It’s been one weather event after another and with parts of the country only just getting connectivity back, there’s been a new wave of claims being lodged with providers.

Here at Cactus, we’re working alongside the insurance providers to do everything we can to streamline this new wave of claims, along with the existing claims, to make sure that our clients are feeling supported and that their claims are settled as soon as possible.

What’s being done by the insurers to help speed up the claims process?

Insurers are really under the pump at the moment, but they’re pulling out all the stops to speed up the process.

• Insurers are sourcing additional loss assessors and tradespeople from across the country to boost their resources to assist clients
• They’re also bringing in resources from their partner companies in Australia to assist with phone queues to shorten wait times
• Helicopters are being deployed to review and assess badly hit areas to identify areas of focus
• Insurers are placing hold cover for clients at renewal time that are in impacted areas and are not able to be contacted
• They’re speeding up their sign-offs to declare a car a total loss so that car claims get settled faster
• Insurers are providing clients with approval to carry out certain remediation work to their house before a loss assessor visits the property

What can you do to help process your claim?

To ensure your claim is processed as quickly as possible, keep the following tips in mind.

• Take photos of all damaged contents and keep a list of them before disposal.
• For Contents claims, make a list that breaks down each item per room to make sure you don’t miss anything.
• For Vehicle claims, remove items from your car before it is towed, if they are salvageable.

A Quick Guide to House Claims

If you need to arrange urgent work or repairs to make your house and property safe, sanitary, secure, and weathertight, please make sure to (if it is safe to do so):

• get suitably qualified professionals in to undertake the urgent works or repairs
• take detailed photographs of the damage before moving, repairing or disposing of anything
• keep records of any urgent works or repairs, including photographs, and copies of any invoices and receipts

If your premises is safe and watertight:

• clean up where possible, only throwing away food or soft furnishings (e.g. mattresses, couch, bedding, etc.)
• put water damaged items/plant/stock outside, undercover if possible as they may be able to be repaired/sanitised
• be careful when pulling up carpets as they may be contaminated – if disposing of them, cut a corner to be used as a sample
• ensure any rooms affected by flooding are checked by an electrician

It’s been wild – but we’re here for you and your business. Our team is on the phone with those most impacted so in the first instance, please email us at spike@hicactus.com or make a claim here.

If you need urgent support, please call us on 0508 4 222 887. We appreciate your patience while we experience a high volume of enquiries.

Stay safe, and together we’ll get you back in business.