My house was recently burgled and I had to invoke my householder’s policy. The surveyor pegged my losses at Rs 76,000, but the insurer paid only Rs 43,000. Isn’t the surveyor’s recommendation binding on the insurer?
The surveyor’s recommendation is not binding on the insurer
My house was recently burgled and I had to invoke my householder’s policy. The surveyor pegged my losses at Rs 76,000, but the insurer paid only Rs 43,000. Isn’t the surveyor’s recommendation binding on the insurer?
Aditya Prakash, Gurugram
The incident is unfortunate. But the surveyor’s recommendation is not binding on the insurer. At the same time, the insurer can’t deviate far from the surveyor’s recommendation without good reason. And the reasons can be many—for instance, if the surveyor, for want of information, recommends an amount subject to certain conditions, which the insurer has to examine. Here, the insurer may look into the conditions and find them to have significant bearing on the amount and hence, change the amount accordingly. Having said that, you have the right to ask for details if you feel the deduction is not fully explained.