Making a claim on your self-build insurance

Make the site safe, notify your insurer promptly and keep evidence of the damage. Take urgent steps to prevent further loss, but ask the insurer before permanent repairs or admitting liability. A claim can involve your trades and lender as well as your insurer, so keep a dated record of each conversation and decision.

Before anything goes wrong

• Read the policy’s conditions on notifying the insurer, site security and unattended works.
• Know who to call: the insurer’s claims line and your broker.
• Keep your trades’ insurance certificates where you can find them.

When something happens

Keep your policy’s claims instructions with your site records. Follow its notification conditions and put safety and urgent steps to limit further damage first.

1. Make the site safe and stop further loss. Cover the opening, switch off the water, secure the site. Call emergency services or the Gardaí where needed, for example after theft or injury. Most policies expect reasonable steps to limit damage. Keep receipts for what you spend doing this.
2. Notify. Phone the claims line or your broker, then confirm by email so there is a dated record. Say what happened, when, who was on site and which part of the works is affected. Check the policy for any notification time limit.
3. Preserve evidence. Photograph and film before clearing up. Keep damaged materials if the insurer may want to inspect them, and ask before disposing of anything.
4. Complete the claim form when it arrives, and send the supporting documents together where possible. Ask which documents are needed and keep copies of what you send.
5. Cooperate with inspection. The insurer may send a loss adjuster or another expert.
6. Review the decision and any offer in writing before you accept or start repairs. Ask before permanent repairs or admitting liability; urgent steps for safety and to limit further loss come first.

Tell your lender if the property or staged payments are affected. A loss can delay a stage release or valuation; see what lenders require.

What the Consumer Protection Code requires

The Central Bank’s Consumer Protection Code sets claims-handling requirements for insurance undertakings within its scope. For an ordinary policyholder claim, Part 4, Chapter 10, regulations 354–366 require the steps below. Ask the insurer to explain which rules apply to your policy and claim. These are deadlines for particular steps, rather than a promise that the whole claim will finish within a fixed period.

Stage	What the insurer must do
Claim becomes apparent	Provide the claim form within 5 working days of it becoming apparent a form is required
Property claim notified	Within 5 working days, where relevant to the claim type, tell you that you may appoint a loss assessor at your own expense
Verification	Endeavour to verify the validity of the claim before deciding on it. This is a best-efforts duty rather than a deadline
During the claim	Update you within 10 working days of learning of a development
Missing information	Tell you as soon as an additional document or clarification is needed, and send a reminder if necessary
Decision	Within 5 working days of deciding, tell you the outcome in writing, any settlement offer and, if the claim is declined, the reasons
Offer	Must represent the insurer’s best estimate of your reasonable entitlement
Your response	At least 10 working days to accept or reject an offer, unless you waive that right
Payment	Within 10 working days of agreement to accept the settlement offer; direct settlement must be discharged without delay

Two points are easy to miss. First, when the insurer appoints a loss adjuster or appraiser it must give you their contact details and say that they act in the interest of the insurer. You can seek independent advice if you need help assessing their findings or the insurer’s offer. Second, the insurer must be available to discuss the claim during normal office hours, 09.00 to 17.00 on a working day.

Should you use a loss assessor?

A loss assessor works for you rather than the insurer, and you pay for them. On a modest claim the fee may outweigh the benefit. On a large or disputed one, for example storm damage to a partly built frame, they can help assemble the evidence and the valuation. Ask how they are paid before you sign anything, and whether the fee depends on the amount recovered. Your broker may also be able to run the claim for you, so ask what is included in their service.

Why claims get reduced or refused

• Under-insurance. If the sum insured is lower than the true cost, the payout can be cut in proportion. See the section below.
• Conditions not met. Many site policies set conditions about security, unattended works, or notifying the insurer within a stated time. If the insurer relies on a condition to reduce or refuse payment, ask for the precise wording and a written explanation of how it applies; the outcome also depends on applicable law.
• Exclusions. Defective workmanship and gradual deterioration are commonly excluded or limited. Check how your policy treats them, and see contract works and public liability for questions to put to your broker.
• Non-disclosure. Telling the insurer something different from the facts when you took out the policy, for example about who is doing the work or the stage reached, can put a claim at risk. Update the insurer when your plans change.
• Poor records. A claim that cannot be proved is hard to pay. Dated photos and trade certificates are your evidence.

Not every loss belongs on a self-build policy. A latent defect that shows up after you move in is a different type of claim, covered in structural defects cover where a policy or warranty exists.

Under-insurance reduces payouts

The average claim reduction due to under-insurance was approximately 19% in 2021, according to the Central Bank’s review of the home insurance market. That figure concerns under-insured home claims, rather than self-build claims, and does not predict your payout. Review your buildings and contents cover regularly, especially when renewing or switching. A lower premium can be poor value if it leaves you with an inadequate sum insured.

Claims that involve other people

• A trade causes the damage. The insurer may pursue the trade’s own cover. Do not settle privately or sign anything with the trade before speaking to your insurer, as that can prejudice the insurer’s position.
• A third party is injured or their property damaged. This is a public liability matter. Notify the insurer straight away and do not admit fault or promise payment.
• The lender is affected. If you are on staged drawdown, a loss can delay a stage release or a valuation. Tell the lender early. See what lenders require.

If you are unhappy with the outcome

1. Complain to the insurer first. Ask for its complaints procedure and for a final response letter.
2. Go to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO). You can bring a complaint if you are not satisfied after receiving your final response letter. The FSPO says its services are free. You will need a completed complaint form and a copy of the letter, and where a policy is joint, all policyholders must sign. Check the FSPO’s separate page on time limits before you delay.
3. Take advice if the sums are large. Using a legal or financial adviser is optional, and you agree their fees directly with them.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (CCPC) consumer insurance guidance is a useful general reference on shopping for cover and on your rights.

A short checklist to keep on site

• Insurer’s claims number and policy number.
• Broker’s phone and email.
• Copies of every trade’s insurance certificate.
• A dated photo log of each stage.
• The current sum insured and the date it was last reviewed.
• The lender’s contact for your drawdown.

Keeping these together means the first call after a loss takes minutes, not days. Policy terms differ, so confirm anything specific with your broker or insurer.