How do you prepare for a home and auto insurance quote?

To find coverage that's right for your unique situation, our brokers will need to understand more about you. Here are some of the details to have handy.

Information needed for Auto Insurance

In all Canadian provinces, drivers require third-party liability coverage and accident benefits coverage with legal minimum amounts depending on your province’s regulations. In general, if you are preparing to get an auto insurance quote you will need the following information:

• Current policy number and renewal date
• Years of prior insurance
• Vehicle details including the year, make and model of your vehicle
• Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
• Driver’s license number and dates licensed (all drivers in household)
• Current coverages and deductibles (all vehicles in household)
• Distance driven in kilometres (one-way) to work and driven annually for each vehicle (it is also important to note if your vehicle is used for business)
• Out of province experience letters and driver’s abstracts
• Details regarding any tickets (moving violations and/or suspensions) in the last three years or accidents in the last ten years (including date, type of accident or ticket)

Information needed for Home Insurance

For a home insurance quote, you will need to ensure you have the following information:

• Current policy number and renewal date
• Years of prior insurance
• Property details (address, postal code, square footage and number of bathrooms)
• Any home updates that have been completed (such as roof, heating, plumbing or wiring improvements)
• Any water or sewer back up preventative measure details
• Current deductibles and liability coverages
• If applicable, any alarm system certificates
• Any unique details of your home (such as pool, hot tub, solarium, gazebo or finished attic)
• Out of province experience letters
• Details of any property claims in the past five years (date of the claim and cause of claim)
• Mortgage details (name of the financial institution and its address)

Questions to ask a broker

Having all of the information and appropriate documents available will help save you time and ensure you are provided with an accurate quote. However, it’s also important to ask the right questions so a broker can find customized insurance coverage to meet your needs and serve you better.

Consider asking some of the following questions:

• What coverages options are available?
  • Accident forgiveness
  • Replacement vehicle coverage (OPCF 20)
  • Sewer back up
• What does one-way cover include? One-way coverage is usually a basic plan that means you only have civil liability coverage to protect you from damages you cause to others.
• What does full coverage include? Full coverage or two-way insurance usually means damages your person or vehicle is covered as well as the damage to others.
• What is the difference between standard and increased accident benefits?

Now that you have all of the information you need, are you ready to get a quote? Contact your BrokerLink broker and find out what the best coverage is for you.