Claim notification letter: template and guide

Notify quickly, and in writing

Most policies carry a condition requiring notification as soon as reasonably practicable, and some liability wordings require notification of circumstances that might give rise to a claim, not just claims themselves. Phone it through if the loss is serious, then follow up the same day in writing so there is a dated record of exactly what was reported.

The facts a handler needs first time

• Insured name exactly as on the schedule, policy number and period.
• Date, time and precise location of the loss, and when it was reported to you.
• A factual chronology — no speculation on cause, no admission of liability.
• What is damaged or who is injured, with an indicative value if one exists.
• Third parties, their insurers, and whether anything has been intimated.
• Mitigation already taken and costs run up doing it.
• Crime, fire service or RIDDOR reference numbers.

Evidence to collect before it disappears

CCTV is routinely overwritten within days, damaged stock gets cleared, and witnesses leave. Ask the client on the first call to preserve the scene where safe, photograph everything from wide to close, keep the damaged items, save the CCTV to a separate file, and write down what happened while it is fresh. Keep the accident book entry, delivery notes, invoices and repair estimates together.

Free template

Copy this, replace the bracketed fields, and delete the sections that do not apply to the class.

CLAIM NOTIFICATION

To: [Insurer / claims team], [email]
From: [Broker name], [Firm name], [email], [telephone]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Insured: [Insured legal name]
Policy number: [Number]
Policy period: [DD/MM/YYYY] to [DD/MM/YYYY]
Class / section: [Property damage / Business interruption / Employers' liability /
Public liability / Motor / Professional indemnity]

1. Date and time of loss
[DD/MM/YYYY, approx. HH:MM]. Reported to us on [DD/MM/YYYY].

2. Location
[Full address of the loss, including unit / floor where relevant.]

3. What happened
[Factual account in chronological order: what was being done, what went wrong,
what the immediate consequence was. State facts only — do not speculate on cause
or admit liability on the insured's behalf.]

4. Damage or injury
[Describe the property damaged and its condition, or the injury sustained and any
treatment. Estimated value / reserve if known: £X.]

5. Third parties involved
[Name, address, contact details, insurer and reference if known. State whether any
third party has intimated a claim.]

6. Emergency and mitigation action taken
[Make-safe, drying, security, temporary repairs, alternative premises. Include
supplier names and costs incurred to date.]

7. Reference numbers
Crime reference: [Number / N/A]
Fire and Rescue incident number: [Number / N/A]
RIDDOR report: [Number / N/A]

8. Attached
[Photographs / contemporaneous notes / accident book entry / invoices for
mitigation / witness details / CCTV availability / repair estimates.]

9. Next steps requested
Please confirm receipt, allocate a claim reference, and advise whether a loss
adjuster will be appointed. The insured is available at [contact] for site access.

No admission of liability has been made and none should be inferred from this
notification.

Common mistakes

• Passing on the client's opinion of cause as fact, which shapes the file badly from day one.
• Any wording that reads as an admission of liability.
• Notifying under the wrong section, so the reserve and adjuster are wrong too.
• Leaving mitigation costs out, then arguing about them at settlement.
• Waiting for full information before notifying — notify, then supplement.

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