Fire, flood, theft, escape of water...
the list goes on.
You just never know when you will need to make a claim on your home insurance policy.
If you have little or no insurance knowledge, making a claim can be a daunting and time consuming experience and you will find that you may have to try to understand a lot of insurance specific terminology and complicated policy wordings and meanings.
In addition, in many cases, you will have to deal with an insurance expert such as a Loss Adjuster who acts on behalf of the Insurance company and will try to keep claims costs to a minimum or find a reason for not paying out on the claim which can leave you substantially out of pocket.
Ideally, before you ever experience having to make a claim, there are some things you can do in advance to make the claims journey more easy to navigate:

1. Read the small print on your policy carefully and understand what you are covered for and that you have adequate levels of insurance.
   If you notice anything incorrect or of concern, raise a query with your insurance broker or the insurance company as soon as possible (do this in writing and keep a copy in case of any future related disputes)
2. Keep any receipts or valuations somewhere safe and if you buy any new items over £200, keep receipts as this will prove invaluable if you have to claim for any of these items.
   When you buy large value items, always review your sum insured to ensure that it continues to be adequate otherwise you could be financially penalised for being underinsured
3. Complete a written inventory of all your household goods with purchase costs where possible so that in the event you suffer a large claim with a lot of items damaged, you have a clear record of your belongings as it can be difficult to remember everything.
   It is also useful to have photographs of your larger and more valuable contents and a record of model and serial numbers for electrical and computer equipment
4. Have your valuables such as jewellery and antiques revalued approximately every 2 years as the cost of these can substantially increase and you need to ensure you have these adequately insured

If you are unfortunate enough to experience loss or damage, you should do the following:

1. If you have a claim for loss of an item or a theft or malicious damage, ensure that you notify the Police, ideally within 24hrs as many policies with have a condition requiring this to be completed within this timeframe
2. Notify your Insurer or your Insurance Broker of the claim as soon as possible after the incident
3. Take photographs of the damage where applicable and gather together any information you have that will be helpful for your claim such as receipts, photos and estimates as this will help to speed up your claim
4. Keep a record of all claims activity such as telephone calls, written correspondence and meetings - this can prove invaluable in the event that a dispute subsequently arises
5. Be honest when questioned - if you aren't and this is discovered at any stage, you could prejudice the entire claim and in some case, be investigated for fraud
6. Consider seeking advice from Claims Specialists such as a Loss Assessor or a Claims Consultant who can ensure that you are being treated fairly, getting everything you are entitled to which is not always clear within the policy and who can help you if you need to make a complaint.