Don't agree with the surveyor's assessment? How to question a motor survey report

The surveyor's figure is a report to the insurer, not the final word: Section 64UM of the Insurance Act lets the insurer settle at a different amount from the one assessed. Ask for the assessment in writing, compare it item by item with your garage's estimate, and send specific written objections with photographs and, if useful, an independent estimate, offering the vehicle for re-inspection. If the insurer still relies on the report, raise it as a grievance; a surveyor can also be named in a complaint on Bima Bharosa.

For a motor loss of ₹50,000 or more (in the circular's words, a loss that 'exceeds Rs 50,000/- or more'), IRDAI's circular makes a survey by a registered surveyor and loss assessor compulsory. Section 64UM of the Insurance Act separately says that, for a claim at or above an amount IRDAI's regulations specify, an insurer cannot admit or settle it without a licensed surveyor's report on the loss, unless IRDAI directs otherwise. That makes the survey report the central document of the claim, so it is worth reading closely.^{[1, 2]}

What the rules say about the survey

• Allocation.: IRDAI's circular says a surveyor should be allocated within 24 hours of the claim being reported, and the insurer must tell you the surveyor's details, role and duties straight away.^[1]
• Report.: The surveyor must submit the report to the insurer within fifteen days of allocation, and getting it in time is the insurer's duty. If the report is late, ₹500 a day is payable to the claimant for the delay.^[1]
• Decision.: The insurer must decide within seven days of receiving the report, or after fifteen days from allocating the claim to the surveyor, whichever is earlier. A motor claim stuck after the survey covers delay at this stage.^[1]
• Not binding.: Section 64UM keeps the insurer's right to settle at an amount different from the surveyor's assessment — so a report you disagree with can still be argued with the insurer.^[2]
• Your copy.: One insurer's published note on surveyor duties, which reproduces the IRDAI surveyor regulations, reports that the surveyor sends the report to the insurer with a copy to the insured. The official text of those regulations could not be checked for this page, so ask for the report in writing either way.^[3]

How to question the report

1. 1

   Ask for the report and the assessment in writing.

   Ask the insurer for the survey report and the itemised assessment, quoting the claim number.

2. 2

   Lay it next to the garage estimate.

   Go line by line: parts the surveyor allowed for replacement against those it allowed only for repair, the labour allowed, the depreciation rate on each part, and the deductible.

3. 3

   Gather evidence for each disputed item.

   Photographs taken before dismantling, the garage's written reasons, and if useful an estimate from another garage.

4. 4

   Object in writing, item by item.

   Use the outline below. Ask for a re-inspection of the disputed parts before they are scrapped.

5. 5

   Escalate if nothing changes.

   Write to the grievance officer; the insurer should resolve the complaint within 14 days. On Bima Bharosa, surveyors are among the insurance intermediaries a complaint can be registered against. Separately, whether or not you use Bima Bharosa, the Insurance Ombudsman can hear the complaint once the insurer has rejected your written complaint, not replied within one month of receiving it, or replied unsatisfactorily.^{[1, 4, 5]}

An objection letter, in outline

1. Subject line: the claim number, the vehicle's registration number and the date of the survey.
2. One sentence on what you are asking for: reconsideration of specific items in the assessment.
3. A table of the disputed items: the part or labour item, the amount allowed, the amount in the garage estimate, and your reason in one sentence.
4. Attachments: photographs, the garage estimate, any second estimate, and the survey report itself.
5. A request: a revised assessment or a re-inspection, and written reasons for any item left unchanged.
6. The date, your name, and how to reach you.

ClaimAssure is an independent private platform. It is not an insurer, IRDAI, Bima Bharosa or the Insurance Ombudsman, it never files anything on your behalf, and it cannot promise any outcome. What it does is read your documents and show you what they say.

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