Two roles, two different times. Your insurance broker placed your policy. Your loss assessor handles a claim against it. They are not the same job and most brokers are not loss assessors. Here is how the two roles fit together and where each one helps.
What an insurance broker does
The broker’s role is at policy placement and renewal. They source policies from multiple insurers, advise on cover levels, and arrange the contract. Some brokers also handle claim notifications on the policyholder’s behalf, particularly for commercial clients, but their core job is the policy not the claim.
Brokers in Ireland are regulated by the Central Bank and typically remunerated by commission from the insurer rather than fees from the client.
What a loss assessor does
The loss assessor’s role is at claim time. They document the loss, prepare the claim, present it to the insurer, and negotiate the settlement. They are appointed by the policyholder and paid (usually as a percentage of the recovered settlement) by the policyholder. Their work begins when something has already gone wrong.
Why most brokers are not also loss assessors
Loss assessing is a regulated, specialised role requiring different training and qualifications than broking. The two skills genuinely differ. A broker who tries to negotiate a complex claim against the same insurer they place premium with also has a structural conflict: the insurer is their commercial counterparty.
Some larger brokers have in-house claims teams; these are usually claim notifiers and administrators rather than loss assessors. Where the claim is complex or contested, the broker often introduces an independent loss assessor.
Working with both
The best outcomes typically come from a working relationship between the two:
- The broker confirms cover details, retrieves policy documentation, and engages with the insurer at policy level
- The loss assessor handles the claim documentation, technical assessment, and negotiation
- The two coordinate so the policyholder is not chasing both
This works particularly well on commercial claims where the broker’s relationship with the insurer is long-standing and the loss assessor’s specialism is the technical claim presentation.
What if my broker says they will handle the claim
For straightforward small claims, broker-handled is usually fine. For larger or contested claims, ask specifically: do they have a qualified loss assessor on the team, or are they administering the claim and accepting the insurer’s loss adjuster’s figures?
The two are different. Administering means relaying paperwork. Loss assessing means contesting figures, preparing counter-schedules, and pushing for the maximum entitlement. Most brokers do the first; only specialist firms do the second.
When to call a loss assessor
If your claim is significant, contested, or has stalled with your broker handling it, an independent second opinion costs nothing and clarifies whether you are getting the best representation. The free initial review is the standard starting point.
The summary
Broker for the policy. Loss assessor for the claim. Both have a place; the work is different.
Written by the team at N.J. Carroll & Associates, insurance loss assessors and quantity surveyors, established 1988.
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