claim

A notification to an insurance company requesting indemnification due to a loss or damage. It is important to follow the procedure for filing a claim as per the policy. In the event of an occurrence you can and should prevent further damage if possible. For instance if a pipe breaks turn the water off as soon as possible. If there are other steps you can take to prevent further damage you can do so but then you need to contact your carrier as soon as possible. If you start to handle the damage yourself you may end up having to handle the entire claim since it is the insurance companies right to handle the claim. People don't often connect this with property damage as they would with bodily injury. If a person gets cut it is commons sense to try to stop or slow the bleeding but then to get the person medical help right away. With property damage it is similar in that you should "stop the bleeding", that is, the damage, then get the insurance carrier involved to handle the claim. Without a doubt there are many times when a contractor will handle the damage and probably most often this is fine. But if you are a contractor you need to use good judgement on when to do this. If there is any possibility of unseen damage or effects that won't show up till later you are probably better off making a claim since you may be taking on the whole claim. If there is any bodily injury you should always involve the carrier. If there is any possibility of bodily injury, you should involve the carrier.