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Make Sure Your Car Hire Insurance Claim is Valid
We explain how to ensure your car hire insurance claim is processed smoothly..
When looking to submit a car hire insurance claim it's really important that you ensure all the required supporting paperwork is included.
Different companies have slightly different claims processes. Full details of how to claim can be found in your policy document and some companies have dedicated pages to help - we have listed these below. Follow the instructions and you should find you are reimbursed quickly - however if you omit some of the required information your payment may well be delayed.
A top tip is to read the about the claims process before you set off on your travels. That way, should you have an incident in your car, you will know what to make sure you have before you leave the country. It is much harder to get hold of paperwork after the event!
We explain later in this article why the paperwork asked for is necessary.
Click on the company are you insured to see details of how to make a claim:
chewinsurance.com - Please refer to your policy documents
leisureguardinsurance.com - Please refer to your policy documents
Why do the companies need this information?
Some of our customers occasionally query why this information is asked for. It is all essential and it is not the claims companies being difficult, as you will see as you read on.
A copy of your certificate of insurance.
Claims are normally dealt with by claims management companies rather than the insurers or underwriters, so this is the quickest way of them checking you have a policy.
A copy of your car rental agreement.
So they can see the rental was in the name of the policyholder, the names of any additional drivers added, and that the geographic region and dates tie in with the policy you bought.
A copy of the Law Enforcement/Police report
Often only required in certain circumstances, such as accidents with third parties, or where required by law. The claims management company need this as they may be able to seek recompense from a third party. As with your normal car insurance policy, a driver would also not be covered if they were operating the car outside the terms of the rental company - say under the influence of drink or drugs - and the police report would indicate this
A copy of the car rental company’s accident damage or breakdown report which shows the detail of each of the costs incurred
To show what you are being charged for. The breakdown is important as policies may have separate limits for certain parts of your claim - for instance towing or recovery charges.
Itemised invoices/receipts/other documents confirming the amount you have paid, in respect of accidental damage or loss, for which the car rental company holds you responsible.
To show that you have paid the bill to the Car Hire Company
A copy of your credit card statement showing payment of the damages claimed, including details of the exchange rate applied.
To show the amount you have been charged in sterling - this can be a printout of your online statement to save any delay in applying.
A copy of the driving licence of the person involved in the accident (the driver at the time of the accident).
To evidence that the driver holds a current valid licence.
As you will see none of the above is really unreasonable, and all should be available within a few days of your return home meaning that, providing you send on all the appropriate documentation, you should be reimbursed without delay. It is often the case that claims will be processed more quickly if the information is submitted to the insurance companies electronically via email, just something to bear in mind.
This content was last reviewed on 14/08/2024
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