Claims

James Coghlan
Claims Manager

He is CII qualified and is confident dealing with claims from all classes of risk, including for commercial and corporate clients. James believes that fostering great relationships with both clients and insurers alike, is key.

Outside of work, James enjoys spending time with his wife and two young daughters. He also enjoys music, cinema and travel and is a keen long distance runner.

How do you make an insurance claim with Edwards Insurance Brokers?

Making a claim can be a daunting process if you don’t know where to start but we hope this section of our website will help you find your way and provide you with all of the information you need to be able to make your claim.

However big or small your claim, our dedicated claims manager James is on hand to walk you through any claims processes you need to undertake. Follow the steps below to make your claim.

Contact James
Step 1
Prevent & Secure

The first thing to do in the event of any claim is to prevent any further damage or loss. This is more relevant for building related claims.

Read what to do

A break-in and theft (including attempted break-in), you should make sure the building is safe, secure and watertight. This might mean boarding up any broken windows or doors.

A fire, emergency services should take care of the situation but then you should make sure the building is safe, secure and watertight. This includes boarding up broken windows and doors, and might mean emergency repairs, or covering of the roof if damaged. The fire brigade or police may have even already boarded the property up for you. Never remove any damaged contents as you may need evidence of these for your claim.

An escape of water leading to flooding, you should immediately turn off the water supply at the stopcock and call a plumber. The plumber should be able to locate the source of the escaping water – you will need to know where the water has come from in order to make your claim. The plumber may also be able to make any necessary temporary emergency repairs. Never remove any water damaged contents as you may need evidence of these for your claim.

Storm damage, you should make sure the building is safe, secure and watertight by boarding up any windows and doors and covering any damage to the roof if necessary.

A flood due to inclement weather, the most important thing is that you do not throw any damaged items away and that you take pictures of the damage where you can. These will all serve as evidence to help with your claim. In the event of major floods, it might be impossible to keep water out of your buildings, but where possible you should try and sweep or mop the water out and turn any water, gas and electricity services off. Once cleared, it might also be an idea to place sandbags in external doorways to prevent further flooding if appropriate.

Step 2
Call James

Once you have made sure that you have prevented any further loss or damage you need to speak to James. He will then be able to take the necessary details and information about your claim to pass to insurers, and advise you of the best plan of action for you.

Read what to do

The best and quickest way to get in touch with James is to give him a call on 01564 730 900.

After your initial contract with James, you might need to email him with any further information or supporting documents on james@edwardsinsurance.co.uk

Step 3
Fill out a Claims Form

If you have spoken to James and you have decided that you want to make a claim, James will ask you to fill in a claims form.

Read what to do

All of our different insurers have their own claims form, so it is important you fill in the right one. Don’t worry, James will tell you know exactly which one you need to fill in, and help you with any parts that you might find difficult. Please don’t fill in a claims form until James has advised you to do so.