In the unfortunate event of loss or damage you should report the incident to the Insurers. Most insurers do not require forms and will take instructions over the telephone even out of normal office hours - the Helpline numbers are listed below. If at any stage you have concerns regarding this service or if you would like to discuss your claim with someone independent of the Insurance Company then please contact us, we are here to help. Some insurers require a claim form and if this is the case click on the link to download the form, which should be completed and returned to us.

If your Insurance Company is not listed or you are unsure which company covers your property please do not hesitate to contact us.

Useful Tips:

• Accidental Loss, Malicious Damage or Theft claims must be reported to the Police who will issue you with a report number.
  
  
• Take photographs of any damage to support your claim.
  
  
• Your insurers will normally allow you to carry out emergency repairs to make the property sound or to prevent further damage prior to estimates being obtained for permanent repairs. Many insurers use their own approved tradesmen or firms to repair or replace damaged or lost property but you can use your own tradesman or firm. If you do use your own tradesman or firm the insurers will wish to check that the charges made by them are reasonable (you will have to obtain an alternative estimate) and may also wish to inspect any damage - which can delay settlement.
  
  
• Remember that most policies have an excess, which will be deducted from any claim payment. As most policies include a no claims discount as part of the rating it may not be worthwhile claiming if the loss/damage is close to the level of policy excess - please contact us for advice for your own particular circumstances.

If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident you should take the following steps:-

1. Take the name and address of any other driver and the registration number of any other vehicle involved in the incident. If you can also obtain the other drivers policy number from their Certificate of Motor Insurance and the name and address of their insurers this will speed up your claim.
2. Take the names and addresses of any witnesses together with those of any other third parties involved in the incident.
3. Give your own name address and insurance details to the other parties involved in the accident but do not admit liability.
4. Make a note of the position of your vehicle in the road and the positions of other vehicles both prior to and after the incident and take photographs of the damage at the site of the accident if possible.
5. Report the claim to us or the Insurers as soon as possible - see below

Do not make any admission of liability nor give money to any person involved in the incident.

Getting Your Car Repaired
Fortunately most accidents are relatively minor and your car can generally be used safely until it is repaired at a time convenient to you.

Clients with Comprehensive cover
If your car requires immediate repair, or you are at fault for the accident, or the third party details are not known, we recommend claiming the cost of repairs under your own motor policy. These uninsured losses can then be recovered from the third party if they are to blame for the accident, using the Broker Direct Legal Expenses policy (or your motor policy if Uninsured Loss Recovery is automatically included).

Most companies detailed in the table below operate 24 hour Helpline numbers for you to report claims directly to them. There are also links to some insurers' websites where they provide relevant information. Utilising the Helpline services should speed up your claim but if you have any difficulties please contact us.

Clients with Third Party Fire & Theft or Third Party only cover
We recommend that all of our customers take advantage of our Broker Direct Legal Expenses Scheme under which your vehicle can be repaired at one of their approved repairers. This is available for accidents where you are not to blame, the third party details together with their Insurers are known, and liability for the damage is not disputed by them. You can be supplied with a hire car equivalent to your own vehicle for the duration of your repairs. Acceptance of claims under this arrangement is at the discretion of Broker Direct.

If you are at fault for the accident you will be responsible for your own repairs, as damage to your vehicle is not covered by your policy, you will still need to report the incident in order that your insurers can deal with any third party claim.

The type of claims that come under public liability or employers liability insurance are ones where the person claiming against you will have to successfully show that their allegations are legally valid. Because of this, most claims need detailed investigation so, in the first instance you should report the incident on the appropriate claims helpline.

The insurers will probably require that you to fill in a report form at a later time but you should make sure that you send in all related correspondence immediately and unanswered. Try to make sure that you also send all relevant documents.

The report form will help your insurers to decide whether cover is operative and they will then settle or defend the claim. They will refer to relevant case law and statute law when they reach a decision. If they decide to defend the claim, they will do so on your behalf. If, on the other hand, they decide that the claim should be settled, they will explain why. They will deal with all aspects of the claim on your behalf, and will pay for the cost of investigating and settling the claim. They will also pay for legal fees according to the terms of the policy.

Useful Tips:

• Do not write to or speak to the claimant (the person making the claim) or their solicitor or representative about the claim. Do not supply them with information or give them access to any accident site without first consulting with your insurers.
  
  
• Take photographs that may support the defence of the claim.