When you provide these documents to our experienced brokers, they can significantly reduce the amount of time you will need to spend while they do the ‘leg work’ and build out your quote. These documents have accurate details regarding your current property and auto(s), including coverages and limits that they can advise on so that you are aware of the differences between what they are quoting, and what you currently have. The documents also have information that they can use, alongside other programs and databases in our industry, to help fill all of the other gaps that you may not be able to provide during the quoting process, or in a timely manner thereafter. In the end, you will only spend a fraction of the time that you would normally spend with another broker or agent to get a preview of the value you could be getting on this program, and we know time is money for you!
Disclosing any known drivers convictions and claims history will reduce a chance of your quoted premium being increased due to undisclosed information during the quoting process.
Most undisclosed claims or convictions will increase the premium while the insurance company is underwriting the policy and you will be charged at the time coverage is bound. To avoid this, our Broker’s require all known claims and convictions to be disclosed during the quoting process to avoid unnecessary surprises. Also, some insurance companies treat convictions differently, and giving us this information helps us determine the insurer who will be the best fit for your circumstances.
Our Free Policy Evaluation process limits the amount of time you need to spend supplying us with information for quoting. We are instead receiving much of this information from programs and databases we have access to. These tools give us highly accurate data in most cases, but all of the information that we gather must be verified by the insured in order to provide an accurate quote. These things can be as simple as the age of the roof on your home. This could have changed and not yet been updated in the systems we are accessing, and it will need to be adjusted on the verification call. Other things such as whether or not someone is currently operating a business out of your home or if any modifications have been made to your property or auto may not be accurate as well. The value of your Free Policy Evaluation will be highly likely to be the same as a traditional quote. The only difference being the verification of data we have collected from sources other than from you verbally, or in writing from you before submitting.
To ensure that all information that has been provided by you, or collected in the background by us from other programs or databases is accurate, we have to have a call with you to verify. This call should be short, and if everything is accurate, we will provide you with an application and consent form to sign, instructions for payment, and instructions for cancelling your existing policies as needed.
No, Soft Credit checks do not affect your credit rating. Soft Credit checks are an everyday occurrence that many industries regularly complete. Examples of other instances where Soft Credit checks are being completed could be utility companies, employment verification, land lord pre-rental screening, credit card pre-screening for pre-approved offers, checking your own credit, and insurance companies. The only entity or person that can see a Soft Credit check is you, and it does not affect your credit score in any way. Insurance companies use Soft Credit checks to qualify clients for monthly payments and important policy discounts. If consent for a Soft Credit check is not provided, the insurance company must assume the worst credit and your premium could be equal to that of a client with “bad credit”.
The Area Property & Auto Insurance Program has coverages, limits, and discounts that are among the ‘best in class’ for group programs in Canada, and generally out of the range of what retail insurance markets currently have available. We have multiple insurance companies participating in the program, and all of them have provided highly competitive rates and discounts for this program, as well as modifications from each to help facilitate the accessibility to as many members as possible, which can be difficult in an individually rated and legislated industry. Every applicant’s results will be different in terms of what value we can bring to them. Some will see significant savings, some may have smaller savings and will benefit most from our Professional Advice in identifying opportunities or exposures, and some may not find value right away (ie. Multiple claims or major convictions), but they will get valuable guidance on what needs to happen next and a reminder built into our system so that we can call them when those things come off their records.
When we designed this program, we wanted it to be as intuitive as possible. We understand that many AREA Members like to invest in their industry through Rental Properties, so we included it! Using the term “Property” is a reflection of being able to do more than just your home, and it’s also meant to clearly distinguish this program from other Home & Auto Programs that are ‘cookie cutter’ or generic.
Aside from our great prices and coverages, we pride ourselves on offering exceptional customer service and building great relationships with our clients. We respect your time, value you as a client, and never treat people like a number. You will never be sent to a call centre, or made to wait on hold for extended periods of time. Our brokers will provide personalize service and professional advice tailored to your needs. If there is a time where you have a claim and need to use your insurance, our experienced brokers will be there to guide you through the process and answer your questions at any point during the claim process.
In addition to the reasons mentioned above, more participation from AREA Members on this program has indirect benefits for all AREA Members by increasing the value of the Affinity Fee that has been agreed between our company and AREA.
You can reach out via email to the same broker who bound your policy, or you can email area@brokeragegi.com and your request will be sent to one of our great brokers. You can also call us at our toll free number (855) 533-0245.
We operate the AREA Property & Auto Insurance Program through Broker Age Corporation, which is the parent company of our participating brokerages, Broker Age General Insurance Inc. and Whitecourt Insurance Ltd. Regardless of which brokerage your policy is written through, you will still benefit from the same great service, coverages, limits, and discounted premiums.
Broker Age Corporation was purchased by Brokerlink Inc. on December 1st, 2023