steps two and three. They may look like the same question, but there are significant differences. For steps two and three, it is essential that the policy owner should engage their own independent engineers, builders or quantity surveyors to comment and advise what you need to do.

Recommended Advice:

  • Damage assessment (Step Two) identifies what has happened.

  • Repair assessment (Step Three) determines what must be done.

  • They are not the same, and both require proper expert input.

Understand the numbers—If your insurance company is offering you a payout, you need to understand and test the figures they rely on. This means getting your own independent assessment of the amounts offered by the insurance company or their loss adjusters. Ensure you get a builder or quantity surveyor to comment and advise on the cost of remedial work for your property.

Recommended Advice:

  • Obtain an independent methodology from a builder to verify whether the insurer’s requirement scope or methodology accurately reflects the true extent of reinstatement.

Double-check the numbers—Many homeowners experience that the amounts offered by insurers (or their loss adjusters) to repair your damaged property are not enough to repair or replace your damaged property.

Recommended Advice:

Obtain an independent costing from a builder or quantity surveyor to verify whether the insurer’s estimate accurately reflects the true cost of reinstatement.

If you have an issue with any Property Damage Insurance Claims, contact us to discuss your claim. We help you review and understand your insurance contract and advise you on the best way to maximise your entitlements under your insurance policy.

Please contact us today to discuss your insurance dispute.