What are your insurance rights and responsibilities?
When you shop for insurance or submit a claim, you have several rights and responsibilities.
What are your rights and responsibilities?
- The right to be informed
- The responsibility to ask questions and share information
- The right to complaint resolution
- The responsibility to resolve disputes
- The right to professional service
- The right to privacy
- Who determines your rights and responsibilities?
Right to be informed
- You can expect to access clear information about your policy, your coverage, and the claims settlement process.
- You have the right to an easy-to-understand explanation of how insurance works and how it will meet your needs.
- You also have a right to know how insurers calculate price based on relevant facts.
- Under normal circumstances, insurers will advise an insurance customer or the customer’s intermediary of changes to, or the cancellation of a policy, at least thirty days prior to the expiration of the policy, if the customer provides information required for determining renewal terms of the policy at least forty-five days prior to the expiration of the policy.
If you’re buying insurance through an agent or broker:
- You have the right to ask who is providing compensation to your broker or agent for the sale of your insurance.
- Your broker or agent will provide information detailing for you how he or she is paid, by whom, and in what ways.
- Insurance companies will disclose their compensation arrangements with their distribution networks.
- Brokers and agents are committed to providing information relating to ownership, financing, and other relevant facts.
Responsibility to ask questions and share information
- To safeguard your right to purchase appropriate coverage at a competitive price, you should ask questions about your policy so that you understand what it covers and what your obligations are under it.
- You can access information through brochures and websites, as well as through one-on-one meetings with your broker.
- You have the option to shop the marketplace for the combination of coverages and service levels that best suits your insurance needs.
- To maintain your protection against loss, you must promptly inform your insurance company or broker or agent of any change in your circumstances.
- Information required to determine renewal terms of your policy must be provided at least forty-five days prior to the expiration of the policy.
Right to complaint resolution
- If you have a complaint about the service you have received, you have a right to access your company’s complaint resolution process.
- Your insurer, agent or broker can provide you with information about how you can ensure that your complaint is heard and promptly handled.
- Consumers may also contact the independent General Insurance Ombudservice.
Responsibility to resolve disputes
- You should always enter into the dispute resolution process in good faith, provide required information in a timely manner, and remain open to recommendations made by independent observers as part of that process.
Right to professional service
- You have the right to deal with insurance professionals who exhibit a high ethical standard, which includes acting with honesty, integrity, fairness and skill.
If you’re buying insurance through an agent or broker:
- Brokers and agents must exhibit extensive knowledge of the product, its coverages and its limitations in order to best serve you.
Right to privacy
- Because it is important for you to disclose any and all information required by an insurer to provide the insurance coverage that best suits you, you have the right to know that your information will be used for the purpose set out in the privacy statement made available to you by your broker, agent or insurance representative.
- This information will not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted by law.
- Insurers are subject to Canada’s privacy laws.
Who determines your rights and responsibilities?
These rights are established in the contract between you and your insurer and the insurance laws for your province. Your policy outlines other important responsibilities. Insurers and their distribution networks, and governments also have important roles to play in ensuring that your rights are protected. Your broker also needs to provide some information about your rights and responsibilities.
