Need to make a claim?
Need to make a claim?
Out of Hours Emergencies
Major loss – contact your Castlemead director on their mobile.
For anything else, call us the next day during office hours and we’ll take over.
How can we help you?
Motor
- Your vehicle has been stolen or damaged
- Your vehicle damages third party property or causes third party bodily injury
- A third party alleges your vehicle has damaged their property
In instances of theft or a total loss claim, insurers may require the following to be able to value your vehicle:
- Registration document (V5)
- MOT certificate (if over 3 years old)
- Plating certificates (commercial vehicles)
- Purchase invoice (as evidence to any extras added to the vehicle)
- Details of any finance outstanding on the vehicle
- Keys (theft claims)
- For theft claims also expect insurers to visit you to obtain a statement of events (in addition to the claim form)
If you have suffered a non fault claim our in house claims team will seek recovery of all of your uninsured losses (excess, hire, loss of use costs) from the insurers of the party at fault.
Out of Hours
If you have an accident out of hours, get yourself and your vehicle home via a local recovery agent. Then contact us at 9am the next day and we’ll take it from there.
Property
A property claim form is required when your premises or contents have suffered damage or loss.
If you think the loss is over £5,000 please call the claims department immediately on +44 (0)117 9453900 and we will arrange for a loss adjuster to be appointed. The claim form can then follow.
For losses below £5,000 please submit the claim form and the following supporting documents:
- Copy original purchase invoice, as proof of ownership & original specification
- Copy engineers report confirming the item is beyond repair & replacement quote on like for like basis, or
- Repair estimate (two quotes required to show they are competitive)
- Photos
For business interruption claims insurers will need sight of annual accounts.
Large Fire Losses
If you experience a large loss please call your Castlemead contact immediately. We will visit you and arrange for the appointment of a loss adjuster to manage your claim. Once appointed, the loss adjuster will start gathering together the information they need to assess the claim.
The documents and searches will include, but are not confined to, the following:
- Fire brigade report
- Police report
- Photos of site immediately after the loss
- RIDDOR
- The policy schedule to confirm sums insured and specific warranties
- The policy wording to ensure policy conditions and warranties have been applied
- The proposal form to check disclosure of material facts
- A copy of the lease, if applicable
- A copy of property valuations
- To support sums insured disclosed at renewal
- Criminal convictions of directors
- Previous fraudulent claims of directors, whether personal or corporate
- Credit check on company and directors
For immediate assistance regarding large fire loss, please contact one of our directors. If you don’t have their contact details to hand, please contact us on 0117 945 3900.
Liability
- A third party has been injured (excluding road accidents)
- Third party property has been damaged (excluding road accidents)
- When a product you have sold, serviced or supplied has caused injury or damage
A claimant must prove negligence. To determine negligence, insurers will need to review the following documents:
- Accident book entry and first aider report
- HSE RIDDOR report
- Pre and post accident risk assessments for slips, trips and falls
- Written safe system of work policy & documents to show this is followed (e.g. cleaning records)
- Incident investigation report including sketch plans and photos
- Minutes of any health and safety meetings
- Witness statements
- Product sample if possible or photos
- Details of process in place to checking product safety
- Manufacturer details
Employers Liability
- Accident book entry and first aider report
- HSE RIDDOR report
- Pre and post-accident risk assessments for slips, trips and falls
- Written safe system of work policy including PPE policy and enforcement of policies (e.g. cleaning records)
- Incident investigation report including sketch plans and photos
- Minutes of any health and safety meetings
- Personnel records (job description, job application form, sickness and attendance records)
- Claimants training and induction records
- Wage details (net and gross) for 13 weeks prior to the accident and since
- Witness statements
- Machine handbook and maintenance records
- Anything else that will assist insurers
Goods in Transit and Marine Claims
- out on the road using your own vehicles, or
- during transportation using a subsidiary but you are arranging the insurance, or
- when temporarily stored in your warehouse for onward transportation
Insurers will also need:
- Copy of invoice for the transportation between you and your customer
- Claused delivery note signed at delivery point stating damage or missing items
- All correspondence between yourselves and your customer
- Engineers report confirming beyond repair or repair estimate
- If beyond repair copies of invoices between your customer and their customer to support the price of the item damaged
- Packing lists
- Bill of lading / airways bill / consignment note/ freight invoice (marine claims)
- Copy of certificate of insurance issued showing cover & sum insured (marine claims)
- Copy letter to subcontractor / consignee / freight forwarder holding them liable for damage. This must be written within 7 days of the loss to comply with marine cargo clauses.
Personal Accident
- Copy accident book entry if occurred at place of work
- Copy sick notes
- For temporary disability
- 13 weeks wage information (net and gross) of claimant, prior to the incident. This is used to calculate the average weekly earnings entitlement
- For permanent disability
- 12 months wage information prior to the accident
- Consent to access medical records for more serious injuries such as loss of limb
Travel
Please contact the Castlemead claims team for the specific claim form you will need. For all travel claims your insurers will need to see copies of:
- Travel bookings ( flights / hotels etc.)
- If it was business travel a letter from your employer confirming this
For cancellation or curtailment claims insurers will also require:
- Copy of cancellation invoice
- Copies of any refunds provided by the airline
- Copies of invoices for rearranged flights
- If cancelled due to illness, a doctors letter confirming that you are unable to travel
- Copies of invoices for any additional costs incurred due to delay (e.g. additional hotel expenses)
For medical expense claims:
- You should call the emergency contact number on your policy whilst away, they will then arrange direct billing between the hospital and your insurers
- For smaller medical costs Insurers will need to see copy invoices and doctors letter confirming diagnosis
For personal effects and money claims:
- Copy original purchase receipts (to prove ownership and specification of original item)
- Copy foreign police report (for lost or stolen items)
- Copy of repair estimate or replacement estimate on a like for like basis
For money claims a copy of the bank withdrawal or exchange receipt.
Claim Forms
Over 30 years history of professional service and advice to our clients
Insurance broker based in Bristol and Exeter
BRISTOL OFFICE: Castlemead House, St Johns Road, BRISTOL BS3 1AL
Bristol: +44(0)117 945 3900
info@castlemead.com
EXETER OFFICE: Leeward House, Fitzroy Road, Exeter Business Park, EXETER EX1 3LJ
Exeter: +44(0)1392 348999
info@castlemead.com
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