Simple home insurance claims for small amounts can be resolved in just two days, but more complex claims for larger amounts may take months to complete. The average time for a home insurance claim is usually around two weeks, but your wait time will depend on the nature of your claim as well as your policy terms.

Some factors that could impact how quickly your home insurance claim is resolved include:

• How complicated your claim is: If you’re claiming for extensive damage that happened during a storm or for a burglary where many of your items were stolen, your claim may take some time to investigate and resolve. Simpler issues such as a chipped window or a minor leak will be much easier to finalise.
• How much you’re claiming for: Expensive home insurance claims typically require more investigation than smaller amounts. Not only will more expensive claims usually have more complexity, but home insurance companies will be reluctant to pay out large sums unless they’re absolutely necessary.
• Evidence: Home insurance claims usually resolve more quickly if you have all the evidence your provider needs to process it. This is why it’s so important to document an incident as soon as it occurs, taking photographs and pulling up all your relevant records. Try to file away receipts for work you’ve had done on your home, as this could be useful when proving you’ve kept your home in good order.
• Policy Conditions: Some home insurance policies will have longer processing periods, while others may require you to move through a multi-step process before your claim is actioned. Always read through the claims process before committing to a home insurance policy so you understand exactly what it will be like.

You can make a claim on your home insurance as soon as you notice a problem. The quicker you report an issue, the higher your chances of making a successful claim will be. Some home insurance policies require you to report problems before you’ve paid to have them fixed yourself, so the sooner you get in touch, the better.

However, if it has taken you a while to get around to making your claim, don’t worry, as most home insurance policies will usually have a generous window for you to submit your claim. You can usually expect this to be between 30 and 180 days, but keep in mind that every policy is different and that waiting longer may make it more difficult to prove certain types of claims.

If you’ve recently taken out a home insurance policy, make sure you’re clear on its start date. While most home insurance policies allow you to claim straight away, some may have a slight delay.

Most home insurance policies don’t have a time limit on how long it could take to resolve a claim. This means that it can be difficult to reliably estimate how long your claim will take to resolve. The best way to get an understanding of where you are in the process and when your insurance provider expects everything to be finalised is by keeping in touch with them. Most insurance providers should have a rough timeline and if communication is taking longer than expected, make sure you raise your concerns.

If your home insurance claim is taking an unreasonably long time, or your insurer doesn’t seem to be following the appropriate process set out in your policy terms, there are steps you can take. However, you should only escalate the matter if you’ve already tried communicating your concerns to your insurer and haven’t received any updates.

If you’ve tried everything you can to communicate with your provider but you haven’t heard anything back for a minimum of eight weeks, you can speak to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS can independently evaluate your claim as well as the actions your insurance provider has taken and provide you with advice. They may also be able to step in and negotiate with your home insurance company on your behalf if they believe you have been treated unfairly.

You shouldn’t contact the FOS if your home insurance provider has been in contact and explained why your claim is taking longer than expected. Most home insurance claims are resolved within a year, so even if it’s been many months since you submitted your claim, you may just need to be patient.

Home insurance claims will always begin with you informing your insurer about a problem and providing them with evidence. For small matters, this may be sufficient for your claim to be resolved. However, for more complicated claims home insurance companies will usually send a loss adjuster to assess the situation. They may visit your home more than once depending on the extent of the damage. Your insurance company may then organise professional repairmen or builders to come and remedy the damage to your home, or approve the tradesmen you’ve selected depending on the terms of your policy.

If your home insurer organised repairs to be made on your home or replaced furniture or certain high value items, you may not receive a sum of money as your insurer funded the cost of the renovations directly. However, if you had to pay for repairs yourself, you should be reimbursed for this via a pre-agreed-upon method, such as bank transfer or cheque.

You may be wondering whether it’s worth making a home insurance claim, especially if the process could take a long time to finalise. This is something that only you can decide and it will depend on a number of factors, such as the complexity of your claim, how much excess you have to pay, and the amount of money it would cost you to complete any repairs yourself. In general, the bigger claims that may take longer are worth putting forward to your home insurance provider, as they’ll likely cost you a lot more to resolve without your insurer's contribution.