Claims are decided in advance
When a claim is declined, it is rarely because someone made a bad decision on the day. It is because the property was insured for less than it would cost to rebuild, or an activity was never declared, or a clause everyone skimmed turned out to matter. By then the outcome is already set.
This is the least glamorous part of our work and the part that changes results most: getting the policy right while there is still nothing wrong.
What we check before the policy is issued
- Sum insured against real replacement cost — not purchase price, not book value.
- Every activity, location and vehicle actually in use is named in the policy.
- Exclusions read against what you genuinely do, not against a generic profile.
- Excesses set at a level you would actually be willing to carry.
- Where a contract or tender specifies cover, the policy is matched to that wording.
If something does happen
Report the incident to your insurer through the channel written on your policy, and keep whatever evidence you can — photographs, reports, the incident number. Those first records carry a lot of weight later.
Tell your adviser at the same time. We hold the policy history, the correspondence and the terms that were agreed, and we can put that on the table if the assessment turns into a discussion.