What information is needed to make a claim?

While every scenario is different, there are some standard things you’ll need to share for every claim you make. For example, we’ll always ask for:

• Your name
• Your company name
• Your policy number
• Whether you’re VAT registered

It can be upsetting to find that you’ve had a break-in or that someone has stolen some business-critical equipment.

To claim for theft, you’ll need to have a valid business contents or business equipment policy in place. Public liability insurance can cover the theft of someone else's property that you’re responsible for.

First things first, we always recommend you report a theft or burglary to the police immediately. The police will give you a Crime Reference Number, which you can use to check the progress of their investigation, and we’ll need to process your claim.

Some other things that may be needed, include:

• Police branch: Details of the police branch you reported the theft to e.g. Metropolitan Police
• Photos: Especially evidence which shows forcible entry to the property or vehicle. A number of our policies will only respond to a theft claim which involves forcible entry
• Proof of purchase: For claims involving theft, you’ll always be asked to provide the make and model of the item, as well as proof of purchase. Receipts help determine personal items from business ones and confirm what you paid. If it’s a specialist item — whether yours or that of a third party — we’ll usually ask that you send a web link to a like-for-like replacement
• Overnight storage: If the theft involves tools, confirmation of where the tools were kept overnight

It’s incredibly frustrating to find you’ve lost something like your company phone or tablet, but luckily your insurance can potentially help. You’ll need to have a valid business contents or business equipment policy to claim for lost items.

Outside of the standard set of questions, to start your claim for lost belongings, your insurer will also ask for:

• Last seen: Sometimes easier said than done when an item is lost, but you’ll be asked to confirm when you last had the lost item or items
• Proof of purchase: For claims involving loss, you’ll always be asked to provide the make and model of the item, as well as proof of purchase. Receipts help determine personal items from business ones and confirm what you paid. If it’s a specialist item — whether yours or that of a third party — we’ll usually ask that you send a web link to a like-for-like replacement

For accidental damage claims, it’s important to keep in mind that your insurance will not cover daily wear and tear. If your item has reached the end of its natural life, this is not something that would make an insurable claim. Spilling coffee on your work phone, however, is an insurable claim.

To claim for accidental damage to your own items, you’ll need to have a valid business contents or business equipment policy in place. For accidental damage to other people’s property, you’ll need public liability in place.

If wear and tear isn’t the issue, some of the things you’ll need to provide to start your claim for accidental damage to your own contents and equipment, include:

• Proof of purchase: For claims involving accidental damage, you’ll always be asked to provide the make and model of the item, as well as proof of purchase. Receipts help determine personal items from business ones and confirm what you paid. If it’s a specialist item — whether yours or that of a third party — we’ll usually ask that you send a web link to a like-for-like replacement
• Photos: You’ll need to provide photographic evidence showing the damage
• Beyond repair: If your item is past saving we’ll need evidence showing as such — this can be an email from a repair shop advising that the cost of repair is higher than the cost of a like-for-like replacement or a quote showing the cost of repair to restore the items to their original condition

Perhaps you’ve spilled nail polish over a customer’s white carpet, or you accidentally knocked down part of a garden wall when doing some work. This is where your insurance can potentially help.

To claim for third-party property damage, you’ll need to have a valid public liability policy in place.

Some of the things you’ll likely need to send your insurer to kickstart a claim for third-party property damage include:

• Photos: You’ll need to provide photographic evidence showing the damage
• Beyond repair: If the item is unsalvageable, we’ll need evidence showing as such — this can be an email from a repair shop advising that the cost of repair is higher than the cost of a like-for-like replacement or a quote showing the cost of repair to restore the items to their original condition
• Damage to an item: If the damage is to an item — like a phone or clothing — we’ll ask for confirmation of the make, model or brand of the item or items damaged
• Damage to property: If the damage is to a third party’s home or property, we’ll need two quotes from builders confirming the cost to reinstate or repair their home — assuming you’ve been unable to repair the damage or the customer has been unwilling for you to repair the damage
• Contact details: On occasion, we may ask you to share the claimant’s contact details so they can be contacted about the claim

You never want to see an employee or member of the public get injured because of the work you do. But, if an accident occurs, it’s important to know what steps you should take to support the injured person and keep on the right side of regulation — learn how in our guide to workplace accidents.

To claim for third-party injuries, you’ll need to have a valid public liability policy in place, and for employee injuries, you’ll need a valid employers’ liability policy.

You might also want to consider accident and sickness cover, to support your employees or your business should an accident or long-term sickness occur.

To claim for either employee or third-party injuries, some of the things you’ll need to send over to your insurer include:

• Contact details: We’ll ask for the name of the injured party and their contact information
• Photos: To get a full picture of the situation, you’ll need to provide details of the injury sustained and what happened along with photos or video of the injuries and scene. For more complex injuries valued at over £1,000, medical evidence will usually be obtained by the injured party
• Notification: Confirmation of when you were first advised of an issue
• Beauticians: If the injury has occurred because of a beauty treatment, you’ll need to confirm whether patch tests were undertaken without issue

If you’re facing any sort of legal action for injury claims or unfair dismissal, you’ll be asked to provide your solicitor's contact details and confirm if proceedings have been issued. You’ll also have to send over copies of all the correspondence exchanged to date with the plaintiff and your solicitor.

It’s important to note that in the early stages of any sort of legal claim, not to enter into conversations around liability.

Legal action can be taken against you or your business if you dismiss employees without following the correct procedure or if you have contract disagreements, for example.

Payments for court fees, inquiry expenses and court attendance costs are included in a legal protection insurance policy, but your employers’ liability insurance might also cover this.

Beyond the things you’ll need to provide for every claim, if you face legal action from an employee and need to make a claim, you’ll likely need to send the following over to get the ball rolling:

• Contact details: You’ll need to provide the name of the aggrieved party and their contact information
• Details: We’ll need to get to the crux of the issue, so be prepared to explain what happened and what led to the matter escalating
• Notification: Confirmation of when you were first notified of an issue, whether a grievance was raised and if so, the outcome

If you’re facing any sort of legal action for injury claims or unfair dismissal, you’ll be asked to provide your solicitor's contact details and confirm if proceedings have been issued. You’ll also have to send over copies of all the correspondence exchanged to date with the plaintiff and your solicitor.

It’s important to note that in the early stages of any sort of legal claim, not to enter into conversations around liability.

You're all prepped and ready to travel somewhere for a big conference and then... disaster. Your trains might be cancelled, or inclement weather has scuppered your plans. Well, good job you've got insurance.

Other than the information we'll need for every claim, you'll also likely need to provide:

• Invoices: Copies of invoices for each aspect of the trip — this should show the date of travel, the cost and the full names of those traveling
• Proof of cancellation: We also need proof of cancellation — this can be a letter or email from the appropriate travel company, hotel or transfer provider confirming that the booking has been cancelled
• Refund: Confirmation of whether any of the providers have confirmed refunds have been issued, if yes, we need to see documentation confirming the amounts offered
• Costs: A breakdown of what travel costs you’re seeking to claim for
• Other cover: Confirmation about whether there is any other insurance issued for this trip

Directors' and officers' insurance, often called D&O insurance or management liability insurance, helps protect business leaders from the risks that come with running a company.

It is designed to cover everything from accusations of mismanagement, claims of misconduct or even exaggerations in a pitch deck and is available to businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large organisations.

Professional indemnity and D&O policies are designed to defend the policyholder when a claim is brought against them, not to make a claim themselves.

As a first port of call — in the event of any allegations — you should notify your insurers immediately and never make any admission of liability or raise a payment in respect of a potential claim.

Other than the usual things you need to provide, you'll also need to confirm and provide:

• Details: The date of the incident and when you were first advised of an issue. We’ll also need to know the reason your services were engaged and who you agreed to provide services for
• Relationship: Explain the relationship between you and the client and if you’ve worked with them before
• Contracts agreements: A copy of the contract between you and the claimant, in particular, we need to understand what terms were agreed upon and in particular any service levels
• Correspondence: Copies of all correspondence exchanged to date, it may be necessary for us to review a full copy of any paperwork as a great deal can be deduced from attendance notes, emails or billing narratives
• Third parties: Confirmation about whether any other third parties were involved, for example, solicitors, an accountant or a developer — naturally this may give rise to an argument that another party contributed to any losses suffered

It’s important to check what kind of policy you when it comes to these types of claims. You’ll have either a:

• Claims-made policy: Provides coverage if a claim is made against you during the period the policy is active, regardless of when the actual event happened. In other words, a claim needs to be made while the policy is active
• Claims-occurring policy: Covers you for incidents that happen during the time the policy is in force, no matter when the claim is made, even if the policy is no longer active. In other words, the event that caused the claim needs to happen while the policy was active, regardless of when the claim is made

Cyber crime claims can be intimidating, but the below steps are quick and easy to undertake and will ensure that things can be progressed quickly.

• Firstly, contact should be made with Action Fraud immediately. There is also a 24-hour phone line if you need to speak to someone, which you can reach by calling 0300 123 2040. When you make the claim, you will need to confirm the date you reported the incident and the claim number from Action Fraud
• If you run a business and you suspect that data has been stolen, you must also make sure that you’ve reported the situation to the Information Commissioner's Office. Again, you'll need to confirm the date you reported the incident and the claim number provided by them
• If you suspect there is a risk that your finances may be vulnerable, it’s good practice to also speak to your bank

While there are several steps to dealing with a cyber claim, some of the elements you’ll need to confirm and provide include:

• The details: The date of the incident and when you first became aware of it
• Action Fraud: Confirmation about whether or not you’ve contacted Action Fraud and the Information Commissioner's Office to report the issue
• Your finances: Whether you think your finances may be vulnerable and whether you have contacted your bank
• The damage: Details of the systems you believe have been targeted
• Third party damage: Whether you’re aware of any specific parties who may have been affected along with any relevant information you can provide
• Your business: Confirmation that your business is still able to run and operate effectively. If not, we’ll need extra details of how your business has been affected
• Paperwork: The best course of action is to keep all copies of correspondence relating to the incident. This includes communication with Action Fraud, the Information Commissioner's Office, your bank and any other documentation you have

Perhaps your boiler has broken in the middle of winter or your tenants are complaining of blocked drains, whatever the situation, you'll want to get the issue fixed fast.

If you're covered by landlords' home emergency insurance and you have an eligible emergency, you should call the 24/7 emergency hotline. You can find this number signposted in your policy documents.

When you speak to the hotline agent, they'll ask you to provide:

• The property: You'll need to give the address and postcode of the property at hand
• The details: As much detail as you can provide about the issue. You'll be advised on any action you need to take to make your property safe or to prevent further damage
• Your tenants: If your property is rented to tenants in vulnerable situations, a certified contractor will aim attend your property within 4 hours where possible, so it's important you let the agent know if your tenants are vulnerable

Once your insured emergency is registered, a certified tradesperson will attend your property within 24 hours. The authorised tradesperson will contact you directly to arrange a suitable appointment time.

Your claim will be taken care of with the authorised tradesperson and you'll be kept updated on progress.