Everything You Need to Know About the Car Insurance Surveyor
Insurance for a car is mandatory when driving your car on the road. A comprehensive car insurance policy safeguards you, your car, and any affected third party in the event of an accident.
You can easily purchase a car insurance policy online by comparing car insurance policy quotes from different insurance providers. You can visit the website of any insurance company and input your details. The car insurance premium calculator will compute the premium amount. This will help you in choosing a policy that matches your needs.
For instance, a Tata AIG car insurance policy specially tailored to your specific needs and requirements. You can buy this policy in three easy steps by visiting their website.
Who is a Car Insurance Surveyor?
If your car is involved in an accident, you are required to inform your car insurance company at the earliest. After receiving the information, the insurance company appoints a car insurance surveyor to assess the damage suffered by your car as a result of the accident. The car insurance surveyor carries out the assessment and submits a report to the insurance provider; this report is instrumental in the successful settlement of your car insurance claim.
Therefore, you must cooperate with the car insurance surveyor assigned by your insurance provider, help them inspect your car to ascertain the damage sustained by it due to the accident, and answer the car insurance survey questions asked by them. You must also be aware of your right to ask the appropriate questions to the car insurance surveyor during the survey.
When is a Car Insurance Surveyor Appointed?
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has stated that motor insurance claims to the tune of ₹50,000 can be filed accompanied by a self-survey by the policyholder. Therefore, the policyholder can record a video as evidence of the damage sustained by their car in an accident and share it with their insurance provider while filing a car accident insurance claim.
However, claims exceeding ₹50,000 are required to be supported by the report of a car insurance surveyor appointed by the concerned insurance company. In this context, it is mandatory for a car insurance company to appoint a car insurance surveyor within 72 hours of the receipt of the information pertaining to an accident involving a car insured by them. This time limit is mandatory under the IRDAI guidelines.
What are the Responsibilities of a Car Insurance Surveyor?
You must be aware of the responsibilities of a car insurance surveyor so as to ensure they fulfil them while inspecting your car. The major responsibilities of a car insurance surveyor are given here.
- Inspecting the car for damage
The primary responsibility of a car insurance surveyor is to inspect your car to identify the damage and ascertain the amount required to repair them. If any third party’s car has sustained damage due to the same accident, their car shall also be inspected by the appointed car insurance surveyor.
- Providing immediate financial assistance to the insured
A car insurance surveyor is entitled to advise the concerned insurance company to pay an immediate payment not exceeding 75 per cent of the damage verified by them. This is meant to provide interim financial assistance to the policyholder till the final settlement of the car accident insurance claim.
- Carrying out the car inspection in a neutral and thorough manner
A car insurance surveyor must be neutral, transparent, and honest in their assessment and reporting of the damage caused to a car due to an accident and ensure that there is no conflict of interest that could affect the unbiased performance of their duties.
- Advising the policyholder on the prevention of subsequent damage to the car
One of the responsibilities of a car insurance surveyor is to advise the policyholder on the safety procedures to ensure the prevention of further damage to their car, particularly until the settlement of the car insurance claim.
- Detecting inconsistencies between the damage to the car and the statement of the policyholder
A car insurance surveyor should also ensure that they identify any inconsistencies between the damage they can see on a car and the train of events stated by the policyholder. Furthermore, they are required to differentiate between the old/existing damage sustained by a car and the ones resulting from the accident in question.
- Submitting the report within the prescribed timeline
A car insurance surveyor must submit the report of a car inspection survey within 30 days of the date of the survey. However, this period can be extended to 6 months if the surveyor intimates the insurer about the same. It is important to note that a copy of the survey report should be submitted to the insurer as well as the insured.
Conclusion
A car insurance surveyor constitutes an important part of the car accident insurance claim settlement process. Therefore, it is advisable that you cooperate with the aforementioned official during the course of the car inspection.