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How to claim on your Public Liability insurance?

Rhino Trade Insurance 17 December 2021

Having the right insurance in place for your business is all well and good, but what’s the point of having cover if you don’t know how to make a claim? Without a proper claims process, insurance may as well not be worth the paper it’s written on, and that’s why we like to make the process of making a claim as simple as possible.

At Rhino Trade Insurance, we offer various trade insurance options and take great pride in being open and transparent with your policy. If you are looking for details on filing a claim on your trade insurance policy, you have come to the right place.

To make things really simple, you can follow our clear claims guidelines here: https://www.rhinotradeinsurance.com/contact-us/claims/ 

For a bit more of a nuts and bolts understanding of how to file a claim on your tradesman or woman insurance policy, please read on. We are here to make life easier for you, you don't have to worry about complicated insurance jargon you may have been expecting. If you are trying to figure out what to do in the event of an on-site accident, who to contact, what information you require, and what actually transpires once the claim has been filed, allow us to explain!

Our first port of call: what is tradesman insurance?

Trade Insurance covers a variety of areas. In short, it covers you financially if you have to pay up in the event of an accident, damage or misfortune. Public Liability Insurance is the core example of a trade insurance policy, but there are numerous examples of cover that tradespeople take out. Using public liability insurance as an example, this protects you financially in the event that legal action is brought against your company as a result of accidental injury, death or damage caused by your business. Public Liability Insurance for tradespeople is a business-critical policy and is something that almost all Rhino customers take out.

You can make a claim up to the limit outlined in the policy when taking the cover out. The coverage provided by your Public Liability Insurance for example will be limited to a certain amount. Rhino Trade Insurance provides protection for public liability at £1 million, £2 million and £5 million, meaning policyholders can make a claim up to these limits.

How do you process a claim?

Having tradesman insurance is one thing, but anticipating a mishap on a job is another. Working in the trades carries risk, it's obvious. However, should something take a turn for the worse, we recommend staying calm and following these steps to file a claim:

Quickly reduce any additional risk.

It would be best to act quickly and responsibly when you learn that an accident has occurred. Hopefully, this will reduce the likelihood of further harm, damage, or death. As you have a duty of care, your priority should be to ensure that you, and everyone on the site is safe. 

Take stock after this, and don't accept blame instantly because any ensuing claims will need to be adequately investigated before a claim is paid out.

Now begin to record the event.

As a business owner, this is where you need to assess the situation. Not to get too CSI here, but do a forensic sweep (or as best you can) of the entire scene and collect as much information as possible. Any evidence, no matter how insignificant it may appear, could be crucial to your claim because it could reveal who or what caused the accident in the first place. When looking for specifics, keep these things in mind:

  • The incident's time and date
  • What transpired during it
  • The names and contact information of everyone present at the time of the incident.

You can also take pictures of the accident and observe any CCTV footage on the site. All of this can be used as evidence to show what happened, primarily if it supports any statements made by witnesses.

Examine the policies you have.

If you want to claim on your policy you next need to find the paperwork for your policy or go online and sign into your Rhino Trade Insurance account. 

This is because you should check the steps needed to notify your insurance company (that’s us by the way!). After all, every trade insurance company will have a different way of handling a claim. You must follow the correct procedure for filing a claim in order to avoid jeopardising your insurance claim.

Checking your insurance documents will also help you remember how much you are covered for. This is your policy level of indemnity and shows you what cover you have and what to expect when you file a claim.

You can download the documents for your policy by logging into your online account. The relevant documents and contact information you need to submit your claim can be found here. The following is a breakdown of the forms that can be found in your account: 

  • Policy Schedule 

This shows when your policy started, when it ends, and how much coverage you have.

  • Policy Wording

This specifies the terms of the removed policy. For instance, what the policy covers and what it doesn't.

  • Certificate of Insurance

A certified document that attests to your insurance coverage is known as a Certificate of Insurance. This is something you can show customers when speccing a job.

  • Terms of Business 

This document provides the customer with a clear understanding of Rhino Protect Limited's (Rhino Trade Insurance's trading company) business terms.

What to do next, and what documentation is needed?

When you call or email Rhino Trade Insurance, having every piece of documentation or evidence on hand is the best way to get your claim started. As previously stated, photos of the accident, any police report you may have, and a medical report are the best forms of evidence.

Gathering this information means you will be best prepared to present your insurer with the claim. However, don't waste any time; the longer you leave to make a claim, the less likely you will be successful in receiving compensation. 

The possibility of switching insurance providers after an incident occurs is an interesting point to bring up. Depending on the levels of cover you had in place, whoever your insurance provider was during the accident would be responsible for paying the claim. Not the insurer who you switch to after making a claim.

Informing your insurer 

Now is the time to inform us or your insurer in this instance. After compiling your evidence, review any professional insurance paperwork and let us know you are ready to talk. Then, get in touch with one of our claims specialists as soon as possible. 

Once you have begun a dialogue with us, we will need all your information regarding the incident to process the claim. This includes your name, company information, insurance policy number, and personal information. Who suffered harm? What was broken? Where exactly was the work being done? Who was responsible? If you are unsure, you can get assistance from one of our highly experienced insurance experts.

Support us along the way

What happens once a claim for your business insurance is registered? You might think you can take a breather, but we cannot take our foot off the gas just yet! We will get to work once we have all the information we need about the accident and tell you how the process is going.

When handling a claim of any nature, there are certain steps that must be followed. An example of one of these is needing to visit the scene of the incident or speak with those involved. Because of this, you need to give your insurance company complete control over the process. This is so that we can determine who is to blame and whether we can defend or settle the claim; we must comprehend all of the facts.

All of these details will be explained to you by a Rhino claims expert, so if you have any questions, we will be there to help. We have handled numerous cases previously and have thousands of five-star reviews as a result of our service. Please check them out here.

How do I contact my insurance company?

When you first take out your policies, you will receive all of your essential documents for the insurance - this includes every contact number you will need to contact us. Different insurance policies will have different claims processes, with different numbers to call and channels to follow. Please bear this in mind when taking insurance out to give you the best chance of a smooth process in the event of making a claim.

Don't fear, though! We understand this is a testing time. Give Rhino a call if you need help finding your policy documents; we'll help you find your information and walk you through the process. 

It's easy to get in touch with our claims department. Visit our website and click the "claims" button in the upper right corner (told you we make things easy!). The number or email required for your insurance claim will be displayed there. You can also contact our claims department by selecting option 3 when you call our standard number, 0116 243 7904.

Why choose Rhino Trade Insurance?

As a dedicated insurance company that concentrates on trade people large and small, Rhino Trade Insurance is where you will be best served for your insurance needs. Whether you are making a substantial claim on your public liability insurance, or are reporting tools stolen, we work hard to get you back up and running as quickly and smoothly as possible.

We know that every trade has its own risks and dangers. That's why we provide bespoke policies and packages for every trade we cover. These include electricians, handymen, gardeners, plasterers, bricklayers and many more.

The finishing touch? We can give you a quote in minutes without knowing your life story. You can call our UK-based team for a friendly chat and have any questions answered or visit our world-beating quote engine online.


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