A bit of advice please.

Last Sunday a car crashed into my front garden destroying my fence and some trees.

The driver was foreign and drunk (confirmed by police) and stated the car was not his.

Today the police told me the car had been stolen and gave the details of the insurance company that the car was insured with.

I contacted them and they said that the person who had taken out the insurance had not notified them that the car had been stolen

or that it had been involved in an accident therefore until they could contact their customer they could not move on with my claim.

My wife has seen somewhere else that I should contact my own insurance company

and get them to chase the other one

but I'm afraid this will count as a claim on my policy

which I will have to declare when renewing any further policies.

Can anyone confirm this or otherwise please?

yep neighbour suffered the same thing

wall demolished under exactly the same circumstances

it almost cost him £2000 as his lot [house/buildings ins] sent a lost adjuster around and said because of some tiny get out you don't ever read

claims against stolen cars and uninsured driver/etc etc are not covered.

eventually went after the car insurance company and won the claim

I think MIB were involved too.

8mts later his home/buildings ins was up for grabs

and they tried to add almost £800 to his annual premium

because he had 'attempted' to make a claim.

the omb got involved and that was quashed too as being unfair.

just be careful

If the driver of the car has been "Identified" then the Insurers of the car are liable irrespective of whether the driver was insured by the policy, it's a basic principle of the Road Traffic Act

Thanks to both of you for your replies. The insurers of the car have now been contacted by the car owner who states it was stolen. They have requested a copy of the police report and the identity of the driver and then they will deal with my claim. Note that they have not at this stage said that they will pay my claim, just deal with it. Time will tell.

One more question....even though I am NOT going through my own insurance for this claim but dealing directly with the insured's company will I still have to declare that I have made an insurance claim when renewing my own policies? If I do then I may as well involve my own insurers.