Survey Report Format: S-01 Chapter 14
The insurer was not on site. The report is how it sees the loss. What goes in it, and by when.
A survey is only as good as its report. The insurer was not on site; the report is how it sees the loss. S-01 chapter 14, Reporting, covers what goes into a preliminary report, what goes into the final report, and the timelines the regulations set.
IRDAI does not prescribe a single printed format. What it prescribes is the content: the regulations list what a surveyor must investigate and comment on, and a sound report has a heading for each.
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Preliminary Report vs Final Report
When
Preliminary (spot) report
Soon after the first visit
Final survey report
When the investigation and assessment are complete
Purpose
Preliminary (spot) report
Tell the insurer what happened and roughly how big it is
Final survey report
Give the insurer the facts, the cause, the admissibility comment and the assessed amount
Typical content
Preliminary (spot) report
Date and place of loss, apparent cause, property affected, first estimate, steps taken to stop further loss, documents asked for
Final survey report
Everything in the preliminary report, verified, plus the full assessment and the surveyor's recommendation
Who acts on it
Preliminary (spot) report
Insurer sets a provisional estimate and follows the case
Final survey report
Insurer decides the claim
| Preliminary (spot) report | Final survey report | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Soon after the first visit | When the investigation and assessment are complete |
| Purpose | Tell the insurer what happened and roughly how big it is | Give the insurer the facts, the cause, the admissibility comment and the assessed amount |
| Typical content | Date and place of loss, apparent cause, property affected, first estimate, steps taken to stop further loss, documents asked for | Everything in the preliminary report, verified, plus the full assessment and the surveyor's recommendation |
| Who acts on it | Insurer sets a provisional estimate and follows the case | Insurer decides the claim |
Headings in a Final Survey Report
A typical layout. Each line traces back to a surveyor duty in the regulations.
- checkAppointment: who appointed you, when, and your declaration of no interest in the subject matter.
- checkPolicy particulars: policy number, period, insured, sum insured per item, key conditions and excess.
- checkThe insured and the property: ownership and insurable interest, occupancy, construction, location.
- checkOccurrence: date, time and sequence of events, as stated and as verified.
- checkCause of loss: the proximate cause, with the evidence and any expert opinion taken.
- checkAdmissibility: whether the loss is covered, naming the policy terms relied on; reasons if it is not.
- checkExtent and assessment: quantities, rates, depreciation recommended, salvage, under-insurance, excess, net assessed loss.
- checkSalvage: what remains, its value, and how it should be disposed of.
- checkLoss minimisation: what was done and what you advise to prevent further loss.
- checkDiscrepancies: any gap in the policy wording, and any document not received despite reminders.
- checkInsured's consent: whether the insured agrees with the assessment.
- checkEnclosures: photographs, statements, bills, reports and correspondence.
Report Timelines in the Surveyors Regulations
As set out in regulation 13 of the 2015 Regulations, the version the course teaches.
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Submitting the report | To the insurer as fast as possible, and not later than 30 days from appointment, with a copy to the insured showing whether the insured consents to the assessment |
| Complicated case | The surveyor may seek an extension from the insurer, telling the insured, up to six months in all |
| Insured does not send documents | After at least three written reminders, the surveyor may issue the final report on the documents on record |
| Insurer finds the report incomplete | It may call for an additional report within 15 days of receiving the original, and only once per claim |
| Additional report | The surveyor furnishes it within three weeks of the insurer's request |
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Shorter Timelines Apply to Many Claims Today
IRDAI's 2024 master circular on policyholders' interests (IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024) sets its own, shorter timelines for retail general insurance claims, and insurers instruct their surveyors to follow it. Learn the regulation 13 figures for S-01, and check the current circular for practice. Our IC-01 surveyors page lists the retail timelines.
Who Signs
The licensed surveyor who did the work signs. In a corporate surveyor, a report prepared by an employee is signed by that employee and countersigned by a director or partner. A trainee cannot issue a survey report at all.
How S-01 Tests This
Numbers are the favourites: 30 days to report, six months maximum with an extension, three reminders, 15 days for the insurer to ask for more, three weeks to reply, and only one additional report per claim. Read each option for which party the time limit binds: the surveyor or the insurer.
FAQs
What is the time limit for a surveyor to submit the report?expand_more
Regulation 13 of the 2015 Regulations says not later than 30 days from appointment, extendable up to six months in complicated cases. IRDAI's 2024 master circular sets shorter limits for retail general insurance claims.
Does the insured get a copy of the survey report?expand_more
Yes. The surveyor sends the report to the insurer with a copy to the insured, commenting on whether the insured consents to the assessment.
Can the insurer ask the surveyor for more?expand_more
Once per claim. The insurer may call for an additional report within 15 days of receiving the original, and the surveyor replies within three weeks.
What if the insured never sends the documents?expand_more
After at least three written reminders, the surveyor can issue the final report on the documents already on record.
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