Natural calamities are uncertain and come without any prior notice. And this time it is Floods in Kerala! This year’s heavy monsoon has submerged many cities and towns. Cities are flooded and many cars & automobiles have been damaged along with the infrastructure.
What would be your reaction and what would you do if you see your house, the one which you built or the flat which you purchased with all your savings, become crashed down or damaged due to floods? Everyone’s first thought in this situation would be to keep their family safe. Most of the people even evacuate and migrate from the affected area to save their and their loved one’s life.
However, everything has an end and this situation also gets over after some time. But this causes a massive damage to your properties such as house and cars. Insurance with adequate natural calamity cover, can help in this situation and perhaps can make the situation better for you.
So, Do all insurances cover these kinds of property damage? Or with which insurance can one claim it?
Comprehensive Coverage
Here it is very important to know what comprehensive coverage is and what it does and doesn’t cover before you purchase any and it is equally important to know what type of coverage you currently have with your insurance. Comprehensive insurance covers all type of damages which are not caused by an accident. It covers all the things happened which were out of your control. These activities include theft, fires, vandalism and “acts of God,” such as natural calamities and weather damage. Comprehensive insurances are essential coverage when a natural disaster strikes.
Comprehensive coverage provides cover to your properties such as home and cars. It provides you money to repair and reconstruct your house.
How To Claim Car Insurance, If Affected By The Floods?
Step 1: Call your insurance provider on the Toll-Free number provided on your Car Insurance policy documents.
Step 2: Provide all the basic information to the insurance provider personnel, such as where your car was parked, or where you were driving, when it broke down and so on.
Step 3: After providing all the details, the insurer will give you one Claim Registration Number. You can now provide this unique number wherever required by the insurance company to know the details.
Step 4: Your insurance provider will assign a surveyor to estimate the total damage done to your vehicle. The company will then consult with garage services to analyse the money required to repair. After this you will be informed about the amount payable by the insurance company towards for the cost of repair of your vehicle this amount will be some percentage of the total money required for repair or it can also be total, depending upon your type of policy and covers.
Step 5: If you are not satisfied with the decision or the amount you are getting, then, in this case, you can again meet the surveyor and can convince him again look over.
Step 6: Sign the claim approval documents given by the surveyor.
Step 7: Talk with the garage persons and the repair team, ask for the time within which they will repair your car.
Step 8: Take follow-ups with the repair team and the insurance provider if required.
Step 9: Once your car is repaired, check for the repair work done and the functioning of your vehicle. If you are satisfied with the work then only give them the money as discussed after the settlement.
Step 10: Take your car home 🙂
How To Claim Home Insurance, If Affected By The Floods?
All policies do not cover floods or the damage done due to natural calamities. However, some insurances cover these kinds of damages.
The Procedure To Claim Home Insurance Coverage
Insurance companies have their own time between which one has to inform about their losses and damages done to their properties. The time period varies between 7-15 days in general. But before you file your claim, you have to lodge an FIR in the police station which needs to be submitted with the insurance company.
The claim process after this under a home insurance policy is completely hassle-free. The insured person needs to provide documents of the property to the insurance company to show that house is in the name of a person filing for the claim.
The insurance company will then assign a surveyor to inspect the damage to property.
After the analysis of the damage done the insurance provider will analyse the cost of repair. And settles the claim.
Now the insurance provider will call you for the settlement and will provide you the money as per needed for the repair. However, you need to be careful and have all receipts in place if something is repaired before informing the insurer. As they will provide you with the amount.
Things To Keep In Mind While Making an Insurance Claim
- Firstly it is very important to keep the insurance and property documents safe. It’s always better to keep the documents in bank lockers.
- It is important to keep the damages incurred well documented. The best way to do is to take photographs and videos and keep.
- Try to preserve all the damaged items as the claim representative will definitely want to have a look at the damage.
- All claim-related documents such as receipts and bills are needed to be kept safe.
- Always maintain a list of which you made and repaired even on a temporary basis.