Property Insurance Tips
We’ve helped plenty of residents who have dealt with property claims from natural disasters like Cyclone Debbie in North Queensland, and with more accidents occurring, we wanted to give you some advice and tips with what you can do right now before disaster strikes to minimise any problems you may have in the future.
Take Pictures of EVERYTHING
At every point from the moment you walk back to that property, have your phone out and take as many photos as you can. Take pictures of things like the water line, contents items, your house, absolutely anything. The council may also offer to get rid of your damaged goods, and that’s good, but anything that leaves the property - take a photo of it. Often our clients have struggled with a claim because they couldn’t prove an item existed or the value of the item. Get as many photos as you can at every step.
Know Your Policy
You need to understand your policy and know what is in your agreement. You would be surprised how many people don’t know the real identity of their insurance company. Some insurance companies have multiple brands, and each of those brands can have very different levels of coverage. For example, some people aren’t covered for flood and thought they were.
Always Get Identification
Another essential thing to remember is that you may have many people come out to your property. People from your insurance company, builders, tradies, make safe people, loss adjusters, assessors, managers, and so on. These people may be from interstate or even overseas, but you will have many people on the ground. It is vital that every person who comes to your property gives you a copy of their identification. If possible, get a business card but otherwise write down their name, where they’re from, when they visited. If they don’t have any ID and you can’t confirm who they are, do not let them on your property or inspect the place. If you can’t correctly identify who was on your property, it can negatively affect your claim.
Get Us Involved At The Beginning
If you’re struggling difficulties with your claim a few weeks or months down the road, we can help you get it resolved, but it’s a lot better to have us involved in your insurance claim from the beginning. If you’re not confident in dealing with your insurance company yourself, we would love to talk to you. We can give you some free advice, no obligation. We have seen in many peoples claims that if you don’t have the right expertise early on in the claim, the whole claim process can be far more difficult or catastrophic in the end. We are here for you to help in the best way we can!