Fault-finding
CCTV footage for an insurance claim
Generally yes, provided three things hold: the timestamp is correct, the export is the recorder's original unedited file, and the clip covers the incident continuously. WhatsApp-compressed videos, phone recordings of a screen, and footage carrying an impossible date are what hand an assessor grounds to set a claim aside.
Last reviewed
Export the original file the same day
Use the recorder's own export to USB, taking the native format and a standard MP4 where the recorder offers both, plus the manufacturer's player it will offer to copy alongside. Claims take weeks to process while a looping drive overwrites in days, so exporting on the day of the incident is the single habit that saves the most claims. A copy forwarded through a messaging app is compressed and carries far less weight.
Verify the clock before relying on the clip
Check the recorder's time against your phone the moment you review the incident. If the clock is wrong — common after load-shedding once the internal battery has died — write down the exact offset at export time rather than correcting anything retrospectively. An honest documented offset survives an assessor's scrutiny; an edited timestamp destroys the footage's credibility completely and cannot be walked back.
Package it so an assessor can open it
Put the native file, the standard file and the player together on one USB drive, with a short note recording the recorder's make, model and clock status, and keep a second copy for yourself. Where an FIR or claim reference already exists, name the files with it. That small clerical care is what keeps footage from being mislaid between the insurer's offices and the investigating officer's desk.
Will an insurance company accept my CCTV footage?
Can you export and prepare footage for a claim?
Yes. Tell us the date and approximate time and we retrieve, export and package it, including a written note of the recorder details where useful. Callout from PKR 3,000 across Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The incident footage was overwritten. Any options?
Realistically none — overwritten surveillance footage is unrecoverable. The lesson for next time is retention: size the drive to hold footage longer than it takes you to discover a problem.
Rather have it done?
Security camera repair covers black screens, recorders that stopped writing, lost phone access after an internet change, and footage that will not play back. Most faults trace to power, connectors or settings rather than a dead camera. Callout in Islamabad or Rawalpindi starts at PKR 3,000, with the full fix priced before any work.
Security camera repair in Islamabad — prices and scope