How to describe your claim

A claim starts with a description of what went wrong, and a clear one makes everything that follows easier. You are not writing a legal document or arguing your corner yet. You are telling the story of the loss plainly enough that someone who was not there can understand what happened, when, and what it affected. This guide gives you a simple structure to do that well.

What makes something a claim

A claim is a request to your insurer to put right a defined loss or damage covered by your policy. A burst pipe that soaked a floor, a storm that lifted roof tiles, a break-in that took equipment, stock ruined by a failed freezer: each is a specific event with a specific consequence, and each is a claim.

Some things feel like claims but are really something else. A question about what your policy covers is a cover query. Unhappiness with how you have been treated is a complaint, and worth raising as one, but it is not itself a claim. If what you have is a loss you want covered, you are in the right place, and describing it clearly is the first move.

The four things to cover

Whatever the loss, a description that answers these four questions can be understood and assessed. Take them one at a time.

1. What was damaged or lost

Name the things, room by room or item by item. "Water damage to the kitchen ceiling, the units below, and the flooring" is far more useful than "damage downstairs". If several things were affected, list them rather than summarising.

2. When it happened

Give the date, and the time if you know it. If the event and your discovery of it were different moments, say both: "the storm was overnight on the 2nd; I found the damage the next morning." For something found after a period away, the date you noticed it is a real and usable fact.

3. What caused it

Describe the cause as far as you genuinely know it. "A pipe under the sink failed and water ran across the floor" states a cause you can stand behind. If you do not know the cause, describe what you saw instead: "water was coming through the ceiling; I have not yet found the source." Honesty about what you are unsure of is a strength, not a gap.

4. The effect on you

Say what the loss has meant in practical terms: a room out of use, a business unable to trade, belongings you cannot replace easily. This is the impact, and it matters to how the claim is handled.

Be specific, and be honest

The difference between a weak description and a strong one is usually specificity. "The bathroom flooded and it has been a nightmare" tells an assessor almost nothing. "On the 3rd, the flexible hose to the basin tap split and water ran for several hours while we were out, soaking the bathroom floor and the hallway ceiling below" tells them what, when, how, and what was affected.

At the same time, do not overreach. Do not state a cause you cannot support, do not blame a party without grounds, and do not describe damage you have not actually seen. If you are unsure, say so. An accurate account with honest gaps is worth far more than a confident one that does not hold up.

Back it with evidence

A description is stronger the moment you attach proof to it. As early as you can, gather:

• photographs of the damage, taken before any clearing up or repair where it is safe to wait
• receipts, invoices, or valuations for anything lost or damaged
• repair quotes from your own contractors
• dates and notes of what you observed and when

You do not need all of it before you begin, and you can add to it as you go. Keep the originals safe and share copies.

Once you can describe the loss clearly and point to the policy that covers it, you are ready to make the claim properly. If you are not yet sure the policy in hand is the right one, it is worth checking the policy fits the claim first, or finding the right policy document if it does not.