From the first call
What happens to your claim here
Five steps. You can stop after any of them, and most of the work is paper, not court.
- 01
Step 1: A call or a text
Say what was damaged, who the insurer is and what it has told you. Ten minutes is usually enough to tell whether the claim deserves a closer look.
- 02
Step 2: Papers by secure link
If we go on, a private link takes the policy, every letter and your photos. Nothing confidential travels through this website.
- 03
Step 3: The policy, read through
All of it, endorsements included, against the insurer's letters. You get a plain answer on what it should have paid.
- 04
Step 4: A letter to the insurer
It lays out the policy, the facts and the number. Plenty of claims are settled at this stage.
- 05
Step 5: The next step, chosen together
Appraisal under the policy, a negotiated settlement or a lawsuit. We explain each, with its cost, before you choose.
Before the second call
Gather what you can
None of it is needed to ring us. All of it helps.
Photos
Of every room and side of the building, taken before repairs.
Every letter
The denial, the estimate, any form with the insurer's name on it.
The full policy
With endorsements. The insurer must give you a copy if yours is lost.
A call log
Date, person, what was said, for each call with the company.
Fees and costs, in writing
The first call is free. Most property claims are taken on contingency: no fee unless money is recovered, then a share of what is recovered, set out in an agreement signed before the work begins.
On a contingency fee there is no fee unless money is recovered. Case costs, such as filing fees, inspections and expert reports, are separate, and the written agreement says whether you owe them if nothing is recovered.
Reading a policy before you renew or buy it can be done for a flat fee quoted in advance.