Business Owner's Desk
Plain-language insurance guidance
Practical answer
What records should exist before a claim?
A clean evidence file can shorten a difficult claim.
The short answer
Insurers need to establish ownership, value, cause, coverage, and the amount claimed. Records should be maintained before the incident and backed up away from the insured premises.
What to do now
- 01Keep the complete policy, schedule, endorsements, proposal, declarations, and insurer correspondence.
- 02Maintain asset registers, invoices, valuations, stock records, contracts, payroll, accounts, and tax records.
- 03Retain maintenance, inspection, training, alarm, fire-protection, incident, and risk-survey records.
- 04Back up photographs, CCTV, supplier/customer data, business-continuity plans, and emergency contacts.