Home and Personal

Our entire team understands that insurance is who we are and what we do. We have knowledgeable, experienced, professional brokers that understand that insurance doesn’t always feel important until you require it. 

Let our professionals ask you the questions that are important, in an easy, fast and friendly review, putting a plan in place prior to any unforeseen mishaps. Our Affinity team is always excited to provide you a free review of your existing, new or renewal policy and, most importantly, stand beside you through the claims process as an advocate for you. Most people feel that claims, contractors and insurance companies sometimes speak a different language. We promise to communicate with you in a clear and easy language, to provide remarkable service with the best options, and the best prices and to be your partner when you require us the most.

Affinity Insurance has locations across Saskatchewan which has served to make us the number one insurance brokerage in Saskatchewan. We invite you to choose us and compare what we have to offer against any other insurance brokerage in Saskatchewan. Taking care of what’s important is our policy.

Start by contacting the office where your policy is located. They will be able to explain the claims process and contact the company to have an adjuster assigned. If this is an auto claim, you can set up an online claim with SGI at sgi.sk.ca, call the nearest SGI claim center or call the office where your policy is located.

When a customer decides to change insurance companies or brokers they will not lose their claims free discount as long as there is no lapse in coverage. The new carrier or broker may ask the customer to provide them a copy of their old policy to ensure that the insurance was continuous and that they were eligible for the claims free discount prior.

Loyalty with an insurance carrier is not all that different than loyalty in a friendship. If you have been with an insurance carrier for many years and have a claim that falls into a grey area, the insurance carrier  may consider your past claims history, and loyalty to determine if the questionable claim can be brought into the scope of the policy. If you have recently switched carriers, the relationship is new and it is possible the new carrier may be less forgiving. Like all friendships, though, you should periodically evaluate the costs and rewards of your insurance carrier relationship. If your current carrier no longer meets your needs or  substantially increases your premiums, it may be a good time to review the options provided by your Affinity Insurance broker.

Each insurance company has strict and specific directions for the homeowner  when leaving on vacation, when your home becomes unoccupied, or vacant. The time of season, length of time and type of home you occupy will also impact what is required by your insurance company while on vacation. We strongly recommended to contact your Affinity Insurance broker to find out the requirements of your insurance company. The following explanation is meant to provide a general theme that is expressed by most insurance providers: 

Most home insurance policies exclude losses or damage resulting from water escape, rupture or bursting of pipe or container (such as hot water tank, toilet, or appliance), due to freezing if you are away from home for a specific time period. The policy will include ways to overcome this exclusion if certain actions before loss occur such as:
 · drain all the pipes and, shut the water off or
 · have someone checking your home as stated in your policy or
 · have a 24 hour central monitored security system professionally installed in your home, which includes sensors for low temperatures in your home.

The purchase price of most homes reflects the market value of that home. Market value is calculated by obtaining prices of other homes of a similar build, age and condition in your area and determining how your home compares with these homes. Market value can also be affected based on the local economy in your community and the ease of selling your home.

When you insure your home, the limit of coverage chosen should be based on the worst possible scenario, a complete rebuild. This limit of insurance calculated by your broker will  include the cost to hire a general contractor who may be required to too clean up the debris, replace your yard to the pre damaged condition and of course to rebuild your home with new like kind and quality materials.

 · If you allow the insurance provider to use a limit of coverage equal to 100% of the cost to rebuild, in most circumstances any additional costs associated with the build may be absorbed by the insurance company. Discuss adding Guaranteed Replacement Cost coverage with your Affinity Insurance broker.

 · If a property owner chooses to insure for less than the amount required for replacement cost, the property owner is essentially agreeing to retain part of the risk rather than transferring it to the insurance company. He or she then becomes a ‘co-insurer’ and will share the loss with the insurance company according to a simple calculation.

Example of Coinsurance:

If you insure to $360,000 but total replacement value is $450,000 and experience a $80,000 loss

$360,000 Insured value / $450,000 Replacement value x $80,000 (loss) = $64,000 less deductible is paid out.

You must check with the local bylaw and building code requirements of your area to ensure you are abiding by these requirements before renting out rooms in your home. You cannot insurer something that is illegal or infringes on any civic authority, bylaw or ordinance.

The insurance company will need to know if you rent a room or suite in your home as it will affect the premium and acceptance by the insurance company. Insurance companies assess that there is a higher potential for losses having more than one family or other occupant renting space in your home.  Also, a rental agreement/lease is a separate contract that falls outside of the normal provisions of your policy and if not brought to the attention of your insurance company will compromise coverage on your policy. Your policy can be modified to add this additional coverage and must be approved by your insurer before the tenant accidentally burns down your house.

Please note that your insurance company may take action against your tenant for the losses they cause;  if their actions are considered to be legally liable or negligent for starting a fire. Your insurance company has the right to request the tenant pay back the insurance company for any expenses that they paid on your behalf.

For this reason we recommend that all landlords include in their lease agreement that the tenant is required to obtain a tenant insurance policy for their personal contents and personal liability exposure and provide copy of their tenant policy to the landlord each year. The home owner insurance policy does not provide coverage for your tenants personal belongings and or the tenants personal liability. We invite you to share your lease agreement with our Affinity Insurance brokers so we may provide further direction to limit the use of your insurance policy.

If your policy indicates that you have a rented suite or space in your home, your policy will protect and defend you if a tenant’s guest slips on your sidewalk while visiting. It is important that your policy be modified to ensure liability coverage is extended to a rented room in your home. Your policy will not provide any coverage for your tenant if they are also named in loss suit; your tenant would need to have their own tenant insurance policy to cover this exposure. The adjuster will investigate and determine what action will be deemed necessary to protect you in the course of this action.

Contact an Affinity Insurance broker today to discuss how these potential losses can be covered using your insurance policy.

A phone call or visit to your broker/agency is always welcomed to discuss your insurance policy; especially if you have concerns or questions about any coverages. You may have completed some renovations or perhaps building costs have changed.  We can update the 'home evaluation' calculator that determines what the replacement/rebuilding cost should be and bring options forward.

Guaranteed Replacement Cost provides coverage to repair or replace your dwelling regardless of the amount of insurance shown on the cover page of your policy.

Don’t be discouraged as there may be alternative options. If you have updated your roof, heat, plumbing and electrical and your house was built before 1960 we may be able to get replacement cost or, even better, guaranteed replacement cost on your home. At Affinity Insurance we have contracts with a number of insurance companies and will provide you with the best options available to serve your unique needs.

Multiple claims may have a big impact on your premium and/or result in an insurance company assessing higher deductibles on certain segments of the policy. In severe cases, the company may not offer you a renewal. Your number of years as a client of the insurance company, combined with the number and frequency of claims will factor in the decision.

The frequency of claims will have a larger impact than the amount claimed.

If a client is with a company for a year or two and then has a $75,000 water damage claim, their rate the following year would be the same as if they had a $3,000 theft claim. If a client has three small losses in five years totaling $12,000 their premium would be much higher than if they had one $200,000 fire claim.

In most cases you will lose your claims free discount for three years. This is typically a percentage of the premium. Your broker can give you an estimate of how much this would be. However, any future claims can impact how much your policy would go up in subsequent years.

If a loss occurs shortly after you re-write your policy with a new insurance company, the claims process should be similar to that of your previous company. Insurance carriers understand that most claims are accidental or out of the control of the home owner and the date of loss should not impact the accessibility of using your policy as long as the claim falls within the effective and expiry dates of your policy.

In certain situations your previous policy will bridge the gap from one policy to another.  For example:

When your home has sold and you are moving contents to a new location, you may no longer own your previous home and have not taken possession of your new home.  In most situations your existing policy will provide coverage for a specific time while your contents are in storage or on route to your new home. We invite you discuss the details and options with your Affinity Insurance broker.

If your roommate has a tenant policy, you are not automatically covered unless you are closely related (sibling, parent, child) or a spouse.   As there can be many different scenarios, it’s always best to ask your Affinity Insurance broker for expert advice as to who is covered by a policy. If you’re covered by an existing policy, make sure the limit of coverage is high enough for the both of you.

Some insurance companies do offer bundles if you have more than one type of property insured with them. These bundles may provide for a premium discount. Affinity Insurance will review several quotes and ensure you have the best coverage you need at the best possible rate.

Outbuilding coverage is automatically included with all of our insurance companies. This makes insurance packages easier for most clients, since they don’t have to add or determine the coverage for sheds and detached garages. The limit of coverage for outbuildings is based on a percentage of your home limit and since the outbuildings are automatically included, removing them does not reduce the premiums.

There are two options to consider:

1. Most personal home, condo and tenant policies offer some extended coverage for family members while in a care home. Contact anyone of our Affinity Insurance offices at www.affinityis.ca  to review your existing policy and determine if you have adequate coverage, as each insurance company has slightly different coverages and limits.

2. At Affinity Insurance we offer special senior tenant policies to meet the needs of your family member; providing coverage for contents such as hearing aids, false teeth and liability. Choosing a separate policy will prevent your own personal policy from being affected if a claimable loss was to occur. The cost for these special insurance policies are very reasonable.

There’s many reasons to have tenant insurance:

1. Tenant insurance provides protection for your belongings in the event of a loss. The policy in most instances will provide you with new property to replace your damaged property.

2. Tenant insurance includes a minimum of $1 million in personal liability coverage. This could come into play if a loss occurs and the landlord’s insurance company believes you’re responsible for the loss. Even the loss of landlord’s rental income can be litigated against you; your tenant policy will provide this protection to you.

For as little as $15/month you can have the peace of mind to offset this financial burden. See us at http://www.affinityis.ca for a free tenant insurance quote.

The best way to reduce your policy premium and not remove coverages is to apply any and all discounts that are available. Available discounts may include:

 · Age of insured
 · Mortgage free
 · Claims free
 · Alarm
 · Loyalty
 · Age of dwelling
 · Credit score

Another way to decrease your premium is by increasing your deductible. Talk with your Affinity Insurance broker; they are consumers too and will do everything they can to fit the right coverage with the right price.

Insurance companies determined there was a link between credit scores and the number of claims a person will make. The better the credit score the more likely that a person will not make a claim. As a result most insurance companies provide a discount for a favourable credit score.

Your Affinity Insurance broker understands that your credit score is personal information and requires your consent prior to accessing this discount for you.

Affinity Insurance brokers recommend you provide consent as there is no negative impact for seeing if a discount is available, and the inquiry will not impact your score.

Overland water is a newer coverage in Canada. It specifically covers water that flows over land impacting your dwelling. A river or lake overflowing its banks or a large, quick snowmelt are the most common sources. The coverage protects you from water coming in through window wells or up through the floor, but does not cover seepage through cracks in basement walls.

Overland water is an optional coverage and must be purchased in addition to sewer backup coverage. It is important to note that if overland water coverage is declined and a sewer backup happens because of flooding, the sewer backup will not be covered, even if sewer backup coverage was purchased.

At Affinity Insurance we are excited to offer new options to our customers, please ask us about overland water coverage to determine if you qualify for this endorsement.

Unfortunately no. Sewer back up is an additional coverage that Affinity Insurance highly recommends you add to your insurance policy.

Sewer back up is when water/sewage backs up into your home through the pipes from your sewer and or drainage lines. This does not include water seepage, leakage or flood. Generally sewer back up coverage will cover the cost for cleanup and repair or replacement of damages to your home and contents.

Sewer back up coverage and limits differs depending on the insurance company. There may be limitations on the amount of coverage and to the interpretation of coverage when you add flood coverage to your policy. It is best to call your Affinity Insurance broker to find out what coverage and limits you have on your personal property.