Suppose you’ve been burgled. You find your door broken in and your most valuable possessions gone. You’d call the police, naturally, but would you then go off to work without bothering to get your door repaired enough to lock it?

Of course you wouldn’t, but it does happen, and anyone behaving like that is creating serious problems for themselves.

Damage mitigation is an important principle in both law and insurance claims. It means that, if you’ve suffered loss, you must take “reasonable action” to prevent further loss, otherwise either the courts or the insurance company’s Loss Adjuster can refuse to compensate you.

This isn’t bloody-mindedness. If, for example, you were to go straight out after a break-in and leave your home unsecured, it would be impossible to prove what had been taken in the original burglary and what had gone as a result of your negligence. In those circumstances, the Loss Adjuster might be justified in refusing to pay any of your claim.

The same applies if you leave your home or business premises at risk after a fire or flood, rather than undertaking essential structural work at the earliest possible opportunity. Damage mitigation is vital if your insurance claim is going to succeed — as well as being common sense.

How Can a Loss Assessor Help with Damage Mitigation?

There are many reasons why it’s vital to appoint a Loss Assessor as soon as you know you’ll be making an insurance claim, and damage mitigation is one of the most important.

A Loss Assessor will always work for you to get the compensation due to you — after all, they don’t get paid if you don’t. But it’s no good having a Loss Assessor if you’ve already failed to meet your damage mitigation obligations.

If you appoint a Loss Assessor at once, they’ll be able to see what needs to be done straight away, such as emergency work to prevent further damage to your property, and arrange for it to be done. They’ll also undertake a thorough survey of the damage, which can be used to support your claim for the losses you’ve suffered.

Appointing a Loss Assessor at the earliest opportunity could make the difference between success and failure in your insurance claim.