Letter to Insurance Company Placing a Claim
Insurance claims can differ tremendously depending on their nature and what you are claiming for. Some claims may only be for smaller sums of money for example, a lost item of luggage from your holiday trip overseas. Quite often you’ll buy yourself replacement luggage and then claim for damages later.
However, in more serious instances, such as your entire house being flooded due to faulty water pipe maintenance, the damage can run into hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds and it’s important that you can claim on your insurance and be paid out as soon as possible in order that you can get the repairs carried out.
Therefore, sooner rather than later is always the best policy when it comes to writing a letter to claim off your insurance. However, it is not simply sufficient to write a letter on its own and your claim might be delayed if you don’t also supply the relevant back-up information.
This might include full details of the events leading up the claim, photographic evidence, police crime reports, estimates, quotations, medical reports or expenses or billheads containing repair costs etc. Therefore, as soon as you have gathered together all the supporting documents and any other evidence to support your claim, then you should write your letter. You should also bear in mind that some insurance companies require you to submit your claim within a specific timescale or your claim might become void.
How to Write the Letter
Even if you have been wronged by a company, you should put your grievances to one side and be respectful and courteous when writing a letter to make an insurance claim. However, this should be balanced with assertion and a firm outline of the reasons for your claim and what you are seeking in compensation.Remember to include any details that the insurance company have asked you to supply so include your name, address, policy number etc. If you forget to include the information they have specified or have forgotten one tick in a box on a claim form, it’s likely that the entire contents of your letter will be returned to you and you will be asked to make corrections and, therefore, your claim will be delayed.
You need to stipulate what exactly you are claiming for, how much you are claiming for (or how you want the company to rectify matters) and a reasonable timescale for the company to respond and to settle the claim to your satisfaction. Thanking the recipient in anticipation of their assistance is also a pleasant way of ending the letter and also demonstrates that you’re seeking and expecting a satisfactory response.
Here is an example of a letter claiming for medical costs covered by a travel insurance policy.
Dear Sir or Madam, I would like to make an insurance claim under the terms and conditions of my travel insurance policy (policy number above).Whilst on holiday in Dubai recently, I sustained a badly sprained ankle as the result of tripping over a loose pavement which resulted in me attending the local hospital’s A&E department where they strapped up my ankle and gave me a prescription for some painkilling medication. For this treatment, I was charged the equivalent of £180 and I have attached the invoice here. It contains the date, the name of the doctor who treated me, the address of the hospital I attended and details of the injury I sustained along with the time, date and location when and where the injury occurred and also the cost of treating me (in UAE Dirham, which is the local currency). I have also attached the receipt for the medication which gives you full details of the pharmacist I bought the medication from and their costs too. Under the terms of my travel insurance policy, I do understand that I am liable for the first £50 of any insurance claim I make. Therefore, as I understand things, I am seeking to reclaim the remaining £130 as a result of the costs incurred. I trust that you can settle this claim quickly and I am writing to ask you to do that within 30 days of the date of this letter. I look forward to hearing from you and should you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation. Yours faithfully, Toby Anson |
