It’s quite natural to panic when your car is even slightly damaged and that panic might even turn into a rage in case it was stolen. But those emotions are not going to help you resolve the instant financial burden imposed on you, it’s just going to make you more nervous.
But if you were wise enough to insure your car, the only thing you can do after this unfortunate event is to stay calm and make sure your insurance company reimburses you for the loss you just incurred.
If your car was stolen, vandalized, damaged in an accident, or by natural calamity, a claim settlement process can be a burden to go through when you’re in such an anxious state, but for the process to happen smoothly with no delays, it’s important to stay calm and do your research.
The following is a stepwise procedure for a third party claim (if there is another party involved in the accident) /for theft and vandalization.
Step 1 – File for an FIR
File an FIR with the nearest police station immediately! If your case needs to be escalated and legal proceedings are required, an informal complaint will not work, you would have to register an FIR about the accident/theft/vandalization with the local police.
If your car was stolen, the police are going to start searching for your vehicle and if they cannot find it, they will issue a “non-traceable certificate” that you would have to submit to your insurance company. (might take about a month)
Step 2 – Intimate your Car Insurance Company
The next thing you need to do after calling the police is to call your insurance company at the earliest so that there aren’t any delays in your claim settlement process. (Call on their helpline number)
Give your insurer all the information about the incident (venue, date, and location), and please don’t hide any details, it might be perceived as deceit.
You would also need to submit these documentations below to your insurer, (while filing for the claim)
- Copy of your driver’s license
- Claim form
- Car registration certificate,
- FIR
- Copy of the first two pages of your insurance policy.
- You might also need a detailed letter addressed to the Road Transport Office (RTO)
- If your car was stolen, 2 sets of your car keys would be required (your claim might get rejected if you don’t have the keys to your car) along with the “non-traceable certificate’ that your police will issue.
- If your car was stolen, You need to transfer your stolen Car’s RC in the favor of your car insurance company once the police submit a final ‘non-traceable report’.
Step 3 – Collect Evidence
It’s always better to have evidence that could serve as valid proof and can back up your claim request especially since it was involved in an accident/theft/vandalization.
Here is some evidence that you could use-
- Pictures and videos of the damages and accident scene, or crime scene.
- Note down the name, contact number, and addresses of witnesses and other parties if any.
- Take a picture of the insurance policy document of the third-party involved as it may help avail third-party liability claims.
Step 4 – Surveyor’s Inspection
Every car insurance company assigns a surveyor who inspects the accident location or crime scene, Once he is done assessing the damage and repairs if any he then compiles a report called the “schedule of works” which is submitted to the insurer.
The primary function of a surveyor is to investigate if there is any swindling involved.
Hence, disclose all the information about the incident to the surveyor, if you have collected any evidence (recordings or pictures, name and contact details of witnesses or a third party) that would help you strengthen your case, submit them to the surveyor so that he has a clearer picture.
Sometimes, if absolutely necessary your insurance company might just send a surveyor right after you informed them.
Step 5 – Claim Settlement
If you were involved in a third party accident,
Once the surveyor has evaluated the whole scenario and made a decision, the insurer will then settle the claim with the third party.
If there are damages in your car, you have two payout choices to settle your claim-
1. Cashless claim – Get it repaired from a repair shop that your insurance company has prescribed and the repair cost will be paid by your insurer directly to the repair company
2. Reimbursement claim – Get your car repaired by any repair shop, save all bills and receipts that you have paid from your pocket and get them reimbursed by your insurance company.
If your car was stolen, It will take around 3 months (from the date of filing FIR) for your insurer to generate the Insured Declared Value (IDV) of your vehicle which is the amount then approved as per the surveyor’s report.
Car claim settlement if the damage was done by the insured
Step 1 – Intimate your Car Insurance Company.
Call your insurance company at the earliest so that there aren’t any delays in your claim settlement process. (Call on their helpline number)
Give your insurer all the information, venue, date, and location of the incident, don’t hide any details.
You would also need to submit these documentations below to your insurer, (while filing for the claim)
- Copy of your driver’s license
- Car registration certificate
- Copy of the first two pages of your insurance policy.
Step 2 – Collect evidence
It’s always better to have evidence that could serve as valid proof and can back up your claim request.
Here is some evidence that you could use-
- Pictures and videos of the damages.
- Note down the name, contact number, and addresses of witnesses if any
Step 3 – Surveyor Inspections
Every car insurance company assigns a surveyor who inspects the accident location or crime scene, Once he is done assessing the damage and repairs if any, he then compiles a report called the “schedule of works” which is submitted to the insurer.
The primary function of a surveyor is to investigate if there is any swindling involved.
Hence, disclose all the information about the incident to the surveyor, if you have collected any evidence (recordings or pictures, name and contact details of witnesses or a third party) that would help you strengthen your case, submit them to the surveyor so that he has a clearer picture.
Sometimes, if absolutely necessary your insurance company might just send a surveyor right
Step 4 – Claim Settlement
If there are damages to your car, you have two payout choices to settle your claim
1. Cashless claim – Get it repaired from a repair shop that your insurance company has prescribed and the repair cost will be paid by your insurer directly to the repair company.
2. Reimbursement claim – Get your car repaired by any repair shop, save all bills and receipts that you have paid from your pocket and get them reimbursed by your insurance company.
Things to keep in mind while claiming for Car Insurance
1. Fill the claim form accurately with no mistakes, because if there are even minute ones, your claim might be perceived as insurance fraud and might require further investigation.
2. Read your policy document – To know the formalities of the claim settlement process, the exclusions, and inclusions of your cover, and the extent of your coverage; read the policy document carefully.
3. Record all expenses to get them reimbursed by your insurance company at the time of your claim settlement. (Car repairs, Personal injury treatment, etc)
4. To avoid any confusion and misrepresentation of your case, make a note of the name of the representative you have spoken to and the position they hold in your insurance company, you might need it if your case is escalated.
5. If you have purchased a second-hand car, make sure that the insurance policy is transferred to your name, as your claim will get rejected if it’s not.
6. Moving your car away from the accident scene either might delay your claim process or decrease your claim value or your claim might even get denied. (if moving your car causes further damage, your insurer might not cover those costs)
7. Don’t start any repair work before taking approval from the insurer.
8. Don’t settle with the third party before approaching your insurer, It might be tempting to settle on the spot with the third party involved, but don’t get carried away.
9.Don’t lose your temper with anyone (especially the third party)
10. Don’t hide any information or provide any wrong information to your insurance provider.
11.Don’t communicate anything with the third party without intimating your insurer.
12. Don’t give a written agreement to your insurer before you have done your home-work (Read everything about car insurance claim settlements so that you know you’re not being fooled)
13. Don’t settle with your insurer in a hurry, if you are not happy with the final settlement, you don’t have to accept it, ask your insurer to relook into your case.
14. A Non-traceable report is given to you by the police, stating that your insured car is untraceable. This document is necessary to settle your claim and might take a month to be issued.
15. You would need to obtain a duplicate RC book from the road tax officer’s office.
16. If your car was purchased on loan then the insurance company will compensate the payout amount to your financer, and you will need to pay the balance amount.
Filling for a car claim request? Register here and our experts at Insurance Samadhan will guide you through it all!
You can also
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