Perhaps you were involved in an accident and the other party placed a car insurance claim against you, or a stolen identity led to an insurance claim against you. There are many instances where claims are not your fault, or where the circumstances mean your insurance should not be the one claimed on.
Here are some things to consider before you admit culpability and have your premiums go up when they really shouldn’t have.
Home Insurance
First things first, never accept that you’re at fault or admit liability in any situation.
One thing to look out for if a third party is laying an insurance claim against you is if the documents are sent by their insurance company or solicitor. When this happens, all you need to do is forward the documents to your insurance company.
Car Insurance
Car accident third party insurance claims happen more often than any other. If you’re involved in a car accident that may or may not be your fault and there’s no serious injury, it is important that at the scene of the accident, you:
Note the extent of the damage to all vehicles involved.
Take a picture or record a video of the entire scene.
Do not accept liability for the accident.
Get as much information as possible such as name and contact information of the parties involved, registration numbers, licence plate numbers, contact information of the witnesses, and insurance details of involved parties.
Do not move vehicles unless necessary in which case photographic evidence is mandatory.
Accidents, robberies, and thefts are reported to the police. If a claim is made against you and there is no police report of the incident, then the claimer doesn’t have a case against you.
Company Insurance
Business insurance protects one’s assets against damage, risk or financial loss. If you want to secure contracts with other businesses or with the public sector, you will often be expected to properly and fully insured.
When facing a business insurance claim, it is important that you have all records, correspondence, and documents relating to the claim.
Every business owner hopes never to be sued or have insurance claims made against him. With these points outlined above, you’re a step closer to being able to determine the authenticity of a third-party insurance claim.
You must understand that an insurance claim will be assessed in relation to the legal status of the case. If you admit liability some of the assessments and investigations may be automatically halted. You need to allow the due process to proceed so that the correct insurance is billed, and that blame is correctly understood. Insurers will fight it out between themselves to argue who should foot the bill.