L’expert en sinistre au Québec | Spécialiste en nettoyage Sinisco

What to do?

in the first hours

Notify your insurer or broker.
Limit the damage, but do not make any permanent repairs before speaking to your insurer. For example, in the case of water damage, dry everything as quickly as possible.
Authorize emergency work to prevent further damage. Make sure you clearly understand what the disaster restoration professional will do and, especially, how much it will cost, before authorizing any work.
Meet the claims adjuster in charge of your file. He or she will guide you through the claims process.
Verify how much coverage you have with the help of the claims adjuster. If necessary, he or she will explain the steps to follow to cover additional living expenses.

What to do?

THE CLAIMS settlement process

The claims adjuster identifies the cause of the disaster and confirms whether your claim is admissible or not, under the terms of your insurance contract.
The claims adjuster assesses the damage and decides on how much compensation the insurer will offer to pay you. Prepare an inventory of all damaged property in order to document and justify your claim.
Choose a contractor to carry out the repair work, unless you decide to do it yourself.
Authorize the work. Review the quotes you receive, taking care to verify the proposed costs for each step. Confirm it all with your claims adjuster.
Negotiate a settlement. With your inventory of damaged property, the claims adjuster will be able to calculate a settlement offer based on your contract. Review this offer and confirm that you agree with it; otherwise you will have to negotiate.
The insurer pays the claim, minus the deductible. Be sure to confirm with your insurer that you are satisfied with the work that has been done before they pay the service providers.
Claim the amount of the deductible from a liable third party, if applicable. There are limitation periods for taking legal action. Make sure you obtain all the necessary information.

IN BRIEF

The Chambre de l’assurance de dommages offers a variety of tools to help claimants understand and manage the situation. If you have a disaster on your hands, we strongly recommend you read the Claimant’s Handbook.

Don’t forget—we’re available 24/7 for all emergencies. Call us at: