This section has been prepared as a guide to handling claims. It does not, however, override policy conditions or statutory requirements that may apply from time to time.

Your account manager is always available to offer advice on claims management and notification proceedures. Any claim or circumstance that may give rise to a claim should be reported to us as soon as possible. The only exceptions to this are Worker's Compensation and Motor Vehicle claims, where separate processes apply as detailed in the following pages.

Failure to promptly report a claim may prejudice your right to indemnity due to a breach of policy conditions.

Please refer to your policy to establish whether any excess applies. If loss or damage is minor, the claim may fall under your policy excess and therefore be excluded.

We recommend that you always discuss the circumstances of each event with your account manager. Some below excess claims have the potential to develop into insurable losses and some may need to be reported to your insurer as a material fact, in accordance with your duty of disclosure.

Your insurer will often appoint a loss adjuster to investigate the circumstances of the event. Always ask for identification and ensure they represent your insurer before providing any information regarding an incident.

The senior fire brigade officer attending the incident will advise you of the service provided by the brigade for temporary protection of buildings or contents.

The police should be notified immediately of any theft or malicious damage. Note the name and station of the investigating officer and take steps to ensure the security of the premises to reduce or contain the loss. Always ensure that any evidence required by investigators or the police is preserved for future reference.

You should always record any incidents that could lead to a Public or Products Liability claim in an incident register. If a claim is presented by a third party accept any documentation on a 'without prejudice' basis and immediately refer it to your account manager.

Never admit liability or offer a settlement to a third party claimant as such action could prevent recovery by your insurer or void cover under the policy.

Witnesses to incidents should be asked for a written statement of the circumstances and provide their name and address for future corroboration if required. If the claim you have received is a court document, for example:

• a statement of claim
• a writ
• a summons
• call us immediately to advise the details and send us a copy of the document.

Your insurer will review the circumstances of the claim to ensure the incident is covered by your policy. They will then appoint a solicitor to represent you. The Solicitor will work with the insurer and a loss adjuster to determine your potential liability and decide on a course of action. Where your liability for a claim is clear-cut your insurer may decide to make an offer of settlement to the third party. If there are reasonable grounds to defend the matter the solicitor will be instructed by your insurer on a course of action.

If an insurer does not accept a claim under your policy or defers a decision pending further investigation we will advise you to appoint your own solicitor to represent you. The cost of appointing your solicitor is only recoverable if your insurer accepts the claim and the cost is reasonable. If your insurer accepts a claim after you have appointed your own solicitor, they have the option of continuing this arrangement or making a new appointment.

• Where your vehicle is damaged, give the repairer a completed claim for and ask them to contact your insurer who will either authorise repairs or arrange for an assessor to inspect the vehicle and agree repair costs with the repairer. If the other party is at fault your insurer will endeavour to recover your excess.
• Where your vehicle is undamaged, or damage is less than the basic policy excess, but a third party is claiming for damage to their vehicle, Submit a claim form to us with any correspondence received from the third party.
• Where your vehicle is stolen and not recovered, submit a claim form to us.
• Where your vehicle is stolen and recovered damaged, follow the same proceedures as for the first item in this list.