Filing a Motorhome Insurance Claim: How to Report the Theft Right
The police have taken your report and you have the case number — now it’s about reporting the loss to your insurer, on time and in full. Here you’ll read step by step how to put the claim together correctly, what belongs in it, and how to avoid follow-up questions.
This guide picks up after the first few hours. If the break-in just happened — securing the scene, filing a police report, drawing up a list of what’s missing — work through the emergency plan “Motorhome broken into — what to do?” first. This is about the next step: filing the claim with your insurer — cleanly, on time, and complete enough that the settlement doesn’t stall.
What deadline do you have?
Insurance contracts usually require you to report a loss “without delay” — that is, without culpable hesitation, as soon as you know about it. A specific deadline in days is set out in your policy terms; many plans name very short windows. Don’t wait around: reporting too late can complicate the settlement. When in doubt, briefly report the loss right away and submit the details afterward.
What belongs in the claim
A good claim answers the adjuster’s questions before they have to ask them. These building blocks should be included:
- Policy details — policy number and policyholder.
- What happened — when, where and how the break-in/theft occurred.
- Police case number — proof that a report was filed.
- Breakdown of the loss — a list of the stolen items with name, serial number, purchase date and value.
- Inventory proof — receipts, photos and serial numbers per item.
- How to reach you — how and when the insurer can contact you with follow-up questions.
Step by step: how to submit the claim
Check your contract and deadline
Dig out your policy and check which insurance is actually responsible (contents/camping-contents insurance, home contents, travel baggage) and what reporting deadline applies. Note the policy number and the contact channels for claims.
Report the loss promptly
Report the loss on time — in writing (email or online form), so you have proof of when it was sent and what it said. Describe what happened briefly and give the police case number. If not all receipts are in yet, announce that you’ll submit them later.
Attach the breakdown of the loss
Include the list of stolen items — each entry with name, serial number, purchase date and value. A structured, traceable breakdown speeds up the review considerably.
Add the inventory proof
Attach the evidence that shows ownership and value per item: purchase invoices, photos with a legible serial number, timestamps. Which kind of proof insurers actually ask for is covered in the guide “What proof does the insurer really require?”.
Respond to follow-up questions
The insurer often comes back with questions or requests further documents. Answer quickly and in full. Keep all letters and receipts organized together — that way you stay on top of it until the case is settled.
Free download
Free claim report template (PDF)
A ready-to-use template letter for reporting a theft to your insurer. Enter your email, confirm it and download the template.
Do you need the police case number?
With theft, almost always. To settle a theft claim, insurers generally require a police report and want to see the case number as proof. If you haven’t filed the report yet, do it right away — without it the claim will barely move forward.
Make it easy on yourself
Document your camper inventory before it matters
CamperProof safely records photos, serial numbers, values and receipts — and produces the police-and-insurance report in minutes when it counts. Sign up for the launch.
You make the biggest difference beforehand: anyone who has already documented each item pulls the breakdown of the loss and the inventory proof together in minutes rather than weeks. That’s exactly what CamperProof is built for — with a structured, timestamped PDF report for insurance and police. How to set up your inventory cleanly for it is shown in the guide to the motorhome inventory list.