Claims
Submit a claim.
First, the part that matters most: if anyone else is involved, do not admit fault and do not promise to pay for anything. Then get the basics to the claims team through any channel below, and the claims team takes it from there with you.
After hours emergency
For geyser bursts, roadside breakdowns and accidents on commercial policies. These are the insurers’ own emergency lines, where your policy includes an assistance benefit. Which one applies to you depends on which insurer is on your policy schedule. Check the schedule, or ask us in office hours.
Step one, at the scene
Gather this as soon as it’s safe
Once everyone is safe and the scene is secure, much of the claim rests on what you capture early. Find your situation below. If more than one applies, do all of them.
Your works or your plant
✓Photograph the incident and every bit of the damage
✓Note the street name and address where it happened
✓Note the date and time
Something was stolen
✓Report it at the police station and note the case number
✓Keep or request a full copy of the police report. The insurer usually asks for it
✓Photograph the point of entry and whatever is left
Someone else is involved
✓Photos, date and time, street name and address
✓Their name, contact number, email and postal address
✓What happened, in your own words, and their attorney’s details if they have one
Do not admit fault or promise to cover damage. Site tip: phone their number while you are both standing there to confirm it is real, and ask to see an ID book or card to confirm their full name. Their details go to the insurer for the claim only.
One thing that helps. Label every photo, document and form clearly before you send it. Mislabelled files and big unstructured bundles can delay the review and the outcome.
The process
What happens, start to finish
Eight steps. The first four are yours, the last four happen on our side and the insurer’s. No black box.
Your part
01Gather the evidence at the scene. The checklists above: photos, date and time, the address, and the police case number if anything was stolen.
02Notify your broker. WhatsApp, email or phone the claims team with what happened and what you collected.
03We start the form for you. The claims department partially fills in the relevant claim form and sends it to you.
04Complete it and send it back. Email or WhatsApp, with everything clearly labelled.
Then, on our side
05Your broker compiles the claim pack. Your form plus the evidence, sent through to the insurer.
06The insurer acknowledges receipt. Depending on the case, an assessor is sent to the site. Timing depends on the assessor’s availability.
07The assessor reports back to the insurer on what they found.
08The insurer decides the outcome under your policy wording: full payment, partial payment, or rejection.
The outcome
Approved or rejected
Either way, you hear the reasons, and either way you are not left to deal with it alone.
If the claim is approved
✓The insurer loads the payment, in full or in part, as decided
✓The insurer’s payment runs usually go out on Fridays
✓We confirm what was paid against what was claimed
If the claim is rejected
×The insurer sends a rejection letter with its findings: the description and date of loss, what your policy covers, and why the insurer holds that this incident falls outside it
×The letter names who you can escalate to if you want to dispute the decision, and the deadline for doing so, usually 90 days. Check the letter for the exact period
×We go through the letter with you and explain what the insurer is actually saying before you decide what to do
The independent route. If you dispute the insurer’s final decision, you can take the complaint to the National Financial Ombud Scheme South Africa (NFO), the independent industry ombud recognised by the Ombud Council. It costs you nothing to use. Call 0860 800 900, email info@nfosa.co.za or visit nfosa.co.za. Mind the deadlines in the rejection letter.
Claims are decided by the insurer under your policy wording and schedule, not by CivilSure. This page is a plain language guide to the process, and nothing here changes what your policy says. General information only. It is not legal advice or advice on your contract.
Not sure if it’s claimable?
Ask before you assume. Tell the claims team what happened and we will tell you what the policy asks for and what to gather. Whether to submit is your call, and the outcome is the insurer’s decision. No obligation either way.