Hit by calamity? Keeps docs safely for claims

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In the floods in Himachal Pradesh, the house of Rahul Sood of Mandi got washed away in front of his eyes. Rahul’s lifetime’s earnings were drowned in one stroke. Fortunately, he had taken an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh for this house. But their worry is that their house and all insurance papers have been washed away in the flood. How will they get insurance cover?

Getting the claim Getting a home insurance claim after a natural calamity is a big challenge. Like Rahul, many people’s important documents like insurance, house registry, Aadhaar and PAN get destroyed. Promore Fintech’s insurance expert Ziyauddin Syed says that before claiming the loss due to natural calamity, file an FIR with the police. After this inform the incident to the insurance company.

Nowadays most people keep a copy of their PAN, Aadhaar etc. in their email or DigiLocker. So the affected people should take a copy of Aadhaar card, PAN and electricity bill to the police. On the basis they will get residence certificate from the district administration.

Procedure to claim After collecting the necessary papers, one will have to go to the office of the insurance company and apply for the claim. Insurance company officials will provide duplicate policy through insurance premium transaction, PAN, Aadhaar and mobile number. This way the claim process will start.

Damage assessment On the basis of the claim application, the surveyor of the insurance company will inspect the spot. The surveyor will assess how and to what extent the house has been damaged. Keep in mind, in the policy related to natural calamity insurance, the claim will be given only if the house is damaged due to natural calamity. Natural calamity has to confirmed by the state government and local administration. However, there will be no problem with Rahul in this matter. The Himachal government has announced to give relief by declaring flood as a natural calamity. If the natural calamity is not confirmed at the government level, then the insurance company can reject the claim.

What to keep in mind while taking a claim Ziyauddin Syed says that before claiming the damage caused to the house or shop in a natural disaster, assess the loss. Make a complete list of the damage. If you get the bills related to the purchase of the goods included in the list, then it will be easy to claim. Nowadays many people buy goods from e-commerce sites. If you get a bill or transaction receipt on the mail, it will prove helpful. Keep in mind one more important thing that from the beginning of the claim till the end, stick to the same statement. Repeatedly changing the statement about a loss may lead to rejection of your claim.

The risk of natural disasters is increasing due to climate change. In such a situation, like car and bike, insurance of house and shop has also become necessary. However, unlike vehicles, property insurance is not mandatory. But to avoid a situation like Rahul’s, it is advisable to take an insurance cover for the house to protect against the risks of natural calamities.