Home Insurance Claim in Ireland What to Expect

By Trevor Kelly MSCSI, Public Loss Assessor (CBI Reg. No. C423441)

Making a home insurance claim is one of those things you hope never to need. When the moment arrives, though, most homeowners find they’re dealing with a process they’ve never gone through before, at exactly the point when they have the least mental bandwidth to figure it out.

This guide walks you through the full claims process in plain English, from the first phone call to final settlement. It also covers the part most guides leave out: what happens when the insurer’s assessment doesn’t match the reality of your loss and what you can do about it.

How to Make a Home Insurance Claim in Ireland

The basic process follows these steps:

Make your property safe and prevent further damage where possible	Document everything before any clean-up or repairs. begin: photographs, video, written notes	Report the incident to your insurer as soon as possible (most policies require prompt notification; delay can give insurers grounds to complicate matters)
Have your policy number and a description of the loss or damage ready when you call	Receive a claim reference number and confirmation of next steps	A loss adjuster is appointed by your insurer to inspect the damage
The loss adjuster visits your property and submits their report	Your insurer makes a settlement offer based on that report	You accept the offer, negotiate it, or dispute it

That last step is where most guides stop. It’s also where the process gets complicated.

A note on timing: if the damage is severe and your home is unsafe or uninhabitable, most insurers have an emergency line available outside office hours. This number is usually on your policy documents. Use it; emergency callout cover can prevent further damage and protect your position in the subsequent claim.

What Your Home Insurance Policy Actually Covers

Before you make a claim, it helps to understand what your home insurance policy is designed to cover and where the gaps are.

Standard home insurance covers two things: the structure of your property (buildings cover) and its contents. Most policies also include legal liability cover, which protects you if a visitor to your property is injured or if you accidentally cause damage to a neighbour’s property.

Buildings cover typically includes damage caused by the following:

• Fire and smoke
• Storm and wind damage, including damage to your roof, chimney, gutters, and windows and doors
• Flood and water damage from burst pipes, plumbing failures, or surface water
• Theft and break-in, including structural damage caused during a burglary
• Subsidence (subject to specific policy conditions)
• Impact damage from falling trees, debris, or vehicles
• Oil leaks from heating systems

Contents cover typically includes furniture, carpets, valuable items, and personal possessions inside the home. Some policies extend to an outhouse or external storage.

What most policies exclude is equally important to understand. Wear and tear is a standard exclusion. If your roof needs replacing because it has aged, that is a maintenance issue, not an insurable event. The same applies to gradual deterioration of plumbing or guttering. Damage must result from a sudden, unforeseen event, not from deferred upkeep.

One thing worth checking before any claim: your policy excess. This is the out-of-pocket amount you contribute before the insurer pays. On a small claim, the excess can sometimes approach the full cost of repair, making it questionable whether claiming is the right decision at all.

What Documentation You’ll Need

Before the loss adjuster appointment, gather everything you can.

Start with your policy schedule, which sets out your cover limits, excess levels, and any special conditions. Have this to hand before you call.

For the damage itself, document thoroughly before anything is touched:

Photographs and video of all damage, including areas that may need to be cleaned or made safe beforehand	Receipts or proof of purchase for damaged items – if you no longer have receipts, bank statements or credit card records often serve as evidence
A written account of when the incident occurred, what you observed, and what steps you took immediately	If there was a theft or break-in, the Garda reference number from when you reported the loss

Keep receipts for any emergency spend to protect the property, such as boarding up windows, arranging temporary repairs to stop water ingress, and moving damaged items to a safe place. These costs are often recoverable, but only with documentation.

Wet or damaged items should not be lifted or removed until your claim is documented, unless leaving them in place creates a safety or health risk.

Do not instruct a repairer or ask a supplier to begin work until the loss adjuster has carried out their inspection and the insurer has confirmed the claim. Once items have been fixed or removed from your home, evidence disappears and scope disputes become harder to resolve.

The Loss Adjuster Visit: What’s Actually Happening

This is the part of a home insurance claim that homeowners consistently misunderstand, and it matters enormously to your outcome.

When an insurer appoints a loss adjuster, they are appointing someone to assess the claim on their behalf. Loss adjusters are professionals, and most operate fairly. But their report forms the basis of your offer, and their instructions come from the insurance company, not from you.

They are not there to maximise your payout. They are there to assess the claim accurately, within the terms of your policy, on their client’s behalf.

That distinction becomes important the moment any element of your claim is borderline: the extent of the damage, whether a particular item is covered, or whether the cause triggers your policy. At those decision points, the adjuster’s judgement determines the figure you receive.

Most homeowners accept that figure without fully understanding how it was calculated or whether it reflects their actual loss. Some of those settlements are fair. Some are not.

This is also the point where many homeowners first consider appointing a loss assessor though again, it’s an option that’s available from the very start of the process, and one that most people simply don’t know exists until they’re already deep into a claim.”

How Long Does a Claim Take in Ireland?

A routine home insurance claim typically takes four to twelve weeks from notification to an agreed settlement. That range is wide because the timeline depends heavily on the complexity of the damage, how promptly it is handled, and whether anything is disputed.

Simple claims, such as a burst pipe causing water damage to a carpet, with clear liability and a modest repair cost, can settle within a few weeks. Claims involving structural damage, significant roof repairs, or any dispute over coverage or valuation can take considerably longer.

If your home is uninhabitable during the process, your policy may cover alternative accommodation costs. Refer to your policy schedule for the limit and duration.

The single biggest cause of delay is a dispute about the scope or value of a settlement. Resolving that dispute quickly, and at the right figure, is usually worth more than speed alone.

Why Home Insurance Claims Are Underpaid

Not every underpaid claim is the result of bad faith. The majority of homeowners who receive less than they are entitled to never realise it happened. The offer looks plausible. They’ve been through an exhausting process. They accept it and move on.

Underinsurance is the most common cause. If your building’s sum insured does not reflect the actual rebuild cost of your home at the time of the claim, your insurer can apply what’s known as the average condition. This means your payout is reduced in proportion to the degree of under-insurance. A home insured for €200,000 with a true rebuild cost of €300,000 may only receive two-thirds of any valid claim, regardless of the damage amount. This catches many homeowners by surprise, especially given that rebuild costs across Ireland have risen sharply in recent years.

Scope disputes are also common, particularly after fire, flood, or water damage. The visible damage may be obvious. Hidden damage to the subfloor, attic insulation, electrics, or structural elements behind walls may not appear in the initial assessment. If it’s not in the report, it’s not in the offer.

Policy interpretation matters more than most people expect. Whether smoke damage from a fire is covered under the same event as the structural damage, how your policy handles subsidence, or what counts as “accidental” versus resulting from wear and tear, these distinctions affect the final figure.

Betterment deductions are a related point of dispute. Insurers can argue that part of the repair cost reflects a pre-existing condition rather than the insurable event. This is a legitimate principle, but it is sometimes applied more broadly than the policy wording supports.

If you accept a settlement and later discover you were under-compensated, your options are limited. This is the moment when most homeowners wish they had sought independent advice before agreeing.

Will a Claim Affect My Premium?

Yes, in most cases making a claim will affect your renewal premium. The extent depends on your insurer, the nature of the claim, and your claims history. Some insurers increase the premium or apply a higher excess; others may not.

This is a legitimate concern, but it should not prevent you from making a valid claim. If you have suffered a significant loss, the purpose of home insurance is to cover it. Declining to claim a substantial loss to protect a no-claims discount is rarely the right financial decision.

If you are unsure whether a borderline claim is worth pursuing, that is a reasonable question to raise with an independent adviser before you call your insurer. Once that call is made, the process is in motion.

When to Get a Loss Assessor

By the time the loss adjuster has visited and your insurer has made an offer, most homeowners are exhausted. The temptation is to accept and move on. But this is exactly the point where independent representation makes the most difference.

A public loss assessor manages your insurance claim on your behalf. Their job is to protect your interests, not the insurer’s.

Where the insurer has a loss adjuster, you have the right to appoint your own. They handle the documentation, the damage assessment, the negotiation, and all communication with the insurance company, with the goal of securing a full and fair outcome for you.

It makes sense to consider a loss assessor when:

The damage is significant: structural damage, fire, flood, extensive water damage, significant ground movement, or major roof failure

You are unsure whether the scope assessed by the loss adjuster matches what you are actually looking at

Your claim has been delayed, disputed, or rejected

You do not have the time or technical knowledge to manage the claims process yourself

You want someone professionally and legally accountable to you, not to the insurance company

The fee is taken as a percentage of the final payout, with no upfront cost and no charge if the claim is unsuccessful. That structure means a loss assessor has a direct financial interest in maximising what you receive.

One thing worth knowing: many homeowners contact a loss assessor after receiving an offer they’re unhappy with. That can still work. But the strongest position is before the adjuster’s first visit, when the scope and documentation of the claim are still being established. Once a report has been submitted and an offer accepted, recovering ground is harder.

How ICS Handles Home Insurance Claims

If you are dealing with property damage right now, you are likely trying to figure out what you are actually entitled to and whether the process you are about to go through will produce a fair result. That is exactly what ICS is set up for.

Trevor Kelly has been managing home insurance claims across Ireland since 2009. He is a chartered building surveyor (MSCSI) and a Central Bank of Ireland-regulated public loss assessor (Reg. No. C423441). That combination matters in practice: as both a qualified surveyor and an experienced loss assessor, Trevor brings a level of technical understanding to a claim that covers both the physical condition of a property and the insurance process itself. That means when he assesses damage whether after a fire, flood, or structural event he can identify and document the full extent of what has occurred, including elements that are not always immediately visible. A thorough, well-documented claim gives you the strongest possible position going into the settlement process.

Everything from here on out: Here’s how it works. You contact ICS, describe the damage, and arrange a free initial consultation. The process is straightforward from there. Trevor will assess the damage, review your home insurance policy, and give you an honest view of your position before any fee arrangement is in place. If ICS takes on your claim, you have an experienced professional managing everything from lodging the claim and liaising with the appointed loss adjuster through to final settlement.

ICS operates on a no-win, no-fee basis. You pay nothing unless your claim succeeds.

Since 2009, ICS has handled thousands of property claims across Ireland, covering fire, flood, water damage, storms, subsidence, burglary, oil leak, and impact damage. What clients consistently say is not just that they received a better payout, but that having someone manage the process meant they could focus on getting their home back to normal rather than spending weeks dealing with the insurance company directly.

If you want to understand what your claim is worth and whether the process is working in your favour, call 01 870 9210 or 086 053 9137 to speak with Trevor directly, or use the contact form on this page. The initial consultation costs nothing, and there is no obligation.

FAQ

Insurance Claim Solutions is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland as a public loss assessor (Reg. No. C423441). Trevor Kelly MSCSI is a member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland.