Submitting an Insurance Claim

Document Everything About The Claim

Before anything else, be sure to document as much of the damage as possible by taking photos and notes before repairs begin.

For some incidents, emergency work will be required, often before the claim has been settled.

If your home or vehicle requires this kind of work—removing belongings to a secure location, protecting damaged property, securing the incident site, removing materials—and the home or vehicle is covered for it, you may have the option to request emergency service workers to complete the job.

Please note that these services may not be available in all regions in Ontario.

Choosing a Contractor

Hiring a contractor to complete the repairs to a home or vehicle is an important step. Many insurers require that any contracting work done needs to be guaranteed by the contractor for at least one year.

Ask your Scrivens broker for trusted repair facilities.

Note: a vendor's preferred status should be confirmed with an adjuster before repairs begin.

Assessing Repairs

Next, the damages to your home or vehicle will be assessed against your insurance policy to determine what the policy will cover.

Once it is determined how much of the loss is covered by the policy, the cost of these replacements and repairs will be calculated based on local market prices for materials and labour, and the amount of work needed to return the property to its pre-claim condition.

A cheque will then be issued for costs covered by your insurance policy. If you already had a contractor undertake repairs, the cheque will be sent directly to the contractor.

Taking Stock of Possessions

You may be asked to complete a form called a "schedule of loss." This document itemizes every possession that was damaged or destroyed in the incident, along with its cost, where it was purchased and when, a description of the item, and where it was located on the property.

Please ensure that you include any receipts or manuals for these items to demonstrate proof of ownership.

Scrivens and your insurer will then work with you to determine which items are eligible for coverage under your policy.

What You Can Expect From Scrivens During A Claim

We aim to resolve all claims as quickly and fairly as possible. Smaller and less complex claims are usually resolved much more quickly than larger or more complex claims, such as those that affect numerous parties or contain considerable damages, which can take months or even years.

Submitting a claim can affect your insurance policy. You may lose your claims-free discount, and your premiums could rise as the result of a claim, so be sure that the damages are severe enough to warrant submitting a claim.

Frequent claims can also affect your ability to be renewed.

You should be prepared to document as many of the disruptions to your live as possible.

You should take photographs of the damages and write down notes of interactions with contractors and other third parties so that they have this information ready for a claim.

If the damages to a home are severe enough that you can no longer live there safely until repairs are completed, you may quality for have your living expenses covered by your insurance policy.

Speak with you Scrivens broker to determine which expenses may be covered by your policy, such as hotel rooms, clothing or food—and keep any and all receipts for these purchases, even if they can't be covered for every disruption.