Claims support
Nobody should face a claim alone.
A claim is the only moment insurance is actually tested. This page sets out what happens on a motor, fire, home or life claim — what you will be asked for, why claims fail, and what can be done when an insurer says no.
Before anything else
The first hour shapes the whole file.
Most of the damage done to a claim is done in the first day, by people acting reasonably and in a hurry. Three things matter more than the rest.
Tell us before you tell anyone
One message with the policy number and what has happened is enough. We intimate the claim to the insurer and record the reference the same day.
Do not repair, replace or discard
A surveyor has to see the loss as it stands. Keep the vehicle, the damaged part, the wreck and the keys; leave burnt or damaged stock where it lies. Photograph everything before it is moved.
Keep every original
Purchase invoices, repair bills, the fire brigade report, the FIR, the policy schedule. Claims usually run on originals, so scan each one before it leaves your hands.
How a claim moves
Five stages, in this order.
Motor, fire, home and life claims differ in detail. The shape is the same in every case.
You contact us; we contact the insurer. Every policy sets a window for intimation — motor damage before any repair begins, a fire or a burglary as soon as the premises are safe and the authorities have been informed, damage to a home immediately, and a death claim as soon as it is practicable. The exact window is in your policy wording, and we check it rather than guess. You get the claim number and the name of the desk handling it in writing.
We send you a single list of what the insurer will ask for, in the order it will be asked for. Nothing goes in half-complete: an incomplete pack is the most common reason a file sits still for weeks. We read the set before it is submitted, keep a copy of everything, and note the date of submission.
For motor, fire and home claims the insurer appoints a licensed surveyor to inspect the loss and to report on cause, extent and quantum. Their report is what the insurer settles on, so it matters that the loss is seen as it stands and that the sum insured and the policy schedule are in front of them. Life claims go to the insurer's claims team instead, and an early claim may be investigated. We attend or coordinate at this stage so the assessment is made against the policy wording, not against an assumption.
Insurers raise queries. An unanswered query is where most claims quietly stall. We answer in writing, against the reference number, and follow up on a schedule rather than when someone remembers. You are told what was asked and what was sent — you should never have to guess where your claim has reached.
A settled claim is paid into the registered bank account, or on a motor claim settled directly with the network garage, less any deductions the policy permits. If the claim is repudiated or settled short, the insurer must give the reason in writing. We read that reason against the wording and tell you plainly whether it is defensible or worth challenging. We do not predict outcomes; settlement rests with the insurer and the policy terms.
What to send us
The pack the insurer will ask for.
Requirements vary by insurer and by policy. This is the working set — we confirm the exact list against your wording before anything is submitted.
Fire and allied perils
For a home, shop, godown or small unit. Nothing should be cleared or rebuilt before the surveyor has seen it.
- Policy copy and completed claim form
- Fire brigade report, and the FIR where one was registered
- Photographs and video of the damage before anything is moved
- Purchase invoices for the damaged assets, and the fixed-asset register
- Stock statement as at the date of loss, with purchase and sales records
- Repair or reinstatement estimates from a contractor
- Books of account and the last audited statements, where the insurer asks
- Anything further the appointed surveyor records in writing
Structure, contents or burglary
A home claim turns on what the structure costs to reinstate and what was actually inside it.
- Policy copy and completed claim form
- FIR for burglary, theft or malicious damage
- List of items lost or damaged, with purchase invoices or valuations
- Photographs of the damage and of the point of entry
- Contractor's estimate for repairing or reinstating the structure
- Valuation certificates for any jewellery or valuables scheduled on the policy
- Society or municipal intimation, where flooding or a burst tank is involved
- Rent receipts, where the policy covers alternative accommodation
Own damage, theft or third party
Nothing should be repaired or moved before the surveyor has inspected the vehicle.
- Policy copy and completed claim form
- Registration certificate of the vehicle
- Driving licence of the person who was driving
- FIR for theft, third-party damage, injury or death
- Repair estimate from the garage, and photographs of the damage
- For theft: both keys, the RTO transfer papers and a subrogation letter
- Anything further the appointed surveyor records in writing
Death claim
Filed by the nominee. We deal with the insurer so the family is not made to explain itself repeatedly.
- Death certificate issued by the municipal authority
- Original policy document
- The insurer's claim forms, completed by the nominee
- Nominee's photo ID, address proof and bank details
- Hospital or treatment records where there was an illness
- Post-mortem report, FIR and police final report for an unnatural death
- Employer or attending physician statements, if the insurer asks
Send scans on WhatsApp or email and keep the originals until the claim closes. We will tell you what is missing before the insurer does.
Said plainly
Why claims are rejected.
Almost every rejection we see traces back to one of four causes. Three of them are decided long before the claim is made, which is the whole argument for advice at the point of purchase.
Non-disclosure at proposal stage
An existing condition, a habit, an earlier claim or another policy left off the proposal form gives the insurer grounds to repudiate — even years later, and even where the omission had nothing to do with the eventual claim. "The agent filled it in" is not a defence; the signature on the form is yours.
How we prevent it. We complete the proposal with you, in full, in one sitting. Every declaration made is recorded and a copy stays with you. Where a condition might raise the premium, we say so and let the insurer price it rather than hide it.
The sum insured was set too low
On fire, home and motor policies the sum insured is not a budget — it is a declaration. Insure a building or a stock of goods for less than it would cost to reinstate and the average clause reduces every claim in the same proportion, not only the total-loss ones. On motor, a shaved insured declared value lowers the premium and lowers the theft or write-off payout by exactly the same logic.
How we prevent it. The sum insured is worked out on reinstatement cost and on the stock actually held, and the IDV is set honestly rather than to win a quote. We say plainly what a cheaper number would cost you at the claim.
The policy had lapsed
A premium missed beyond the grace period ends the cover. A motor, fire or home policy simply stops, and there is no cover at all for anything that happens in the gap. On a life policy, a lapse can reduce the claim to nothing at the worst possible moment.
How we prevent it. We hold a renewal calendar for every policy in the household and remind you before the due date, not after. Where the insurer allows a standing instruction, we set one up. If a policy has already lapsed we tell you what revival will cost and what it will not restore.
Intimation or documents delayed
Late intimation gives an insurer room to argue that the loss could no longer be verified. Regulators have told insurers not to reject an otherwise genuine claim on delay alone, but delay still puts the file on the back foot and invites questions that need answering.
How we prevent it. Intimation happens the day you tell us. The document pack is tracked as a list, with dates, so nothing is discovered missing three weeks later.
A fifth outcome is not rejection but short settlement — depreciation on replaced parts, the compulsory deductible, salvage value set against the loss, and a proportionate reduction where the sum insured fell short. That is a wording problem, and it is fixed at purchase, not at the garage counter.
If the answer is no
There is a route above the insurer.
A repudiation is not the end of the matter. India has a defined escalation path, it costs the policyholder nothing to use, and it works on documents. We prepare the file at each stage.
01 — The insurer's grievance cell
Every insurer has a Grievance Redressal Officer. The complaint goes in writing, quoting the claim number and the reason given for rejection, and a complaint reference is issued. A reply is generally expected within fifteen days.
02 — IRDAI Bima Bharosa
If there is no reply, or the reply does not address the point, the complaint is registered on IRDAI's Bima Bharosa grievance portal. It is recorded against the insurer and tracked to a disposal, which in itself changes how a file is treated.
03 — The Insurance Ombudsman
A free, quasi-judicial forum under the Insurance Ombudsman Rules for personal insurance complaints up to the prescribed monetary limit. It can be approached once the insurer has rejected the complaint or has not replied within a month, and an award is binding on the insurer.
The Ombudsman must normally be approached within one year of the insurer's final reply, and the same dispute cannot already be before a consumer forum or a court. Those forums remain open either way. We help you assemble and present the case; we do not promise a result, and anyone who does should be treated with suspicion.
Intimating a claim
Message us at any hour.
Send the policy number, what has happened, and where. That is enough to start. WhatsApp is open around the clock, and we reply as early as we can — if you message overnight, expect a response the next morning. If anyone is hurt or the premises are unsafe, deal with that first and tell us afterwards.
Do it before you need it.
Most claims are won or lost at the proposal form. Bring whatever you already hold and we will read it, tell you where it would fail, and fix it while there is still time to.