By Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

DAMAGE TO property and other possessions is unavoidable in a major disaster. The process of claiming for damage from insurance companies does not have to be a hassle so if your property was properly insured, then there are simple steps to take.

"First of all, try and minimise the loss by securing your items as best you can. After the disaster, you can ascertain the extent of the damage by getting an estimate," said Pauline Campbell, Claims Supervisor at Guardian Insurance Brokers Ltd. "Where you get the estimate would depend on what was damaged. For example, for the home itself, you might need to get a mason. If the damage was to a piece of equipment, then you would need an invoice from the store in which you purchased it."

Once an estimate is gathered, then it should be submitted to your insurance company. Once that is done, the company will send a loss adjuster to verify the claim.

TIME

"Each claim has its own time depending on the size of the loss. For some, accessibility to an estimator can be a problem," said Ms. Campbell. As soon as the insurance company gets the claims and the adjustor does his checks, the insurance company moves in to settle the claim. Some claims can take months, depending on the case.

Barbara Brandon, Sales and Services Manager at National Property and General Insurance Brokers, added some extra advice: "If you have a still-photo camera or a videocamera, you can take pictures of the damage and that can help speed up the process with the adjustor."

She also stressed that claimants should ensure that their reports contain important information, including specifics about the type of damage.

Ms. Brandon reminded all claimants that they must consider what is known as the Average Clause that exists on all Jamaican policies. The clause states that if at the time of a loss, the sum insured on the property is less than the time replacement cost, the insured person will be considered his own insurer for the difference between the full replacement cost and the sums insured.

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