All insurance policies have claims conditions that impose certain requirements. A failure to meet these can lead to problems obtaining a full settlement or, in some cases, getting any payment at all.

Your basic responsibilities where a claim or accident reporting incident arises are:

Remember that you have a duty to report accidents even where they may not immediately lead you to make a claim. For instance, consider a motor accident where little damage appears to have been done and both parties depart the scene amicably. You should still report the incident. This is in case sometime afterwards the other driver discovers that there is damage to his/her vehicle and that you are at fault for it. Or worse, that he or a passenger have been hurt in the accident (something he/she may well not have noticed at the time)

Make a list of the damaged property and find as much as you can in the way of documentary evidence to support of the amounts claimed, such as receipts or repair estimates.

If damage is extensive we will arrange for a Loss Adjuster to attend immediately.

Some insurers operate their own property replacement and repair services. If you are unsure as to whether these services apply in your particular case please contact our Claims Department.

Make a list of the lost or damaged items and find as much as you can in the way of documentary evidence to support of the amounts claimed, such as receipts or repair estimates.

Notify the Police of the incident and keep a note of the Crime Reference Number and station address.

Some insurers operate their own property replacement service. If you are unsure as to whether these services apply in your particular case please contact our Claims Department.

Documentary evidence (such as cash withdrawal slips and/or Z reports) showing the exact amount of money stolen will be required.

Notify the Police of the incident and keep a note of the Crime Reference Number and station address.

At the scene of the accident obtain details of:

It is a requirement that all accidents are reported as soon as possible, even where there is no damage to your vehicle. Any accident involving injury needs to be reported to the Police.

Most motor insurers operate a 24-hour helpline where they can take details of the accident over the telephone and arrange for your vehicle to be removed to an approved repairer, if necessary. Always have your Policy Number to hand when contacting insurers direct, and please take a note of their claim reference number.

Any correspondence received from third parties, or their representatives, should be forwarded immediately, unanswered, to us or your insurer for attention. Insurers only have a limited time to respond to third party correspondence, so it is essential that this is done quickly.

Most insurers operate an Approved Repairer Scheme - details of which will be provided via their helpline, or contact our Claims Department.

Theft of a vehicle should be reported immediately to the Police and as soon as possible to us or your insurers. Keep a record of the crime reference number. In most cases your insurers will wait a period of up to six weeks to see if the vehicle is recovered, prior to making a settlement offer.

The original Vehicle Registration Document (V5), MOT Certificate, purchase receipt and details of any finance/lease agreement etc need to be passed to insurers to enable them to set a value on the vehicle.

Your insurers MUST respond to any letter of claim you receive within 21 days, otherwise the claimant's solicitors can issue proceedings without any sanction. It is essential therefore, that all letters of claim be passed on to us immediately upon receipt with all relevant information.

This means you must:

Pass on all correspondence received in connection with the matter to us immediately and unanswered.

SMI Placings Limited are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

To report a claim click here