Making a renters insurance claim

First hour

Make it safe, then stop the situation getting worse where you reasonably can. Most policies expect that, and the cost of temporary measures is often reimbursable.

Photograph everything before moving or clearing anything, including the wider scene and the source of the damage where there is one.

Do not throw damaged items away. They are the evidence of what you are claiming for, and an insurer may want to see them.

Report it — and where relevant, report it twice

Tell the insurer promptly. Policies require timely notice, and unexplained delays create questions that are easy to avoid.

Where a theft, break-in or vandalism is involved, report it to the police as well. Most policies require it and the report number is generally among the first things the insurer will ask for.

Tell the landlord too where the building is involved. In a shared building the record of who was told what and when frequently matters later.

Evidencing what you owned

This is the part that decides a contents claim, and it is much easier if an inventory already exists.

• Your inventory or video walkthrough, which establishes the items existed
• Photographs of the damaged items and of the scene
• Serial and model numbers for anything substantial
• Receipts where you have them, and bank or card records where you do not
• Valuations for scheduled items
• The police report number where there was a theft

What the settlement looks like

On an actual cash value policy, expect depreciation to be applied by category and age. On a replacement cost policy, expect the first payment to be the depreciated amount, with the balance released once you replace the items and evidence the cost.

That two-stage process is normal rather than a dispute, but it does mean the first figure is often not the final one, and there is usually a deadline for claiming the balance.

Scheduled items are generally settled against their agreed value and frequently without a deductible.

If it stalls

Establish what is actually outstanding before assuming a disagreement. Missing documentation is a far more common cause of delay than a coverage decision.

Keep a log of the claim: who you spoke to, when, what was agreed, what was requested. That record resolves more disputes than any argument about the wording.

Where the disagreement is real, ask for the decision in writing along with the policy provision it relies on. That request either produces a reason you can address or produces a reconsideration.