Find the recoveries hiding in your claim notes

Fields

• First account of the loss
• Handler and adjuster notes, in date order

Questions

1. Do the notes say enough about the cause of the loss to judge whether someone else caused it? Yes / No

   Many closed files record only the type of loss and the payments. Judge whether the cause itself is described. Yes: The notes or the first account describe what caused the damage, clearly enough to say whether anyone else was involved. No: The cause is not described beyond a label such as "escape of water" or "storm", so no view on another party is possible.

2. Who other than the policyholder may have caused the loss, from the notes? Choice

   Choose the party the notes point to most strongly. Choose No other party when the notes put the loss down to weather, wear and tear, the policyholder or their household, or a person nobody can trace.

   • Contractor or tradesperson Someone who installed, repaired or worked on the property or an appliance, and whose work may have caused the loss.
   • Maker or seller of a product An appliance, part or product that failed in itself, not because of how it was fitted.
   • Neighbour, landlord or management company Next-door or upstairs property, a freeholder or a managing agent whose property, repairs or neglect caused the damage.
   • Utility or public body A water, gas or power company, or a council or highways body, such as a burst main, a power surge or a fallen council tree.
   • Vehicle or driver A vehicle that hit the building, a wall, a gate or other property.
   • Another business Any other business whose actions caused the loss, such as a delivery firm or a nearby site.
   • No other party The notes point to weather, wear and tear, the policyholder or their household, or an untraced person.

3. Do the notes name or identify the other party who may have caused the loss? Yes / No

   Count a firm name, an address, a vehicle registration, or a make and model of the product. Do not check whether the details are right. Yes: The notes give enough to identify the other party. No: No other party is identified, or none is involved.

4. How strong is the evidence in the notes that someone other than the policyholder caused the loss? Scale

   Judge the strongest evidence the notes describe. Do not judge whether a recovery would succeed.

   • None Nothing in the notes suggests anyone else caused the loss.
   • Suggested The policyholder or the handler suspects another party, with nothing more behind it.
   • Stated Someone with first-hand knowledge says so: a witness, the trade who repaired the damage, or the policyholder describing what they saw.
   • Documented or admitted An independent expert or adjuster report, a police report or photos show the cause, or the other party admits it.

5. Do the notes say a specific appliance, part or product failed in itself? Yes / No

   A product that failed because it was fitted or used wrongly does not count; that points to the fitter or the user. Yes: The notes say an appliance, a part or a product was faulty or failed while being used normally. No: No product failed in itself, or the fault was in how it was fitted or used.

6. Do the notes say the failed part, photos or a report on the cause have been kept? Yes / No

   Yes: The notes say the part, the product, photos of the cause or a report on the cause is kept by us, an adjuster or the policyholder. No: The notes do not say any such evidence was kept, or say it was thrown away.

7. Do the notes suggest the policyholder or their household caused or added to the loss? Yes / No

   Count something the household did or failed to do, such as leaving a tap running or not reporting a leak for weeks. This reduces or rules out a recovery; it is not a finding about the policyholder. Yes: The notes suggest the household caused or added to the loss. No: Nothing in the notes suggests this.

8. Do the notes mention anything that may bar or limit a recovery? Yes / No

   Count a waiver of subrogation, a contract clause limiting what the other party pays, an agreement between insurers not to claim from each other, the other party having gone out of business, or the policyholder settling directly with them. Yes: The notes mention at least one such bar or limit. No: No bar or limit is mentioned.

9. Do the notes say a recovery, a referral to recoveries or a demand to the other party has already been made? Yes / No

   Yes: The notes say we, an agent or the policyholder already referred the claim to recoveries or wrote to the other party or their insurer to claim the loss back. No: No recovery step is recorded.

Lens columns

notes_sufficient, notes_sufficient_probability, responsible_party, responsible_party_probability, party_identified, party_identified_probability, fault_evidence, fault_evidence_average, product_failure, product_failure_probability, evidence_kept, evidence_kept_probability, insured_contributed, insured_contributed_probability, recovery_bar_mentioned, recovery_bar_mentioned_probability, recovery_already_open, recovery_already_open_probability